In the 15th century, decades before they sailed into the Caribbean, Spanish merchants, captains, and adventurers had already conquered and enslaved the people of the Canary Islands in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. On the western coast of continental Africa, the Portuguese had been cultivating a slavery-based economic policy. This legacy of conquest and slavery shaped the colonization of Puerto Rico and other islands in the Caribbean. Some of the first American encounters between Europeans, Indians, and Africans took place in Puerto Rico, and its early history of genocidal violence and physical exploitation was repeated throughout the Americas.
Description (Spanish)
En el siglo XV, décadas antes de las navegaciones al Caribe, los mercaderes, capitanes y aventureros españoles ya habían conquistado y esclavizado a los pueblos de las Islas Canarias en el Océano Atlántico oriental. Asimismo, en la costa oeste del África continental, los portugueses habían desarrollado una política económica basada en la esclavitud. Este legado de conquista y esclavitud se trasladó a las colonias de Puerto Rico e islas del Caribe. Algunos de los primeros encuentros que tuvieron lugar en América entre europeos, indios y africanos sucedieron en Puerto Rico, repitiéndose allí como a lo largo de toda América, una temprana historia de violencia genocida y explotación física.
A short Handled hoe, 1936 hoe. Original owner Librado Hernandez Chavez, (father of Cesar Estrada Chavez). The hoe has a metal blade welded to a metal neck and a wooden handle. The two are attached by a slot screw. The top edge of the blade is similar to the two curves at the top of a valentine hear. Blade recently sharpened.
The short-handled hoe brings back memories of back-breaking labor for generations of Mexican and Mexican American migrant workers who sustained California's booming agricultural economy. Since the late 1800s, its expansive fields of produce have relied on a cheap, mobile, and temporary workforce. The short-handled hoe required workers to bend painfully close to the ground to weed and thin crops. The state abolished the short-handled hoe in 1975, ruling it an occupational hazard after a seven-year legal battle. During this period of political mobilization, the predicament of the migrant farm worker became emblematic of the limited opportunities and the cycle of poverty that trapped many Mexican Americans. In 1966, when Mexican and Filipino American farm workers were brought together under the banner of the United Farm Workers of America, the struggle for labor rights was understood by its supporters as part of the much larger civil rights movement. It was not just important for Mexican Americans but also other low-paid workers. The hoe pictured here belonged to Librado Hernandez Chavez, father of civil rights leader and farm worker organizer, Cesar Estrada Chavez.
Description (Spanish)
La azada de mango corto es un recordatorio de aquellas épocas en que generaciones de trabajadores migratorios mexicanos y mexicoamericanos se quebraban las espaldas en las labores que sustentaron la floreciente economía agrícola de California. Desde fines del 1800, las extensiones de campos de producción agrícola crecían respaldadas en la mano de obra barata, móvil y temporaria. La azada de mango corto exigía que los trabajadores se agacharan penosamente cerca del suelo para poder desbrozar y entresacar los cultivos. El estado abolió la azada de mango corto en 1975, decretándola como elemento de riesgo laboral luego de una batalla que se prolongó siete años. Durante esta época de movilización política, el predicamento del trabajador agrícola se convirtió en un emblema de la limitación de oportunidades y el ciclo de pobreza en el que muchos mexicoamericanos se hallaban atrapados. En 1966, cuando los trabajadores del campo, mexicoamericanos y filipinoamericanos, se unieron bajo la bandera del Sindicato de Trabajadores Agrícolas de América (UFW, por sus siglas en inglés) , la lucha por los derechos laborales fue comprendida por sus partidarios como parte del movimiento más amplio por los derechos civiles. No sólo era importante para los mexicoamericanos, sino también para otros trabajadores mal pagos. La azada que aquí se ilustra pertenecía a Librado Hernández Chávez, padre del líder de los derechos civiles y organizador de los trabajadores agrícolas, César Estrada Chávez.
The vejigante is a demon figure from medieval Spanish folklore that has become a staple of Puerto Rican Carnival culture. During Carnival festivals, the vejigante dress in a horned mask called a careta, and flowing costume to join the crowds in singing and dancing. The careta masks are a cultural symbol of Puerto Rico. The masks are typically made in the cities of Ponce and Loiza for use in carnival celebrations and purchased as home decoration by tourists.
The vejigante is a demon figure from medieval Spanish folklore that has become a staple of Puerto Rican Carnival culture. During Carnival festivals, the vejigante dress in a horned mask called a cartera, and an elaborate flowing costume made by the user to join the crowds in singing and dancing. The cartera masks are a cultural symbol of Puerto Rico. The masks are typically made in the cities of Ponce and Loiza for use in carnival celebrations and purchased as home decoration by tourists.
Square mic cube/microphone flag that went over news reporter's microphone. "Canal 51" is printed on each face in blue and red; a white star is in the center of the "1". The top and bottom of the cube is painted black. There is a hole in the center with foam where the microphone would go through. Mic cube was used by Marilys Llanos, Senior Reporter for WSCV Telemundo 51 in Miami. Inscription by her photographer at the time Claude Castellanos.
"9/2/88" "To the best reporter" "Marilys Llanos" "Claudi"
Script used in the production of the Chico and the Man episode “The Juror.” The script has an orange cover and is bound by two metal brads in holes punched near the left side. Airing as the thirteenth episode of season two of the popular series, the premise for this episode is that Chico is on jury duty and features many tongue-in-cheek jokes about the justice system. After Ed attempts to influence Chico’s decision in the case, Chico confesses this to the Judge. When Chico refuses to incriminate Ed for jury tampering, he is jailed. Ed appeals to the judge on their behalf.
Chico and the Man was a television situation comedy series that aired from 1974-1978, and was notable as the first American television series set in a Mexican-American neighborhood. The series starred Jack Albertson as Ed Brown, the elderly owner of a garage in East Los Angeles, and Freddie Prinze as Chico Rodriguez, a young Mexican-American who begins working for the prejudiced and cantankerous Brown. Over time, Chico begins to soften Brown’s misanthropy and bigotry, becoming a surrogate son to the still-grieving widower. The series was created by veteran producer James Komack and based on his observation of the humor of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, popular comedians who turned down his offer to appear in the show. Komack Company Inc. and Wolper Productions produced the 30-minute show for NBC. Jose Feliciano wrote and performed the theme song for the series. It became a moderate ratings success, and earned an Emmy Award for Jack Albertson as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1976) and a nomination for Jose Feliciano as well as Golden Globe nominations for Best Musical/Comedy Series and Best Television Actor, for Prinze. When Prinze committed suicide in 1977, the producers considered cancellation, but instead decided instead to revamp the series with new characters, a 12-year old boy named Raul (Gabriel Melgar) and his attractive and overprotective Aunt Charo (Charo). Facing declining ratings, the show was canceled the next season.
Eduardo Kachskovsky had a long career at KMEX-TV (Univision) starting in 1980 and serving the Latino community. He worked from 1989 to 2004 in various roles from producer/director to creative director of live news and events. Such events ranged from award shows and political debates to the annual Rose Parade. Spanish-language TV stations were committed to co-sponsoring and televising events that promoted education, health, and civic understanding among communities of viewers. In addition, they invested in the needed staff, reporters, and technology to go on location and connect audiences to live events. If there was an event in LA, “Kach” was probably there. His collection includes not only press badges and a KMEX jacket, but also photographs and an oral history.
In the 1950s, consumers made television the centerpiece of the home, fueling competition among broadcasters to create new products, new programming, new stations, and even new networks. Innovators, such as those behind the creation of independent Spanish-language stations and eventually the Spanish International Network (SIN), challenged established broadcasting companies by creating new programming in Spanish and catering to underserved audiences. Established in the early 1960s, SIN knit together independents and created new stations to serve a national audience. With a complex business and legal history, SIN eventually became Univision in the 1980s. In the decades after 1980, Spanish-language programing options grew with recognition of Latinx communities as powerful consumer groups and the advent of new broadcasting technologies such as cable and digital TV.
Description (Spanish)
Eduardo Kachskovsky desarrolló una extensa carrera en KMEX-TV (Univision) a partir de 1980 y sirvió a la comunidad latina. Se desempeñó en distintas funciones de 1989 a 2004, desde productor / director hasta como director creativo de noticias y eventos en vivo. Dichos eventos iban desde entregas de premios y debates políticos hasta el Desfile de las Rosas anual. Los canales de televisión en español se comprometieron a copatrocinar y televisar eventos que promovieran la educación, la salud y el entendimiento cívico entre las comunidades de televidentes. Además, invirtieron en el personal, los reporteros y la tecnología necesaria para trasladarse hasta los lugares y conectar a las audiencias con los eventos en vivo. Allí donde hubiera un evento en Los Ángeles, probablemente estaría "Kach". Su colección incluye insignias de prensa y una chaqueta KMEX, al igual que fotografías y una historia oral.
En la década de 1950, los consumidores hicieron de la televisión un componente central de sus hogares, fomentando la competencia entre las difusoras para crear nuevos productos, nueva programación, nuevas estaciones, e incluso nuevas redes. Los innovadores, como los creadores de los canales independientes de habla hispana y el Spanish International Network (SIN), desafiaron a las emisoras establecidas creando nuevos programas en español centradas en audiencias históricamente ignoradas. Establecido a principios de los sesenta, SIN unió a difusoras independentes y creó nuevas estaciones para responder a una audiencia nacional. Tras una compleja trayectoria empresarial y legal, SIN se convertiría en Univisión en la década de 1980. Durante las próximas décadas, las opciones de programación en español crecieron gracias al reconocimiento de la comunidad Latinx, como poderoso grupo de consumidores, y a la introducción de nuevas tecnologías de difusión, como el cable y la televisión digital.