These narratives written by PCUN’s co-founder Larry Kleinman tell various parts of the history of PCUN from a bird’s eye view.
Our Movement’s First Home. Tells the story of the small, dilapidated wooden structure that served as our headquarters from 1980 to 1988 and later as a residence for volunteers. The story was written in June 2008, six weeks before the building’s deconstruction began. Deconstructing the building was the first step in preparing the site for the CAPACES Leadership Institute building. (May, 2008; 10 p)
March 17, 2005. Describes four events that occurred in Woodburn on March 17, 2005=, serving as indicators of the progress our movement had made—or failed to make—in changing the politics of Woodburn over the last quarter century. (Dec., 2005; 19 p)
You Can Hear Us Now!: The Story of PCUN’s Radio Movimiento, “La Voz del Pueblo”. Narrates PCUN’s path to establishing and operating a non-commercial low-power FM radio station. Subtitled “Taking mass communications with PCUN’s community base from someday to every day,” this work lays out a quarter century of dreaming, scheming, teaming up for, and beaming radio broadcasting. The final chapter sets forth three big ideas that have shaped our movement and how the radio station manifests those ideas. (Jan. 2008; 134 p)
Willlamette Valley Law Project: Born on César’s 50th. A reflection on the 35th anniversary in 2012 of WVLP, one of our movement’s very first non-profit (but still least visible) entities. WVLP was incorporated on March 31, 1977, coincidentally César Chávez’s 50th birthday. (March 31, 2012; 4 p)
Dues Worth Paying. PCUN members have paid in $2,000,000 as dues and for services in a quarter century. This essay described PCUN’s dues system and analyzes how it manifests PCUN’s fundraising principles. (Published in the Grassroots Fundraising Journal’s 30th anniversary issue, Sept., 2011; 4 p.)
Immigrant Spring, Five Years On: What the 2006 Marches of Millions Can Tell Us About Today’s “Madison Moment”.
The Minimum No One Talks about in Oregon. An Op-Ed, published in the Salem Statesman-Journal newspaper on August 1, 2009 under the headline “Minimum Wage Workers are Better Off in Oregon.” The essay, written as increase in the federal minimum wage took effect, sets forth the forces behind and key outcomes of Oregon’s minimum wage having been higher than the federal minimum for two decades. (Aug., 2009; 1 page)
Alabama and the Nation’s Conscience. An Op-ed on the 2012 re-enactment of the five-day Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965 and how the 2012 march broke new ground in unifying the modern day civil rights and immigrants’ rights struggles to repeal Alabama’s worst-in-the-nation anti-immigrant law, HB 56. (March, 2012; 1 page in Word)
A Call From Tom Ruhl. How a pivotal educational leader set in motion a scholarship which opens a path to higher education for leaders of our movement who are undocumented immigrants. (Dec. 2011; 9 p., Word)
Coming to [New] Terms with the “I” Word. A concise de-construction and critique of what the word “illegal” has come to mean and how we might reframe and re-label “earned legalization” and “amnesty.” (Jan., 2008; 4 p.)
Donde No Hay [Tantos] Votantes. How an immigrant-based movement has taken a “do-it-ourselves” approach to Latino voter organizing in an area where Latinos are numerous but Latino voters are not. The title, “Where There Aren’t [Very Many] Voters,” invokes the popular community manual “Donde No Hay Médico”. (October, 2008; 9 pages)
Resisting La Migra. This narrative, still incomplete, interweaves the stories, historical background and commentary about our movement’s early years (1976 through 1988) defined and consumed by our legal and community-organizing resistance to INS raids and the struggle for immigration reform. (March, 2008; 75 pages completed in Word).
Our_Movements_First_Home.pdf
Resisting_La_Migra_Pt__1_into_pt__8.pdf
March_17_2005-2013.pdf
You_Can_Hear_Us_Now_The_Story_of_Radio_Movimiento.pdf
Willamette_Valley_Law_Project_Born_on_Cesar_Chavez_Day-2012.pdf
Dues_Worth_Paying-2011.pdf
Immigrant_Spring_Five_Years_On-2011.pdf
The_Minimum_No_One_Talks_About_In_Oregon.pdf
Alabama_and_the_Nations_Conscience-2012.pdf
A_Call_From_Tom_Ruhl-2011.pdf
Coming_to_new_terms_with_the_I_word-2007.pdf
Donde_No_Hay_Tantos_Votantes-2013.pdf
