Holocaust Museum Houston presents Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964 opening reception

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Photo by Leonard Nadel/Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH) will open its first Spanish/English bilingual exhibit, Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942-1964. The exhibit showcases the bracero program, the largest guest worker program in U.S. history, which brought millions of Mexican nationals north to work on short-term labor contracts. The work was backbreaking and living conditions poor, but the program offered Mexican men economic opportunities and much-needed work. Their contributions to communities in Mexico and the U.S. have had a lasting impact on the political, economic, social, and cultural landscapes of both nations.

The exploitation of bracero workers and violations of their legal rights and civil liberties prompted efforts to repeal the program. In 1956, photographer Leonard Nadel documented the harsh realities of bracero life, intending to highlight employer violations and improve bracero working conditions. The exhibition is traveled by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, and Nadel’s images provide the visuals.

Following the opening reception, the exhibit will be on display through May 14, 2017.

Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH) will open its first Spanish/English bilingual exhibit, Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942-1964. The exhibit showcases the bracero program, the largest guest worker program in U.S. history, which brought millions of Mexican nationals north to work on short-term labor contracts. The work was backbreaking and living conditions poor, but the program offered Mexican men economic opportunities and much-needed work. Their contributions to communities in Mexico and the U.S. have had a lasting impact on the political, economic, social, and cultural landscapes of both nations.

The exploitation of bracero workers and violations of their legal rights and civil liberties prompted efforts to repeal the program. In 1956, photographer Leonard Nadel documented the harsh realities of bracero life, intending to highlight employer violations and improve bracero working conditions. The exhibition is traveled by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, and Nadel’s images provide the visuals.

Following the opening reception, the exhibit will be on display through May 14, 2017.

Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH) will open its first Spanish/English bilingual exhibit, Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942-1964. The exhibit showcases the bracero program, the largest guest worker program in U.S. history, which brought millions of Mexican nationals north to work on short-term labor contracts. The work was backbreaking and living conditions poor, but the program offered Mexican men economic opportunities and much-needed work. Their contributions to communities in Mexico and the U.S. have had a lasting impact on the political, economic, social, and cultural landscapes of both nations.

The exploitation of bracero workers and violations of their legal rights and civil liberties prompted efforts to repeal the program. In 1956, photographer Leonard Nadel documented the harsh realities of bracero life, intending to highlight employer violations and improve bracero working conditions. The exhibition is traveled by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, and Nadel’s images provide the visuals.

Following the opening reception, the exhibit will be on display through May 14, 2017.

WHEN

WHERE

Holocaust Museum Houston
5401 Caroline St.
Houston, TX 77004
https://hmh.org/ViewExhibits.aspx?ID=120&ExhibitType=UpcomingOngoing

TICKET INFO

Free-$12
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