An evening with Cruz Gomez

REMEMBERING THE WATSONVILLE CANNERY STRIKE AND
VOTING RIGHTS STRUGGLE:
AN EVENING WITH CRUZ GOMEZ
 
Friday, August 22, 2008
United Presbyterian Church
112 East Beach Street, Watsonville
(park and enter from the church parking lot,
right behind the Watsonville Cabrillo lot)
 
6:30 p.m. Potluck Dinner
7:00 p.m. Program---Bring your Cruz Gomez stories to share
 
More information: Jean Piraino 724-2480 or Barbara Hayes barbara [at] greybird.com
 
Cruz Gomez is a community organizer, social service provider, writer, and activist who worked in Watsonville during the late 1970's through the early 1990's. She worked with injured workers, cannery workers, farm workers, and those with little resources to navigate and challenge public institutions to respond to their needs. During the 1989 earthquake, Cruz worked tirelessly to help Watsonville residents who lost their homes, jobs, or were in need of other help.
 
Another focus of Cruz's work was fighting "the Migra." Cruz helped local residents to organize as the "Adelante Immigration Group" who pressured then Congressman Leon Panetta to form an INS Task Force. Eventually, pressure by Congressman Panetta on the INS reduced their sweeps. It also led to the passage of "non-cooperation ordinances" in 1989 and 1990 by the cities of Watsonville and Santa Cruz and continued immigrant rights activies. Cruz helped to establish the Santa Cruz County Immigration project which continued immigrant rights work as well as immigration legal services.