Our Stories
My Father’s Legacy By Elisa Gonzalez Gomez
My father never spoke English, was educated in military school in Zacatecas, served with Pancho Villa in the Mexican Revolution, was a secretary and sergeant. In 1916, he was wounded for the third time. He met my mother, Cruz Romero, in Nogales, Arizona. They got to Lemon Grove around 1922. My father was also a leader in the Obreros y Campesinos Union, organizing strikes in San Diego and Orange counties for better working conditions for farmworkers. My sister Minnie Gonzalez-Ybarra, her four sons, her five nieces and nephews followed my father’s footsteps as volunteer organizers with Cesar and Helen Chavez. We moved to Logan Heights in 1934. There were 14 children. My father died in 1962 at 66. Our family has always shared this story with our children and grandchildren. I am proud of what my father did for all of us.
Juan Escobedo Gonzalez, my father, was the leader in the school boycott and segregation case in Lemon Grove, California – Alvarez v. Lemon Grove School District. Back then 75 of us Mexican Amer- ican students attended the (K-8) Lemon Grove Grammar School. In 1931 the principal told the Mexican students that a new school was built for us, in a barn-like one room building.
Juan Escobedo Gonzalez – 1910
I was seven. Four of my brothers were already in school too. My father went door to door, had meetings with parents saying “don’t send your children to the new school.” As kids we wanted to go to school, but my father explained to us that the white people wanted us out of the regular classroom and in that barn-room. Only one family sent their kids to school” Some were afraid because they could be deported. So, a neighborhood committee was formed, “El Comite de Vecinos de Lemon Grove.” The attorney, Fred Noon, was my father’s friend. They knew each other from Nogales, Arizona. My father’s uncle, Mariano Escobedo, arranged a meeting with Mexican Consul Enrique Ferreira. They picked 12-year- old Robert Alvarez who was a good student, spoke English and had shoes. My father was the only parent who went to court every day. We were happy the Judge ruled for us.
Juan Escobedo Gonzalez family portrait – 1937 (Photos courtesy Gonzalez family archives)
58
San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories
Chapter 2 – Rebuilding Lives, Against All Odds
59
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator