Fields of Struggle: Agricultural Laborers in California, 1939-1966

A Labor Archives and Research Center Exhibition

Special Collections Gallery, Room 460 (4th Floor), J. Paul Leonard Library, San Francisco State University 

Open March-December 2024 | Tuesdays-Thursdays 10am-4pm

The Labor Archives and Research Center exhibition Fields of Struggle: Agricultural Laborers in California, 1939-1966, is open to the public Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm.

Fields of Struggle, curated by Digital Archivist Leah Sylva, consists of photographs, documents, audio, video, and artifacts drawn from the papers of Henry P. Anderson.  The exhibit examines the tensions and solidarity between distinct groups of migrant agricultural laborers, with an emphasis on the Bracero Program and the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC).

The exhibit zooms out into a sociological analysis of the field of agriculture, looking at the actors involved, their varying relationships with land and labor, issues of power and counter-power, and the potential for transformation within this field.

This exhibit was generously funded by the Anderson Family Trust & Friends of the J. Paul Leonard Library.