Interview with Barbara Medina, September 19, 2015

GOMEZ: Hi, well, good morning, Barbara. Thank you so much for your willingness to be interviewed by Tess and myself. Today is September 19th, 2015. So we want to say thanks again for this. We have a list of questions, some of which would've come up in the video interview, but we sometimes use the same questions to perhaps further understand some of your experiences. I hope that's okay that even though it might seem like a little bit of a repeat, we gain some understanding perhaps from a different angle. So, Barbara, I understand that you weren't born here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Tell us where you were born and when you came to Wisconsin.

MEDINA: I was born in Uvalde, Texas. My family is from Crystal City, Texas. And they were migrants, and so we would follow the crops and come to Wisconsin every 00:01:00year and go back. So as soon as I was born, in fact, my mother had to leave because she had to go pick up some Braceros from Mexico when they had the Braceros program. So I would say right away. And when I, six years old, to go into elementary school, my parents decided to settle here in Wisconsin because of more educational opportunities for us as opposed to had we stayed in Crystal City, Texas, because at the time there was a lot of racism against Mexican Americans.

GOMEZ: And so that would've been in the early 1960s, would that be correct? That you came to Milwaukee?

MEDINA: I came to. . . oh, no, not to Milwaukee. We lived in Racine County. And then, so I would say, 1966. And then we settled in Racine County in 1962 and we 00:02:00moved to Milwaukee around 1969, 1970.

GOMEZ: And what brought you from Racine to Milwaukee?

MEDINA: My mother, Genevieve Medina, had been one of the founders of the migrant rights organization United Migrant Opportunity Services. And she had been working in Milwaukee and commuting. My dad was a farm worker and though the reason why we moved to Milwaukee was because my father had hurt his back and he was unable to do that type of work anymore.

GOMEZ: And so the migrant rights organization was in Milwaukee and your mom had been commuting, so between your father's health and the organization your mom affiliated with here in Milwaukee, and that's what brought you here in '69.

MEDINA: Correct.

GOMEZ: You mentioned that one of the reasons why your family left Uvalde, Texas was the racism that was going on at the time. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but what was the experiences that were difficult for your family at that time in Texas?

MEDINA: Just a correction, I was born in Uvalde at my aunt's house, delivered by my great aunt, who had just so happened to be there, but we lived in Crystal City. And so in Crystal City at that time, there was the beginnings of consciousness among Mexican Americans because of the economic, what is it. . . oppression that they were living. And so at the time there was the classic 00:04:00division of the white people and the Mexican Americans. The Anglos lived on one side of town and literally crossed the tracks because there was a track in the middle of the town, the other side was the Mexican Americans. On the side where the Mexicans lived, where we lived, there was no plumbing. The roads were just dirt. And when you go to the other side of town where the Anglos lived, they had all the benefits of city services and paved roads and such. And so there was segregation. There were signs that said, "No Mexicans Allowed." And at some point, they had started to run persons for elections, and so that's what they were striving for. And at some point, there was also a walkout from the 00:05:00highschool of the Mexican American students. And at that point, one of my cousins ran for school board. And when they got some Mexican Americans on the school board, that's when things started to effect change. And they were able to run a candidate and one of the political strategies they developed the only Mexican American party, La Raza Unida.

ARENAS: So were you. . . is this something your parents witnessed, the politicalization of the Chicano community there? Was that something your parents observed and told you about later, or do you have memories of that?

MEDINA: I have memories of that because at some point I did go to elementary school in Crystal City. So I was able to observe the meetings in the plazas 00:06:00where the Mexicans were congregating and talking about the things that needed to get done. So I just remember a lot of people, a lot of change in the sense that they were always talking about how they needed to get involved and do things more aggressively, assertively, to make sure they were able to reach their goal of more involvement. And in actuality, that was . . . see how, I don't think their goal was to impact the white people so much as to just to make sure that we were involved in all the city services and integrated in all of that. And once they were successful, it just so happened that the Anglos started leaving the town. And so and let's see, first they started like, they didn't want to go 00:07:00to the public school anymore. They set up their own private schools. And after a while, they just left. And I also remember my mother had been promised. . . oh, now I remember why I was going to school in Crystal City. My mother had been promised a job to work in the court, and then when we got there, did all the expense, and then we said, sorry. But my mom, and what was unusual about it or what was tragic about it is that my mom had worked in the court before. She was the first Mexican American to work in the court. And for some reason, I think, I don't know exactly why she's left, but that was on her own accord. But she wasn't hired back.

ARENAS: What was her role in the courts?

MEDINA: Her role in the courts?

ARENAS: Yeah.

MEDINA: I think she just. . . I think she was supportive staff but she was also 00:08:00one of the first ones to translate the. . . what is it, the driver's manual in Spanish at the time.

ARENAS: Yeah, and when do you think that might've been?

MEDINA: I think that would've been maybe in the mid-'50s.

ARENAS: Okay. Great. Thank you.

GOMEZ: What were the reasons why your mom was not given the job the second time?

MEDINA: I think my observation is that it was probably because of political back dealings. When they had originally, I would assume that once when they offered the job to my mom, it was a real offer. But then when the politics was heating up by the time we moved back down there, they felt it wasn't politically wise to hire her.

ARENAS: Okay.

GOMEZ: So there was a belief by your family that there was some injustice that 00:09:00occurred . . .

MEDINA: Yes.

GOMEZ: . . . as to why your mom didn't get the job.

MEDINA: Right.

GOMEZ: Okay. All right. When you were living down there, and again, you came to Wisconsin pretty young. Well, let me back it up and say, do you recall personally seeing the signs that said "No Mexicans Allowed"? Or was it a lot of family members just saying, boy, there were signs all over the place or signs here or there that referenced discrimination and racism?

MEDINA: Well, my parents both experienced it in my family, but I also did see some signs.

ARENAS: Could you give us an example or two of that, Barbara?

MEDINA: Restaurants like the. . . what is it, the supper clubs. There wasn't very many. I think there was only one or two, that type of thing. Or when they 00:10:00had like the women's organizations like the garden club and whatever, the clubs, you know, that was made clear. It wasn't for Mexican Americans.

GOMEZ: So there was overt exclusion.

MEDINA: In addition to the signs, there was in fact segregation, was such that the cheerleaders that they had in the high school, it was like it was half and half. Half were Anglo and half were Mexican American. So there were like quotas of Mexicans can be allowed, but only so much.

GOMEZ: Wow. Okay.

ARENAS: Unbelievable.

GOMEZ: Let's see. All right. And when you came to Racine, and how long did you 00:11:00live in Racine, did you say?

MEDINA: Until I was, oh, until 1969.

GOMEZ: Yeah. Okay. Was there any experience that you had in Racine where you'd experienced discrimination?

MEDINA: No.

GOMEZ: Okay. What was your view of Racine when you moved? There's quite a difference. It's not just climate-wise.

MEDINA: Well, the difference was when I was a child, the first thing I noticed is that when I went to first grade, we all lived in the migrant camp, so a bus would come and pick us all up and take us to the elementary school. And there were, of course, white students there. And then my family would come back to Crystal City after the crop work was done, but we stayed, and then I was the 00:12:00only Latino there. So I guess you could. . . it was kind of like an identity issue because before I felt that I was supported. I mean, I didn't think I realized it then, but I'm saying that now. And then all of a sudden, they were gone. So that was kind of a shock. So isolation, I think, and I think that was also contributed to the fact that when they had school teacher conferences and my mom would go, and we were playing outside, and it wasn't too long before she arrived, we arrived, that she said we had to go home. And I asked her why and she said because it seems like she was the only one sitting there. Nobody would come to her as like the other parents would be interacting with each other and with the teacher and she felt unwelcome. I don't know if that was just her 00:13:00perception, but that's what she felt.

GOMEZ: Okay. You were talking about identity and how that sort of came up as you lived in Racine. How did you handle that? I mean, it sounded like there was no overt racism and it was more kind of a combination of things, of adjustment and, well, adjustment. And were there others. How did that impact you in growing up? Did . . .

MEDINA: Well . . .

GOMEZ: Were you able to socialize as much as you wanted, or . . .

MEDINA: Well, as I got a little bit older, the isolation was . . . because actually, my mother was working all the time, so I wasn't able to, and my dad 00:14:00was working too. So there really was nobody there like to stay after school for activities and get picked up for such. And so how I dealt with it was I would make my own arrangements to get picked up from other fellow students' parents to be driven home. I remember at some point my mother, I was so proud of myself because at the time, because I thought, "oh, I took care of this and I didn't have to bother my mother or my father." But then after it was a done deal, then they said, "You need to ask us for our permission first." So I was kind of deflated. But I would say, what created in me even when I was little, was an independence because I had to because my parents were working. I had to get up by myself, get ready, and wait for the bus. So you can imagine what I'd look like on picture day.

ARENAS: Oh, you were beautiful. Come on.

MEDINA: And then I also remember that on the first day of school, even though I 00:15:00had my other fellow cousins with me, and going to, I had to do it by myself. My parents had already arranged for all the paperwork. But when I arrived on my first day of school, I remembered I was in the first grade area and all these parents were there. And the kids were crying and the first thing I said to myself was, "What a bunch of babies." So I already was becoming that independent person only because I had to. I also remember my mother would call me in the mornings to make sure I would get up, so . . .

GOMEZ: Yeah. Well, thank you for that. So could you share with us any one or two experiences that you felt in your childhood that influenced your community activism?

MEDINA: Well, I remember my mother had started this organization with some other 00:16:00white people who had come to the migrant camp because at that point, it was a church group that would come. And they set up a day school for us just to make sure that we had some organized structure and whatnot. We used a warehouse that the landlord had said we could use and then we had missionaries come and whatnot. And then I remembered that when they started this organization, I was there when they started it, and then it sort of brought consciousness that maybe we need to do stuff for ourselves. And I remember my mother taking me to a whole bunch of organization meetings and getting cooperation of the organization and then be involved with all the issues with the organization. Like, for example, 00:17:00one of the things we wanted was to better the living conditions of the migrants, like better housing, access to water, you know, toilets. And so I remember going, participating in marches to Madison, and then the takeover of the state capitol. So I realized that in order for you to really get anything done, you really needed to do it for yourself. And if things don't work one way, you try different ways. And I just remember that when we. . . the rotunda was full of Mexican Americans and supporters. We did get a meeting with the governor and I guess we started, then they created positions in government and passed 00:18:00legislation to address those issues. I do remember one time when my mom, she was in charge of the supportive services and recruitment of families. And I remember we would go to Wautoma in Wisconsin because that was one of the largest migrant areas in the summer because they were cultivating pickles. And I do remember nobody would rent them an office space, so they got an old-school bus, and they sort of made it up with a makeshift office in front of the state job service area. And I remember they put up a big sign, sheet, on a sheet that said UMOS. And I remember that excrement was thrown at it the following morning when we got there.

GOMEZ: Hm. Wow.

ARENAS: I didn't catch that last part, Barbara. What happened to it?

MEDINA: They threw manure at the sign.

ARENAS: Manure, okay, oh, my God. And what was the response?

MEDINA: Well, it was like, oh, my goodness. You know, I can't believe this happened, but we need to do a job and we still have to do it. And I also remember because one summer, I spent it in a farmhouse they had rented. In Wautoma there was a family who had settled up in Crystal City. They were the Salas and they had a motel and they had a restaurant. And so that's where we would converge. And I remember, so I stayed in that farmhouse. The women and mom stayed in the farmhouse. And then the barn, sort of that's where the men stayed because they were the ones that went out to the different migrant camps to try and recruit and. . . services. And I remember each night my mom would have a 00:20:00debriefing. And some of the stories, people would report that they were chased off by a rifle with the owner saying that we couldn't be on their land.

GOMEZ: I wanted to go back to some dates, Barbara, that you mentioned. You had mentioned that your mom had gotten some help from a church group that provided missionaries. What year was that, and where was that?

MEDINA: Oh, that was in the migrant camp in Racine County and actually there were three migrant camps of which my mom was the crew leader or in charge of everything. So that was unusual, to have a woman to lead. And then in one of the other camps, two of my great uncles were part of the other two camps. So, excuse 00:21:00me, I forgot the question.

GOMEZ: No, that was helpful, to say where that happened and when. What year was that, then, so was that right in '69 or. . .

MEDINA: No, so this was before UMOS was formed, so I would say it would be in the early 1960s.

GOMEZ: Okay. Pre-UMOS. Okay. Got it.

MEDINA: And so in the camps that that would happen would be in. . . we lived in Horner's camp, and then the other ones was Bermeister and Frankdik. So we would take turns as to when, where the activities would happen within the three migrant camps, and there were all maybe like a couple miles between each other.

GOMEZ: Okay. And the goal of the crew leaders, just pre-UMOS, which means 00:22:00pre-United Migrant Opportunity Services, was to identify the needs of the migrants, as well as to figure out how to get services for them. And would that be correct?

MEDINA: Correct.

GOMEZ: Okay. And with your mom being a crew leader, was that to. . . we were talking about identifying needs and getting services. Would your mom then be the person to talk to the farm owner and see about getting services? Was that part of her role as well?

MEDINA: Yes, as well as recruiting people to come and work on the farm, so she was like the boss. And I remember her outfit. And I do remember this was she would wear, if you remember the movie from a long time ago of a character called Captain Dim, he would wear like, a safari hat, and I thought like a hunter. My 00:23:00mom had a safari hat like that and then she would drive around in a red Jeep, a little red Jeep. And to this day we couldn't find any pictures of her on the red Jeep. We kind of have one, but it's not as clear as it could be, but she's in profile with the Jeep and she's sitting in it and you can see the hat, so we knew that was her.

GOMEZ: That's wonderful. So your mom, as a recruiter, then your mom worked for the farm owner.

MEDINA: Correct.

GOMEZ: Okay. And then so while a role could be more specific to the recruitment, it seemed like she expanded her role and maybe your great-uncles did too, to start to negotiate for services on their behalf. Would that be accurate as well, or. . .

MEDINA: Yes. But I would think that my mother's role as the crew leader, aside 00:24:00from addressing the issues related to daily work and assignments and whatnot, I think we discovered that our migrant camp, the owner, Horner's farm, was really more ahead of his time than the other migrant camps because he did provide housing which did have, the one house did have, some houses did have indoor plumbing. But there was like a cement block area where there'd be group showers and toilets and things and so I think, in a sense, there really wasn't some. They seem kind of basic, but some of the places did not even have that or running water.

GOMEZ: Sure. Okay.

MEDINA: And I guess I would have to say that, because of her involvement, I mean, her being an activist for migrant rights outside of when she stopped being 00:25:00a recruiter, I don't think that there was. . . of course, some publicity around it. But the owner did not say anything to her so he allowed it to happen. My father was still working. So in a sense, I guess he was a little bit ahead of his time in comparison to some of his peers.

GOMEZ: When you talked about Wautoma getting services, was this when your mom might have switched gears from being a recruiter to being more focused on services to migrant workers? I just want to understand if there was a transition.

MEDINA: She stopped working. When UMOS was founded, she was one of their first 00:26:00employees. So she, at that point, she no longer worked at the migrant camp, but we continued to live in the migrant camp, so she was able to work full time with the organization.

GOMEZ: Okay.

ARENAS: And the camp was located where, that you were living then?

MEDINA: Say that again?

[talking over each other]

ARENAS: Where was the camp. . .

MEDINA: The camp's name was Horner's farm.

ARENAS: And it was still in Wautoma area?

MEDINA: No, that was in Racine County.

ARENAS: Okay. Racine, thank you.

GOMEZ: So when your family, you, your dad, your mom, moved to Wautoma, which is when UMOS was founded, and you lived in one of the migrant, or you didn't live in the migrant camp. You lived, let's see, at the Salas' place. . .

MEDINA: We did not move. My dad, we maintained where we lived, which was in 00:27:00Racine County, but my mom would only move there during the summers.

GOMEZ: Okay. I got it. And then her role was to help people find jobs outside of migrant work? Because you had mentioned that you had to rent a bus because you couldn't rent office space, and that would be UMOS, the organization doing this, correct?

MEDINA: Yes. What they would do for us is they would go to the migrant camps and talk to people and see what their needs were. And at that point, we were also accessing them to basic services, to extra food, to transportation, and then educating them or informing them of the opportunities to get out of the migrant stream. And so there were funds available to relocate them to the urban centers 00:28:00where UMOS had offices. And then they would have training classes. They would have training. They would have classes in English. And then there was the part where they would help them find jobs in the urban centers, which would be Madison, Milwaukee, and Oshkosh.

GOMEZ: So while you had a Madison, Milwaukee, and Oshkosh. . .

MEDINA: Yes, as the urban centers.

GOMEZ: Yeah. And so it sounded like you went with your mom during the summer to Wautoma.

MEDINA: Yes, I did. One summer I did.

GOMEZ: Okay. Got it. Okay.

MEDINA: And maybe I should add that, too. When I got out of high school, my 00:29:00first summer job was working with UMOS because they were hiring. They would hire additional staff to go and recruit and go to the migrant camps and that's what I did. My areas were Waukesha, Washington County, Ozaukee. And so I got into. . . myself.

ARENAS: And how old were you when you joined UMOS and. . .

MEDINA: Seventeen.

ARENAS: And what year would that be, then?

MEDINA: '72.

GOMEZ: Okay.

ARENAS: Great. Thank you.

GOMEZ: How did you find that job? I mean, what was that job like for you in your first. . . it was your first summer job after high school. What was that 00:30:00experience like for you?

MEDINA: Well, I had a car, and so first of all, I was experiencing independence which I think all along I had, so that wasn't quite new. And my parents supported me in doing stuff. So I felt that I was helping people and that was a good feeling; do what I could. But I also remember and also helped them access medical help. There was a migrant camp, or there was a clinic that served the migrants, and it was in Wild Rose, Wisconsin. So I do remember picking up people, driving them to Wild Rose and then driving them back to their homes and then coming back home to Milwaukee. So sometimes I wouldn't come home until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning and things of that nature. And I also somehow got involved unintentionally with having one family move from one migrant camp to 00:31:00another camp. And then, I guess, there were issues between the crew leader of that area and just. . . you can't take families from me, that type of thing, so the director had to become involved to move that over.

GOMEZ: I think you got in the thick of some kind of larger issues.

MEDINA: Yeah.

GOMEZ: Okay. All right. So you had talked a little bit about identity adjustment or changes when you came from Crystal City, Texas to Racine County. Could you share with us any of the other transitions you would've gone through in terms of your ethnic identity and how do you identify yourself now, and what transition was for you?

MEDINA: Well, now I consider myself a Latina, but at that moment, I don't think 00:32:00there was. I think it would be Mexican American at the time. But I do remember that when I went to first grade, it was a two-room schoolhouse called Apple School. And there were like the grades from first through eighth grade, so there weren't very many of. . . but I do remember that we were doing a Christmas show and we were singing Christmas songs in German.

ARENAS: Okay.

MEDINA: So it was like, okay, well, that was always kind of funny, but I went with the group. I was the only one. What could I say? No, I don't want to do it?

ARENAS: Yeah.

GOMEZ: And then, let's see. . . I know right now you say you consider yourself 00:33:00Latina. Was there a time when you considered yourself Chicana? That's certain some period of time for some women that we know. And were there other identities you sort of tried on and kept or discarded?

MEDINA: Well, I was a Chicana. I was calling myself Chicana when I was in the. . . started doing that in my mid-teens to kind of power the whole thing. And then, as I got more involved in Milwaukee, my consciousness was raised to see that the challenges weren't just faced by the Mexican Americans but also other groups. Like in that, the other larger group in Milwaukee at the time was Puerto Ricans and a smattering of other Latinos. So then, I expanded my horizon to include all 00:34:00of them, so that's why I started to call myself a Latina.

GOMEZ: Mm-hm. Got it. So do you consider yourself a community activist? And if not, what would be another term to define your community efforts?

MEDINA: No, I would definitely call myself a community activist.

GOMEZ: Okay. And how do you define that?

MEDINA: Well, a community activist is, I think, someone who gets involved actively to impact change. And so when I started becoming involved, it was with the goal of trying to empower people, as well as trying to impact institutions.

GOMEZ: Thank you. When would you say that your community activism began?

MEDINA: Well, I think it had begun since I was little in the awareness of community involvement and the actions that were necessary to impact change. But I started becoming involved, like I said, in the politics of UMOS when I was little, so I was aware of it. I remember going to different meetings where chairs were thrown and whatnot and stuff. So I was more like an observer, but I think when I started getting involved in UMOS itself, I was becoming more active. And so then, after working with UMOS, after that summer, then I started 00:36:00becoming more involved in other issues impacting our community, which would be working for issues of poverty and economics and medical access. And that, of course, those are issues that cross many different groups. So a different place in my life, I got involved in each of those activities, as well as the women's issues and some of them simultaneously.

GOMEZ: Mm-hm. Thank you. And so I think you've had a chance to share with us why you became involved. I mean, what was the origin of your involvement dating all the way back to Crystal City? When you started becoming a community activist, 00:37:00could you kind of describe the Milwaukee community at that time? You shared that it was, as it relates to the Latino community, very racially or ethnically mixed, you know, a variety of different Latino ethnicities there. But what would be some other ways that you describe the Milwaukee community at that time?

MEDINA: There was no Latinos in leadership roles, meaning elected officials, or any visible involvement in leadership positions in the different areas I had mentioned, and so there was that. And then there was the largest Latino 00:38:00population were Mexican Americans, and then followed by Puerto Ricans. And, of course, there were also ethnic enclaves, you know, Polish, German, and African Americans. The majority of the Latinos at that time lived on the near south side, with a smattering over on the northeast side, where Puerto Ricans resided. It was just that way. So I think that's it, as far as I can recall.

GOMEZ: Could you describe, you know, it's been plenty of research done about the migration from some of the political activists from Crystal City, Texas to Milwaukee. And I think you may have a first-hand knowledge of that sort of 00:39:00transportation of a political agenda by the Chicano or Mexican American group. Would you, could you, just summarize what your understanding of that was? What was going on at the time in Milwaukee?

MEDINA: One of the. . . oh, in Milwaukee?

GOMEZ: Yeah.

MEDINA: So in Milwaukee we had Jesus Salas, like I said, the Salas family had moved to Wisconsin some time ago. Jesus Salas had graduated from Wautoma High School, and then he was also in high school in Crystal City, and so was some other folks. And when they came up, one of the things with UMOS was, at the time, even though the organization was formed, at the time, the UMOS leadership and board did not have a representation of the population they served, meaning 00:40:00Mexican Americans. So I remember that because of Jesus Salas' involvement to try and get more Mexican Americans in leadership roles, we staged a walkout. And then, once that was addressed from Washington, there was a process of Jesus Salas became the executive director of UMOS. But at the same time, I think he was also working with boycotts to try to get the fieldworkers organized in conjunction with Cesar Chavez. Pancho Rodriguez was another one who lived, again, they were schoolmates, Jesus and Pancho. And so Pancho came up and he was involved too, and then eventually he became to work in state government. So I'm 00:41:00thinking that what happened is, because they were politicized when they were younger, is it just expanded itself when they came to Wisconsin. It just so happens that that's where they settled out. And one of the other ones was Jose Gutierrez who lived kitty corner from my house. And his father was a doctor, and even with his dad being a professional, he still had to live on the Mexican side of town. And Jose Guitierrez was very key in creating the organization of the politics at the time. And he started, again, La Raza Unida Party. So he never lived in Wisconsin, but he always came quite a bit. So that was about it.

GOMEZ: When we think of the La Raza Unida Party in Milwaukee, and I appreciate 00:42:00understanding how it emerged in Milwaukee or, maybe, more so in Wisconsin because it sounded like its origins were also connected not just with an urban community but with a rural community as well. And you had mentioned several people as it relates to the La Raza Unida Party. Who were, if you knew, were there any women leaders in La Raza Unida Party when it began here in Wisconsin?

MEDINA: I don't know offhand because my experience was that La Raza Unida Party was, well, I know that it was created as a third political party in Crystal City only because we couldn't get an in with the established Republican or Democratic 00:43:00Parties. So that's why it was started, to be able to get involved electorally. And so I think in Wisconsin, my observation would be that the Latinos that started becoming involved in the electoral process, the majority would use the Democratic Party. And I don't know if there were candidates that ran under La Raza Unida Party. They may have, but I was not familiar with that. Most of my familiarity with La Raza Unida would be in Texas. But I know that Jose Gutierrez's wife was very active. But even then, when I talked to my cousins and their wives at that time, they reflect on now and at the time, the women 00:44:00realized that they were also being marginalized by the Mexican men. And so they also had to make their own way to make sure they were at the table.

GOMEZ: How did they think they were being marginalized? How did they understand that, rather?

MEDINA: That the traditional roles were in place where the male is the one who gets involved and the woman is at home. So that traditional Mexican definition was being played out in the birth of the La Raza Unida Party and so the women 00:45:00had to be active and assertive, more so, to make sure that there was equity.

GOMEZ: But was there equity?

MEDINA: No, I don't think so.

GOMEZ: Mm-hm. If they were assertive, what did they gain? Did they gain some new leadership roles?

MEDINA: Yes, I did, and Jose Gutierrez's wife, her name escapes me at the moment, was part of that leadership where they had to make sure decisions were being made about strategy and what meant that they were at the table and making sure women also took a role in whatever they were planning, as opposed to just strategizing and letting the men do it all themselves.

GOMEZ: Mm-hm. Okay. All right. Thank you. So I think, were there any other key 00:46:00influences that shaped your activism, Barbara?

MEDINA: Well, as some of this was going on, I was observing. And so what I was observing and what I was looking for was that the dynamism that was being played out, and I was looking at and I was looking to see, what did they do? Who did it? Did they accomplish their goal or not? And I was sort of making mental notes sort of like when I start doing this, this is what I'm going to do. This is what I'm not going to do. So it was sort of like Community Activism 101. My mother was a key role in all of this because she was involved in the best way she knew 00:47:00how. But once she got to. . . but I always saw her as a major player behind the scenes where they would support the men. And basically she was their. . . what is it, their go-to person to talk things out with her, so any of the major leaders of the time, the men, they would always go to my mother. So I think on an internal note, to say that I saw the influence of being the go-to person for like, behind the scenes, I saw that as key. But I also made a mental note that I would prefer not to be that person and I would be the activist role that the men were doing. So I always aspired to be a leader as I saw the men do what they 00:48:00were doing, in other words, that I would be an act-of-change agent. I wouldn't settle to be behind the scenes.

GOMEZ: Thank you. So let's move to the area that you referenced that post your experience with the summer job with UMOS. You started to get involved in, you said, poverty, economics, and medical access. I know it would be hard to summarize, but just share some of the activism you were involved in once you finished high school. What was that sort of overview of your key leadership roles?

MEDINA: Well, I think one of the things that we did, and I had forgotten about the last time we talked, was I helped start the credit union in Milwaukee called La Cooperativa to try and be an alternate source for people with low incomes. So we petitioned to the state, and we became a credit union. And, of course, I was on the board and we had to take an active role because we were so little. So that was one thing that I was involved in to help impact the economic alternatives to people of low income. The majority of them were Hispanic, but, you know, it was primarily made for them, but of course it was open to all. And 00:50:00I do remember a number of nights where it was my turn to be there and I had to make sure that the accounts all evened out at the end and sometimes it took a while. But I think we also did loans that I think were significant when people started their own businesses and purchased the equipment they needed and things of that nature. Another role. . .

GOMEZ: Barbara, what year was that?

MEDINA: Oh, in the '80s.

GOMEZ: Okay.

MEDINA: And then I was involved with trying to get Latinas involved in trying to affect change. And one of those was just started with monthly or regular lunch meetings with my women friends who were also active in their own right. And we became what is known as the Latina Task Force. And what we did is we would have 00:51:00elected officials come and talk to us and we would share with them our ideas in areas that needed improvement and what we needed to do to make that happen. So we brought a number of issues to their attention that maybe would not have been, had it not been us. And our issues weren't necessarily always addressed with the other people that were involved. So we thought that was necessary. One of the things that we did that at some point is we organized the first Latina conference and we called it Sí Se Puede. That was the theme. And I know you both were involved in that. And so we also provided scholarships to women for that weekend of the conference. And we had issues related to empowerment, 00:52:00access, those types of workshops. And then I also had become involved in. . . let's see, I'm trying to think. With the medical, I was involved in making sure that the migrants had more access to medical care in addition to the clinic that was in Wild Rose, so that. And let me see, I was also involved in campaigns to get Latinos elected, and then at some point, we realized that we never won. So one of the things we started looking to is that, well, if we can't do it this way, let's start at the very beginning. So that's when the idea of the districting came to me because, at the time, when they do the census, that's the 00:53:00opportunity, when they talk about redesigning the districts. We wanted to make sure we would impact that by creating districts that would create the setting where we would have more Hispanics in that area and so that we would be able to have a base to be able to elect a Latino official. And then, even then, I experienced that we couldn't. We couldn't get a Latino elected even though we did some campaigns. And then, at some point, the idea came to me that maybe we should try political appointments, so that's where we got involved in identifying candidates and asking them if they wanted to run. And the first one that would be the easiest would be judges. And so we had to look. The best 00:54:00scenario in which to do that was to make sure that there was an open seat, that the current judge would've resigned, so there would be a vacancy and the governor would have to appoint them. And that's how we got our first Latina judge in Milwaukee elected.

GOMEZ: And who was that?

MEDINA: Elsa Lamelas.

GOMEZ: Mm-hm. Okay.

MEDINA: There might have been some other things, but they don't come to mind right now.

GOMEZ: Mm-hm. Wonderful. In these examples of your community activism, and I know that there's plenty more, did you expend, experience any gender differences, issues, or barriers?

MEDINA: I do not think so, aside from dealing with barriers of things being 00:55:00institutionalized and trying to impact that. I think most of the barriers that I faced was more of being an activist and trying to change the status quo and that the powers that be didn't want to change. I think that was more of an issue that I experienced.

GOMEZ: When we think of the Latina Task Force, were there any specific incidents where there may have been gender issues involved with that?

MEDINA: Not that I can recall.

GOMEZ: Okay. And just in terms of any racial discrimination that occurred, again, during more contemporary time of your community activism . . .

MEDINA: Not personally, no.

GOMEZ: Okay.

ARENAS: I wanted to go back. This is Tess. I want to look back to the Latina Task Force. Another thing that would be interesting to hear from you, Barbara, is were you aware of how the Latina Task Force, because you are so well connected, historically in Milwaukee, including the man from La Raza, did you ever hear of what the perception of the Latina Task Force was by the male leadership in that community?

MEDINA: Are you asking what we experienced from the male Latino community to Latina Task Force?

ARENAS: Yeah. I mean, did you hear things about what they thought of the group 00:57:00or the actions we took?

MEDINA: I think, at some point in the beginning, they just thought of us as just getting together and just doing women things. But I think that when we started talking amongst ourselves and we started sharing our stories, it became clear to us that, collectively, we might be able to do something. And so we identified an issue that one of the women had and then we would decide to see what we could do about it, and that's how we started calling elected officials to get our voice heard. And I think when we started doing that and the elected officials actually 00:58:00did come and saw us as players, I think that's when the men started to realize that, yeah, we were there to do some activism that they may not have thought that we would be doing. So I think that kind of, because the thing, not that we needed credence or validation, because all those women didn't need that. They were very self-confident and they knew what they wanted to do. What really gave ourselves, shall we say, legitimacy, for lack of a better word, came from the external community and not from our own. . .

ARENAS: Okay. And so would you be saying, the external community, meaning the Anglo community?

MEDINA: Yeah.

ARENAS: Okay. That's helpful. Thank you.

GOMEZ: Yeah, thank you. Could you share with us any personal sacrifices that may have been involved in your activism?

MEDINA: I think it would be having my own time, because I remember for periods of time, that my life consisted of work and then all my outside activities and weekends, being on different boards or committees and addressing those. And I didn't have very much downtime for myself, so and then, of course, time that I could have spent with family.

GOMEZ: Mm-hm. All right. And. . .

MEDINA: And that's one of the things that I didn't think of it as a sacrifice, but now that I look back, I do. Because I remember, when I was little, one of 01:00:00the reasons that I had to become so independent was because my mother was working to better the community. And her sacrifice was her lack of time with me. Not to say that it was okay, but that we could only do what we could do at the time with what we knew. And so she did her best. But seeing that model or living that model was something I was comfortable with, so I didn't see it as sacrificing. I was doing all those things that needed to be done because somebody had to do it. But now that I look back, I think I did have a lot of lost time with family and with personal time of my own.

ARENAS: Mm-hm.

GOMEZ: Mm-hm. Yeah. So were there any other barriers that you experienced during 01:01:00the more intense time of your activism, and if so, how did you respond to them?

MEDINA: Well, regarding the different issues that I was involved in, the intensity would come when we would have to raise our involvement another notch, so that would mean that we would have to go to a different strategy. And so that was. . . in order we had to do that because there were barriers to what we wanted to accomplish. So I do remember meetings when we were doing our districting that we had to organize very well and time things simultaneously because we had to impact county, city, county, and state. And each governing body had their own timetable to address these things. And we needed, and so we 01:02:00had, as a part of our strategy, we also had a number of community members go to these different meetings. And some of these, and so it would get quite heated in some cases, as I recall. I think it was with the county when we had a number of people in the chamber and at some point, one of the county supervisors said something. And I got up and I said, "That was a lie." Yeah, and I was going to be thrown out and that type of thing. Things of that nature. . .

GOMEZ: Yeah.

MEDINA: And I also do remember there was also a time when, I think, I don't know. . . exactly remember the circumstances, but I know it involved Wisconsin, what now is WE Energy. It was the utility where at some point a child lost her life and one of their officials said something in the media that somehow had to 01:03:00do something with the value of the child's death involved, regarding settlement. And so at that point we, the Latina Task Force, shifted its gears really immediately to be able to address the situation. And we were picketing the utility and we had the utility officials out there yelling at us and saying that it's not true and things. Yeah, so I was really. . .

[talking over each other]

MEDINA: I had forgotten about that one and I know we were able to mobilize people very fast and bring attention to that matter.

GOMEZ: Mobilize quickly, that's right.

ARENAS: I wanted to point out that you said something very important about your sacrifice and I just want to clarify. You have been working as a professional in 01:04:00the Latino community most of your career. And then, in addition to that work and those responsibilities, you also were engaged in all these other activities. Correct?

MEDINA: Yes.

ARENAS: You're amazing.

MEDINA: We are amazing.

ARENAS: All this. . . my goodness, Barbara.

GOMEZ: Barbara, what kind of support did you receive during this time?

MEDINA: Well, when I was younger, I got my parents' support in all that I did. And I think one of the things that. . . so they supported me completely and, I mean, how many parents would let your teenage daughter drive around all over Wisconsin with strange men and not blink an eye? I know some people would have 01:05:00some comments to say about that, but that's what we knew. And they knew what I was doing, so they were great. And then the other support I would get was from the women. So I would say. . .

GOMEZ: And how did they support you?

MEDINA: By listening, by exchange of ideas, strategies, and then helped me, engaged and support me in whatever I was doing. And they all were involved at all these different points in my life. So I would say that they were, the women were the greatest support I had.

GOMEZ: Mm-hm. Wonderful. So do you have any role models as an activist?

MEDINA: Well, like I kind of mentioned before, my mother was an example of a 01:06:00role model in how she was involved. I was able to witness that. But I had decided early on that I was not going to play the. . . what is the backroom-type support. I wanted to be out there and actually be involved and active in contributing to the change that we were looking for because, even though my mother's style of leadership is well and good, because we need all different types to be able to achieve our goals. But what I saw when I was little, what was imprinted, was that the men were the ones that were doing the going out there, the facing the people and doing and leading and doing, impacting whatever, actualizing what strategy they were doing. And I wanted to be that. I wanted to be there. I wanted to be that type, in other words, not being 01:07:00secondary but being primary.

GOMEZ: Mm-hm. Good. Thank you.

ARENAS: So to me it's like you were in an internship throughout your life. . .

MEDINA: Yeah.

ARENAS: . . .while you observed your mother. And from there, you gleaned strategies you felt you could use and strategies and roles that didn't appeal to your style, and you wanted to be in the more active leader.

MEDINA: Correct. And I think one of the other dimensions that I saw during, when I was growing up when I was little, is that I also observed that people like my mother supported the leadership of the men, and that's all that they saw. They didn't see the other part that the men did, that I was aware of, and meaning they were playing the roles of leader, but in their personal lives, they were 01:08:00less-than. And I guess we're all human beings and that's to be expected, but I saw that dichotomy and I didn't like that. So I was going to make sure that whenever I would be involved with the men, it would be as a change agent, because I saw them in their complete personhood, as opposed to my mother and people like her that saw them only as, oh, they're really good. They're impacting change. But I saw the human side of that and that did influence me.

ARENAS: I have a kind of related question and that is you talked about riding around in a car at a young age with a group of men and you're sure some people might have had some opinions on that. And I relate that. When I was driving 01:09:00around, and I think Eloise too, we were driving around Wisconsin. . . Council on Higher Ed with a carload of brown men and we were both single. What did you do? And I know there were comments. And I'm like, we had strategies on how to make sure we came up with buena señoras, yet kick-ass activists. So what kind of a position and tone did you take when traveling with a group of men?

MEDINA: I was always professional and I made sure I dressed appropriately. And, of course, like for example, I would take the single men, which was a number, to get, what is it. . . like, to interviews or to, again, the Wild Rose Medical Clinic. So I made sure that I stayed professional and related to the job only and as soon as I was done doing what I was doing, I would leave. I would never 01:10:00engage in like, social activities at the camp, like if there were weddings and things of that nature, just to make sure that I would just be there when I had to be and performing my job. So and what I meant by other comments when I said that earlier is that my mother has passed away and my dad has remarried to a Mexican woman who has ten children, so now I have a number of step brothers and sisters, which is fine. They support my dad a lot. But the thing is, when I would tell her stories like how I got my first job and I was going around helping people, one of the things that went through her mind was like, how could they let you do that? You know, that would be dangerous. "And your parents thought it was okay?" So that was kind of strange. You know, but we come from 01:11:00different worlds. I mean, what can I say? And then the other thing too is what she thinks is unusual is that because my parents were working, I had to do a lot of stuff for myself. And that was another thing she could not understand.

ARENAS: Okay. Thank you.

GOMEZ: Yeah. You had mentioned that your mom was a role model and that some men who were actualizing change were. Could you be specific about who some of these men were?

MEDINA: It would be Jesús Salas, Pancho Rodríguez, José Ángel Gutiérrez, Ernesto Chacón, and Ángel Navarro.

GOMEZ: Okay. All right. Thank you. So when we consider women leadership experiences such as yours, do you have a specific social, cultural, or political 01:12:00framework to describe your work, such as equity or empowerment, that kind of thing?

MEDINA: I don't quite understand the question, but this is how I will answer. And let me know if this is what you're looking for. My thing was always to impact change. So with that, I was always interested in looking at the different models of organizing. And so I recall Saul Alinsky was an influence as sort of like the template of how to plan something so that I can get it done and getting community involvement.

GOMEZ: Well, and I think that is what I was, without coming out, I mean, some 01:13:00people have for example a socialist agenda. Some people might have a feminist agenda. So I wasn't trying to intentionally be cryptic, more to allow you to sort of create what your experiences told you in terms of how you responded to the issues that you were tackling.

MEDINA: And then the thing is too, whatever, once we identified an issue, the thing was to do your homework and know what were the circumstances that brought about that issue and who has influence over that issue and who has served and what are the constituencies? And then you try and get them all to go to try to impact change, so. . .

GOMEZ: Yeah. Well, just the last three questions would be, what is the most impactful activism work you have done and why?

MEDINA: Well, I would think that it would be getting Hispanic folks elected because that gives us, our community, a person in that leadership role that is actually able to impact change to legislation and decisions, all for the betterment of our community, the Latino community. And so I think that's why the electoral piece was so important to me, to set the foundation to be able to get our people elected. And I know that one of the things that we did in, when I was involved with the redistricting committee, is we were able to get greater representation for our community at the city level when they added an additional 01:15:00seat. It went from 16 aldermen to 17. And then, that same year, we fought to make sure that we maintained the current number of representatives because there was also a movement to reduce the number of seats, so I'm very proud of that.

GOMEZ: Thank you.

ARENAS: Barbara, were you involved in any of the elected official campaigns of the past, maybe, 15 years out of Milwaukee?

MEDINA: Well, I was involved in a number of campaigns where we weren't successful at electing the Latino candidate, but I know that I was involved in the subsequent campaigns that were successful. And the strategy of getting the governor to appoint a judge, I think that was critical. And then we also identified another candidate, Pedro Colon, who became alderman and then who 01:16:00eventually got appointed to . . . and got to be a judge.

ARENAS: Right. Okay.

MEDINA: Well, I was also involved in other campaigns, so I remember the Mary McNulty campaign. She was the. . . one of the strategies that led to that was, again, earlier in the electoral field in Milwaukee, the first Latino that I know of that ran was for alderman and he didn't make it. So at that point, there was a strategy to decide, well, if we can't get one of our own elected, let's try and get behind someone who supports us completely, and that was Mary Ann McNulty. And she was able to get elected, and she consistently supported our community during her tenure.

ARENAS: Right. Thank you.

GOMEZ: How would you describe your activism now, Barbara?

MEDINA: Well, right now, at the point of reflection, my priorities have shifted, and so it's more of my family now and my work. And I don't get involved as much 01:17:00as I used to only because I figured I've put in my time and to be able to do some of the things for myself that I didn't do before. So I'm at a different stage completely, but if there's a specific issue that I do see or my friends need help with, I will get involved.

GOMEZ: Great. Would you change anything about the journey you've taken thus far?

MEDINA: No. I don't think so because at each point, you learn something new, and then you incorporate it, and then you move on. And I'll get better skill sets at each point during my life. So I think I would not.

GOMEZ: So what words would you like to share for future generations of Latinas about activism?

MEDINA: Not to be an observer but to be a change agent. Take the leadership role yourself. If you see something that needs to get done, get involved and start doing it.

GOMEZ: Okay. Well, Barbara, I want to thank you so much for this wealth of information, both in terms of your experience, as well as to understand even some of our women who came earlier on before people of our generation, like your mother, and for us to better understand the conditions and situations for the Latino community, both in the Milwaukee/Racine area, as well as in rural area like Wautoma. I think we have a better understanding of the condition for migrant workers back then, and that's so important to understand all of this. So 01:19:00any last thing you wanted to share with us before we wrap up?

MEDINA: No, I also want to thank you, Eloise and Tess, for being there and getting me involved in issues. I know the Wisconsin Community Fund is one example, but I know that. . .

ARENAS: Oh, I forgot about it, so, yeah.

MEDINA: So I want to thank you all for those opportunities.

ARENAS: We've learned so much from you, Barbara, over the years, working alongside of you or observing you, or when I moved to Madison, keeping track of you. And these interviews have just overwhelmed me with all of the things you've done. It's an honor to know you, woman, and I mean that in the most sincere way. You are an amazing woman.

MEDINA: Okay.

GOMEZ: All right

ARENAS: [laughter]

GOMEZ: Yes, absolutely, and take care, and thank you once again.

ARENAS: All right. And I . . . Barbara.

MEDINA: Okay.

ARENAS: Okay. All right. Bye-bye, guys.

[talking over each other]