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Did you know that in 1903 the American Sugar Beet Company conspired against its workers to lower wages by pitting Mexican workers against Japanese workers?
In response, 500 Japanese and 300 Mexican sugar beet workers in Oxnard, CA went on strike on February 11, 1903 for 48 days! The formation of the Japanese Mexican Labor Association (JMLA) launched the first multiethnic agricultural strike in California history. The Oxnard Sugar Beet Strike of 1903 was a formidable moment in American labor history. JMLA members fought against sub-living wages and contracting out of their work – while facing violence from their employers, a monopoly of subcontractors and a racist miscarriage of justice.
On March 17, 2024, join us at Oxnard College’s Performing Arts Center to celebrate and learn more about the lessons learned from the Betaberlos, their fight for fair wages and their solidarity in the face of a racist labor movement.
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