1903
FIRST FARMWORKERS UNION
The Oxnard Strike gathered over 1,200 Mexican and Japanese sugar beet workers in
Oxnard, California for the first farm worker’s union called the Japanese-Mexican Labor
Association (JMLA). This was the first time in American history that different racial groups
allied together to form a cohesive union, showing the power in collaboration across racial
lines. Not only was the Japanese-Mexican Labor Association the first multi-racial union, “, it
will be the first union to win a strike against the California agricultural industry.” 2
1942
BRACERO PROGRAM BEGINS
This program was created by executive order to allow Mexican citizens to work temporarily
in the United States. The work for the braceros was low-paying agricultural work. Nearly 4.8
people signed the Bracero contract, which tied the workers’ legal status to their employer.
Basing legal status on the employer created a dynamic of exploitation, where workers could
be fired and then deported if they requested better working conditions or higher wages.
The program ended in 1964, but other temporary worker programs came into existence
and continue today. 3
1946
National School Lunch Act
is Passed
School boards had to reapply each year to receive government funding for school lunches.
Eventually, it became seen as a matter of national security to provide a more permanent
program. The first cities to enact the National School Lunch Program were in Philadelphia
and Boston. Although funding for school lunches has become more streamlined and easier to
access, states are given very specific instructions on how to spend the money they are given.
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