Labor & Community History – Center for Labor and Community

Watsonville is in the Heart: A Community Archive & Research Initiative

A black and white photograph of Hazel Bickel and Bob Mariano’s on their first date. They are standing in front of a car with Buddy the dog, Bobby Mariano’s Aunt’s dog. The dog was from Oklahoma like Hazel's family. The photograph was taken on Bridge Street in Watsonville.

A photograph of the Reyes family at the labor camp of Reiter Berries off of San Andreas Rd in Watsonville. From left to right, in the red shirt is Teddy Reyes, Raymond Reyes, Roland Reyes, and Joe Reyes (seen sticking his tongue out). In the back row is mother and father, Tecla and Jose Reyes with their baby, Elizabeth Reyes.

Black and white photograph of the front of Philippine Gardens in Watsonville, CA. Anastacio Asuncion's Caption: "Front of Philippine Gardens."

The “Watsonville is in the Heart” digital archive is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the stories of the “manong” generation, the initial Filipino migrant farmworkers who arrived in the United States in the early 20th century.

Focusing on the pioneering families of Watsonville and the broader Pajaro Valley, the archive immortalizes the experiences of the manong, their wives, and their descendants, covering themes of migration, labor, leisure, and community building. This digital archive comprises a rich collection of resources, including oral histories, family photographs, heirlooms, letters, and newspaper clippings.

The project’s key objectives are to bring to light the often-overlooked histories of Filipinos in the Pajaro Valley, employ community-based archiving and historical documentation methods in alignment with ethnic studies, decolonial, and public history principles, enhance accessibility for diverse audiences, including the local community, students, educators, researchers, and scholars, and emphasize visual sources, material culture, and oral accounts to deepen our understanding of manong history in California’s Central Coast.

Visit the Watsonville in the Heart website