CLLAS Publications

Latino Roots in Lane County, Oregon

This project was supported by the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies with the Center for the Study of Women in Society (csws.uoregon.edu). In addition to this booklet, the Latino Roots project involves classes at the University of Oregon, two video documentaries, and a website and digital archive. The Latino Roots project is administered through the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies and is part of the “Americas in a Globalized World: Linking Diversity and Internationalization” big idea at the University of Oregon.

Latino_Roots_book

i

The Story of PCUN and the Farmworker Movement in Oregon (revised edition)

PCUN_story_WEB

Written by Dr. Lynn Stephen in collaboration with PCUN staff members. PCUN is the acronym for Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United).

University of Oregon
Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies
Copyright 2012

From the “Introduction”

In her newly revised history of PCUN (The Story of PCUN and the Farmworker Movement in Oregon), University of Oregon professor of anthropology Lynn Stephen writes that “ The story is told from the perspective of those who were active in founding and participating in PCUN—including farmworkers, field organizers, staff, and those who worked closely with the organization. This history serves to document their experiences and insights…. Since the Willamette Valley Immigration Project began in 1977, Oregon’s population has undergone a sea change. In 1980, Oregon’s population was 2.5 percent Latino. The 2010 census revealed that Oregon’s Latino population was nearly 12 percent, reaching 25 percent in Marion County, where PCUN is based. PCUN has been a crucial part of Latino history in Oregon over the past three decades. From a small office providing legal services for immigrant workers to being a national leader in defending the rights of farmworkers and immigrants, PCUN has become a role model for the positive integration of Latino immigrants in the US.” The book is based on 19 lengthy interviews, observations of meetings, visits to the fields and many informal conversations, as well as a study of PCUN’s extensive archives, which include newspaper clippings, correspondence, videos, and photographs. The book includes 58 historic photographs and posters from PCUN.”