Oral history interview with Liborio Santiago Perez, 2002 July 7

Liborio Santiago Perez was interviewed on July 7, 2002. He was 77 years old and was born in Santos Degollado, Etla Oaxaca, Mexico. His father was a peasant and passed away in 1936. His mother was a housewife and die in 1937 when he was only 11 or 12 years old. There were 6 children, 4 boys and 2 girls from which 3 of them were already dead. After his mother died, his brother Alberto was adopted by his uncle and his wife. His youngest brother Justino was living with their grandmother until she die, then Justino as well as Liborio were adopted by their aunt Maria who mistreat them badly. Liborio started working in his aunt Bakery just to have food and a place to live in until he was 19 year old. Liborio was contracted by the Bracero Program to work in the U.S. in agriculture and picking cotton. He traveled from Oaxaca to Irapuato Guanajuato and them to Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua by train, them from El Paso TX to San Francisco California by bus. As he started working and saving money, he started sending money to his aunt Maria for the supporting of his brother Justino. Liborio kept renovating his contract with the Bracero Program for several years untill the program was stopped. Liborio's last boss offered him to help with the process of becoming a permanent resident, but the process was denied. Liborio started working in Mexico at Banarte in San Jose Iturbide, Guanajuato Mexico, he liked his new job, but his salary was not as much as when he was working in the U.S. He worked at Banarte for 21 years before he retired. He still has good memories about his time working in the Bracero Program.