This collection contains oral history interviews collected by the Watsonville is in the Heart (WIITH) research team that chronicle the lives of the descendants of the manong (older brother) generation of Filipino agricultural workers who settled in the Pajaro Valley of Central California in the early twentieth century.

Founded in 2020, Watsonville is in the Heart (WIITH) is a community-driven public history initiative to preserve and uplift stories of Filipino migration and labor in the city of Watsonville and greater Pajaro Valley of Central California. The initiative seeks to create a new archive documenting the plight, struggles, vitality, and resilience of the manong (older brother) generation of Filipino migrants who first settled in the Pajaro Valley in the early twentieth century. The project is spearheaded by Dioscoro "Roy" Respino Recio, Jr. (b. April 19, 1968), the founder of the Watsonville community organization, The Tobera Project, in partnership with the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). The project team is composed of UCSC professors Dr. Kathleen "Kat" Cruz Gutierrez and Dr. Steven McKay; UCSC graduate and undergraduate students Christina Ayson Plank, Meleia Simon-Reynolds, Nicholas Nasser, and Toby Baylon; and community members Amanda Gamban and Olivia Sawi.

17.93 GB 48 digital audio files

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Collection open for research. Digital files are available in the UCSC Special Collections and Archives reading room. Some files may require reformatting before they can be accessed. Technical limitations may hinder the Library's ability to provide access to some digital files. Access to digital files on original carriers is prohibited; users must request to view access copies. Contact Special Collections and Archives in advance to request access to digital files.