Based on information in the article, which of these happened second?
HINT
This question asks about when events happened. It does not ask where in the article the events appear. Reread the article for clues, such as dates.
A. Thousands of pecan shellers walked off their jobs.
B. The U.S. was plunged into the Great Depression.
C. Tenayuca finished high school and began working with labor unions.
D. Tenayuca was arrested while taking part in a cigar workers' strike.
During the early 1900s, 10-year-old
Emma
Tenayuca often walked with her
grandfather.
The pair would stroll through
Milam Park in downtown
San Antonio,
Photo credit: San Antonio
Light/UTSA/San Antonio Express-News/ ZUMA
Called "The Passionate One," Emma
Tenayuca tirelessly fought for the rights of Mexican American workers.
Texas. At the
time, the park was known as La Plaza del Zacate. It was where the city's Mexican American community gathered. Anyone could stand up and speak out. Neighbors read newspapers aloud. Mexican revolutionaries spoke out for independence. And labor leaders talked about workers' rights. Tenayuca listened and learned.
These early experiences sparked her own desire to speak out. Tenayuca would go on to become a labor leader, fighting for San Antonio's overlooked workers. Her efforts would also pave the way for a national movement. It aimed to bring fairness and respect to all Mexican Americans.
Tenayuca was born in 1916 in San Antonio, Texas. When she was 13, the U.S. plunged into the Great Depression. It was a time when many people lost jobs and money. The teen saw her friends and neighbors struggling to get
by.As the Depression worsened, Tenayuca noticed something: Things were particularly hard for Mexican Americans. They could not take part in programs aimed at supporting workers. Plus, they were often barred from joining labor unions. These are groups that fight for workers to be treated fairly.
Horrified by these injustices, Tenayuca became an outspoken champion for workers' rights. She took part in her first strike at the age of 16, marching alongside workers at a cigar factory. The police broke up the strike, and Tenayuca was arrested. She didn't give up, though. The experience only fueled her desire for change. After she finished high school, Tenayuca began working with labor unions. She brought attention to the struggles of Mexican American workers.
Over the next several years, Tenayuca's reputation as a powerful leader and skilled public speaker grew. Workers throughout the city began calling her "La Pasionaria de Texas" (The Passionate One of Texas). In 1938, a group of pecan shellers decided to organize. They elected Tenayuca to lead their efforts.
Pecans were a big business in San Antonio during the early 1900s. Half of the nation's pecans were processed through the city's 400 factories. Most of the pecan shellers were Mexican American women. They labored for long hours in overcrowded rooms with few windows. Because of this, many of the workers got sick. When their already low pay was cut in half, hundreds of shellers walked off their jobs.
With Tenayuca leading them, the strike quickly escalated from a few hundred workers to 12,000. It was the largest strike in San Antonio's history. Three months later, the pecan factory owners agreed to a pay raise. This victory sparked a movement that fought for the fair treatment of workers and a minimum wage law. The cause for workers' rights continued into the next several decades and inspired future labor leaders like Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez.
Some say the story of "La Pasionaria de Texas" is an important reminder. It shows what young people can do when they raise their voices.
