Did you ever wonder where the flowers came from for your special day?
Did you ever think about the workers and how much they were being paid or if the working conditions were reasonable? Flowers smell and look beautiful but this is because of low paid agricultural workers harvesting and producing these beautiful flowers for you and your loved ones.
In 1968 (Guadalupe) Lupe Briseno now 90 years age went to work at the Kitayama carnation flower company in Brighton, Colorado just 30 minutes north of Denver. She and her family came from Carrizo Springs Texas with many relations in Eagle Pass.
She was soon confronted with women flower cutters crying and distressed about the working conditions at the plant. Women were not allowed to leave work for family emergencies such as illnesses and accidents. If they left the plant to respond to their family’s needs they would lose their jobs.
The floors were always wet from the water used on the carnations and some roses. They had to eat their lunches next to garbage infested by rats.
50 years later the Denver human rights and artistic theatre group Su Teatro wrote a script of these historic women and their incredible labor strike against a carnation grower. This work by Su Teatro brought the strikers together again honoring them and their courageous work. Many had forgotten but not by Su Teatro. This theatre group honored them with a moving dramatic presentation with music and songs from Chicano Huelgas/Strikes in a presentation called War Of The Flowers.
Too often we move on with our lives and forget historic events that have just taken place. And in particular we forget the valiant work done by women.
Building Bridges documentary team of Tania Romero Film Director and Leno Rose-Avila went to Brighton to interview the three remaining members of the five member leadership team of this historic strike. At the same time in the mid sixties United Farm Workers were going on strike in California under the leadership of Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and Larry Itliong.
As a young activist I was impressed by these women who had the courage to organize a strike and it was wonderful that their husbands supported their efforts. Two of the others of the original group of five were Martha De Real and Rachel Sandoval who were young and part of the vibrant leadership group were available for interviews. Rachael Sandoval was 6 months pregnant and on the picket line. The other two of the original leadership were Mary Sailes and Mary Padilla have passed away.
There was a lot happening in those early years and the Kitayama strike was a most important bonfire for justice that influenced many.
We all know that it seems most difficult for our society to recognize the leadership of women and this is a mistake made daily it seems.
But in 2020 Lupe was finally inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame and received a beautiful award. And now all will know of her and the women of the Kitayama Strike. She also has been recognized by many other organizations.
Lupe and those women strikers were an inspiration for me much like Orlinda De Vargas of Dicho Hecho and the other women leaders of our lettuce strike as well as Dolore Huerta of UFW.
Tania and I believed that we had made the right decision to capture the incredible history of this strike on film as told by the three remaining amazing women.
The last act of the strike was when the women organized a shut down of the entrance to the plant. They chained themselves together blocking entrance to the plant. Then the police came on horse back and tear gassed these humble but stong non violent women.
While the strike did not result in a successful boycott or a labor contract it nonetheless was a giant step forward for women and the labor movement.
These incredible women later turned their attention to support the UFW Boycotts of Grapes and Lettuce.
We must continue to capture the history of our communities and in particular the heroic women within our barrios.
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