Remembering Our Past: Fermin Tobera and the Anti-Filipino Watsonville Race Riots
By ELBINA BATALA RAFIZADEH
Photo above is from the Watsonville Evening Pajaronian via asamnews.com.
Fermin Tobera was 22 years old when he was shot and killed on his bunk bed during the Watsonville Race Riots on Jan. 22, 1930. About 500 white, armed men targeted Filipinos in the Watsonville streets and neighboring labor camps. Filipinos were dragged out of their homes, beaten in the streets, or thrown over the Pajaro Bridge.
The mob hunted for Filipino laborers in the ranches along San Juan Road. They swarmed into Riberal’s labor camp and brutally assaulted 22 men, beating them nearly to death. They demolished buildings where Filipinos worked and fired shots into the homes where they lived. And at Murphy's Crossing labor camp, they opened fire on the bunkhouse and killed Fermin Tobera - the bullet struck his heart. Back then, this garnered international news. Fermin's body was shipped back to Manila, where the Philippine government sponsored a funeral attended by his friends and family from his village.
Fermin had arrived in Watsonville as one of many Filipinos recruited in the 1920s and 1930s to work in the growing Central Coast mega-agricultural businesses. They were promised opportunities in America but instead found themselves toiling in the fields, enduring harsh conditions, backbreaking drudgery, for meager wages. And while the white population was opposed to immigration, Filipinos were working the agricultural jobs that the white men did not want.
This was a life of struggle and a lonely existence for many. Female companionship was almost non-existent - there was one Filipina for every 30 Filipinos. Hence, near Watsonville, the Filipinos in Palm Beach created the "Taxi Dance." White women danced with Filipinos for 10 cents a dance. This was a way for white women to make a living during the Depression. But the dances further spurned the racially motivated riots against Filipino men.
The Anti-Filipino Watsonville Race Riots raged on for nearly a week in 1930 from Jan. 19-23. Its aftermath was felt across California, as the violence spread to other cities where Filipinos worked, including San Francisco and San Jose. In Stockton, a Filipino club was blown up and set ablaze, and they tried to place the blame on Filipinos themselves. Yet this stark historical event has since received little attention. Little is mentioned in the history books, little is said of Fermin Tobera on the anniversary of his murder at the hands of a hateful mob.
But in recent years, Central Coast Filipinx activists have been trying to change that. Dioscoro Recio Jr., whose father was a Manong who had lived Watsonville, founded the Tobera Project, which "Preserves and Honors the Rich Filipino Immigrant Experience of the Pajaro Valley of the Manong Generation."
Mr. Recio has also spearheaded, in collaboration with UCSC, "Watsonville is in the Heart," archiving the historical plight and struggles of the Manong generation. The documents have been incorporated into the ethnic studies K-12 curriculum in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District and are now a requirement for graduation.
Manuel Bersamin, director of the TRiO Program in Hartnell College and former mayor of Watsonville, advocated for the Watsonville City Council to apologize to the Filipino Community for the race riots. On Nov. 10, 2020, Mayor Rebecca J. Garcia and the Watsonville City Council passed the apology resolution. On Apr. 9, there will be a launch of "Watsonville is in the Heart" Digital Archive at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art History at 7 pm.
The Tobera Project is made possible through the UCSC Humanities Institute faculty, Drs. Kathleen Cruz Gutierrez and Steve McKay, UCSC graduate students, the Watsonville Public Library and Asian Cultural Experience.
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NAACP Candidates' forum for Santa Cruz County's Supervisorial District 4 on March 28
To access the forum for the poster below, click here.
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Last Days to View the Watsonville Film Festival
By SARAH RINGLER
The tenth anniversary of the Watsonville Film Festival closes on March 20.
One particularly funny and moving film is the Chilean film, "El Agente Topo/The Mole Agent," by director Maite Alberdi, and nominated for an Oscar in 2021. 83-year-old Sergio is sent as an undercover spy to investigate elder abuse in a Chilean retirement home. You might wonder how this film can be funny due to the often sad and cold reputations these homes have. But the juxtaposition of a spy movie in a retirement home with a very emotional topic, make for humorous and poignant entertainment. Warning, there might a few too many supposedly funny scenes of old people trying to negotiate technology.
Many films in this festival are not easily accessible outside the festival and you can watch them for free here. All films will be available to watch from March 11-20. To see the exciting list of films and to view them, click here.
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“You accuse those poor women you have brought to trial of being pétroleuses(female arsonists)? Let them free. It was me that did it. I wanted to block the Versailles invaders with a barrier of flames.”
Louise Michel - a leader in the 1871 revolutionary Commune government in Paris. Read more here.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Sanderlings scour the shore of Moss Landing State Beach for an evening meal.
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Santa Cruz County Covid-19 Report
By SARAH RINGLER
The Santa Cruz County Health Department regularly releases data on the current status of Covid-19 in the county. Total known cases as of March 17 were 47,308, up 1% from last week's 47,006. There was one new death.
Because of all the home tests currently available, these numbers are underestimates according to Corinne Hyland, County Health Services Agency spokesperson. She recommends people with minor symptoms stay home, isolate and rest.
The government is issuing four free Antigen Rapid Tests for free here.
Hospitalizations increased by one. Click to view a graph of hospitalizations here.
There have been some changes in the last week. Active cases in south county dropped by 2%, north county increased by 2% and mid county stayed the same. See details in the chart below.
On the county's vaccination webpage, the vaccination rate has not changed since Feb. 6; 80% of the county have had at least one dose and 74% have had two doses. Here are more details on the county's vaccination data.
This webpage also has a link where you can get a digital copy and scannable QR code of your vaccination record. Keep track of your four digit code because that is your access to the site.
The county's Effective Reproductive Number is below one. See chart below. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.
To get information of COVID-19 testing locations around the county visit this site. Click here to make an appointment to get tested.
Any Californian age 12 or up can get vaccinated for free. For information on getting vaccinated, click here.
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% deaths by ethnicity:
White - 57%
Latinx - 35%
Black - 1%
Asian - 6%
American Native - 0%
Unknown - 0%
% deaths by gender/% of population:
Female - 48%/50%
Male - 52%/50%
Deaths by age/228:
25-34 - 2%
35-44 - 3%
45-54 - 4%
55-59 - 2%
60-64 - 6%
65-74 - 17%
75-84 - 24%
85+ - 43%
% active cases testing positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 11%/12%
North county - 60%/56%
South county - 28%/32%
Under investigation - 1%
Deaths by vaccination status:
vaccinated - 25/256 = 10%
unvaccinated - 231/256 = 90%
Weekly increases in positive tests:
June 12-19, 2020 - 7%
June 19-26 - 23%
June 26 to July 3 - 22%
July 3-9 - 23%
July 9-16 - 40%
July 16-23 - 20%
July 23-30 - 27%
July 30-Aug. 6 - 13%
Aug. 6-13- 12%
Aug.14-20 - 16%
Aug.20-28 - 10%
Aug. 28-Sept. 3 - 10%
Sept. 3-10 - 6%
Sept. 10-17- 8%
Sept. 17-24 - 7%
Sept. 25- Oct.1 - 5%
Oct. 1 - 9 - 4%
Oct. 9-15 - 4%
Oct. 15-22 - 5%
Oct. 23-29 - 4%
Oct. 30-Nov. 5 - 6%
Nov. 5-12 - 10%
Nov. 12-19 - 11%
Nov. 19-26 - holiday
Nov. 19-Dec. 3 - 29% 2 weeks of data for this week only
Dec. 3-10 - 16%
Dec. 10-17 - 17%
Dec. 17-24 - 14%
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Dec. 24-31 - 19%
Jan. 1-7, 2021 - 13%
Jan. 7-14 - 14%
Jan. 15-21 - 11%
Jan. 21-28 - 5%
Jan. 28-Feb. 4 - 5%
Feb. 5-11 - 2%
Feb. 11-18 - 2%
Feb. 18-25 - 1%
Feb. 25-March 5 - 1%
March 5-11 - 1%
March 11-18 - 2%
March 18-25 - .5%
March 25 - Apr. 1 - .7%
Apr. 1-8 - 0.1%
Apr. 9-15 - 1%
Apr. 16-22 - 2%
Apr. 22-30 - 2%
Apr. 30 - May 6 - .3%
May 6-13 - 2%
May 13-20 - 0%
May 24 - Data readjustment by county means percentages cannot be calculated this week.
May 27 - June 3 - 0%
June 3-10 - 0%
June 11-17 - .25%
June 18-24 - 0%
June 25-July 1 - 0%
July 2-8 - .3%
July 9-15 - .2%
July 16-22 - .5%
July 23-29 - 1.2%
July 30-Aug. 5 - 2%
Aug. 6-12 - .7%
Aug.13-19 - 4%
Aug. 20-26 - .7%
Aug. 26-Sept. 2 - 3%
Sept. 2-9 - 2%
Sept. 10-16 - 1%
Sept. 17-22 - 1%
Sept. 23-30 - 2%
Oct. 1-7 - 0%
Oct. 8-14 - 1%
Oct. 15-21 - 1%
Oct. 22-28 - 1%
Oct. 29-Nov. 4 - 1%
Nov. 5-11 - 1%
Nov. 12-18 - 2%
Nov. 19 - Dec. 2 - 2 weeks 2%
Dec. 2-9 - 2%
Dec. 9-16 - 1%
Dec. 16-23 - 1%
Dec. 24-30 - 2%
Dec. 31 - Jan. 6, 2022 - 5% Growth of home tests underestimates cases below. See above .
Jan. 7-13 - 9%
Jan. 14-20 - 15%
Jan. 21-27 - 9%
Jan. 28 - Feb. 3 - 31%
Feb. 3-10 - 3%
Feb. 11-24 (2 weeks) - 5%
Feb. 25- March 3 - 1%
March 4-10 - 1%
March 11-17 - 1%
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Fashion Street - A California National Guardsman strolls along West Beach St. in Watsonville during a break from helping with food distribution at the Second Harvest Food Bank last year.
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Labor History Calendar for March 18-24, 2022
March 18, 1871: Paris Commune, the revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the former capital of France, from March 18-1871.
March 18, 1885: Police attack Commune memorial sparking miners' strike in the Liege district of Belgium.
March 18, 1937: Police evict clerks occupying NY Woolworth's for 40-hour week.
March 19, 1948 20,000 rally against Labour government's efforts to crush rail strike in Brisbane, Australia.
Vernal Equinox - March 20, 1960 Workers' press shut down in Cuba.
March 21, 1960: Sharpeville massacre in South Africa with 69 killed by police.
March 22, 1995: Japanese phone workers strike to protest down-sizing.
March 22, 2014: Spanish workers in massive protest against austerity schemes.
March 23, 19903: Scab-herders open fire on striking beet workers in Oxnard, CA.
March 23, 1918: of 101 IWWs begins.
March 23, 1932: Norris-La Guardia Act restricts injunctions against unions and bans yellow dog contracts.
March 24, 1976: Coca-Cola workers occupy Guatemala City plant.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Basic Irish Soda Bread
By SARAH RINGLER
Like Mexican tortillas, Middle Eastern pita bread, Indian naan, Ireland has native bread called soda bread. St. Patrick’s Day just passed and with one out of three Americans claiming Irish heritage, according to 2016 U.S. Census data, I decided to present this traditional bare-bone’s version I came across in Melissa Clark’s “Here to Help” column in last Saturday’s New York Times. She got it from Darina Allen, Irish television personality and owner of the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry, Ireland.
The warm smell of baked bread will fill your kitchen long after the baking is over. This simple bread also encourages creativity; you can add currants, nuts, raisins or even Irish whiskey as Rose Levy Beranbaum does in her Ultimate Irish Soda Bread from her book, The Bread Bible.” It keeps well in the freezer. Slice the bread, freeze it and toast it right out of the freezer.
Measuring for baking is a challenge. Flour can be difficult because some flours are light and some are heavier. Some recipes are forgiving and some aren’t. This recipe is forgiving if you didn’t add enough flour. If the dough is too wet, you can knead in more flour. If, however, the dough is too dry, adding more liquid when you should be kneading is disastrous. The active property of baking soda is short lived. Therefore, add less flour than required.
Buttermilk has special qualities that make it difficult to substitute with other ingredients. Its warm, rich and slightly sour flavor is unbeatable in biscuits and breads like this soda bread. When it is mixed with flour and baking soda or powder, it adds loft and fluffiness to pancakes. But, does buying a quart of buttermilk justify its occasional use? Bob’s Red Mill saves the day with their dried Sweet Cream Buttermilk Powder. It keeps for a long time and you only use a ratio of one tablespoon of powder to seven tablespoons of liquid. My liquid of choice is a mixture of water and milk.
1 ½ cup minus 1 tablespoon (225 grams) all-purpose flour plus more for kneading
¼ teaspoon (1 ½ grams) salt
½ teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
¾ cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter a baking sheet. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl. Hollow out a space in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. With your hands, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl until you have a soft dough that is not wet or sticky, or definitely, not too dry. Do not overmix.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Wash and dry your hands. Knead the dough for a few seconds then shape into a nice round loaf about 1 ½ inches thick. Place on the buttered baking sheet and make two slashes in a cross shape with a sharp knife that go deep across the bread to the sides.
Bake first for 15 minutes then lower the heat to 400 and bake about another 20 minutes until top is golden brown and the bottom of the bread has a hollow sound when tapped. Serve warm. This recipe makes a small loaf, enough for at least four people. For a larger loaf, double the ingredients.
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Send your story, poetry or art here: Please submit a story, poem or photo of your art that you think would be of interest to the people of Santa Cruz County. Try and keep the word count to around 400. Also, there should be suggested actions if this is a political issue. Submit to coluyaki@gmail.com
If you are enjoying the Serf City Times, forward it on to others. We need readers, artists, photographers and writers.
Thanks, Sarah Ringler
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Welcome to Serf City Times Over time, our county has grown more stratified and divided with many people feeling left out. Housing affordability, racism and low wages are the most obvious factors. However, many groups and individuals in Santa Cruz County work tirelessly to make our county a better place for everyone. These people work on the environment, housing, economic justice, health, criminal justice, disability rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, transportation, workers’ rights, education reform, gender issues, equity issues, electoral politics and more. Often, one group doesn’t know what another is doing. The Serf City Times is dedicated to serving as a clearinghouse for those issues by letting you know what is going on, what actions you can take and how you can support these groups.This is a self-funded enterprise and all work is volunteer.
Copyright © 2022 Sarah Ringler - All rights reserved
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