Emma Tenayuca

Tenayuca was born on December 21, 1916 in San Antonio, Texas. She grew up as the first daughter in the family of Sam Tenayuca and Benita Hernandez Zepeda's 11 children. Tenayuca began living with her grandparents at an early age in order to ease the burden on her parents. She was born into a Mexican-American family, and their lineage in South Texas predated both Mexican independence and the Mexico-United States War. The Tenayuca family were hit hard by the Depression, and all around her, Emma began to see the suffering of low class workers. In 1938 she married organizer Homer Bartchy, who used the alias "Homer Brooks". Eventually, Tenayuca went on to pursue a college degree. She divorced Brooks in 1941 and left her hometown in order to attend San Francisco State College where she majored in education. Tenayuca distanced herself from communism as well, after learning of Joseph Stalin’s terror regime. She later earned a master's in education from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. From there she went on to teach in Harlandale School District until her retirement in 1982. == Political involvement ==

{{quote box Emma was raised by her grandparents who were very interested in state and local politics. It was here that she received her first political lessons. As a young girl, Tenayuca began to form an understanding of politics by listening to speakers of the Mexican Revolution while in Milam Square on Sundays. By seeing these speakers and learning about their causes, it was here that she formed connections of how capitalism victimized groups of working-class people. Due to anticommunist beliefs in the United States, Tenayuca was targeted and criticized due to her affiliation with the Communist Party. Employers, churches, and other authorities created a red-baiting campaign to paint Tenayuca as a radical. Still wanting to advocate for Mexican American rights, she even ran for office as a party representative for Texas in 1938. Although she never officially claimed to be a part of the Communist Party, she was still heavily associated with it due to her involvement with communist-led organizations in the labor movement and her marriage to a publicly announced communist. In 1946, Emma Tenayuca decided to leave the Communist Party because of disappointment. == Labor union and political activism ==

She became interested in activism and was a labor activist before graduating from Brackenridge High School in San Antonio. Tenayuca's first arrest came at the age of 16, in 1933, when she joined a picket line of workers in strike against the Finck Cigar Company. After high school, Tenayuca obtained a position as an elevator operator, but she continued working for human rights. Tenayuca was exposed to many hardships in her community. Often as a young child, she would go to the Plaza del Zacate (Grass Plaza), a public square where socialists and anarchists would come to speak and work with families with grievances. Many Mexican and Mexican Americans in San Antonio at the time had fled the Mexican Revolution during 1910s and were excluded from the New Deal's jobs and housing programs. Additionally, Mexican Americans were facing massive deportations due to fears that they were stealing U.S. jobs and because of reduced jobs available during the Great Depression. Labor strike of 1938 San Antonio was a major hub of the pecan industry, partially due to the use of Mexican workers as a cheap source of labor. In 1938, thousands of San Antonio pecan-shellers started a spontaneous strike in protest of poor working conditions, with Tenayuca serving as the strike committee chair. Tenayuca was just 21 years old when the strike occurred in the community. During the strike, up to 12,000 walked off the job in protest of a salary reduction from five cents a day to three cents a day and terrible working conditions. The WAA was established in 1935 by the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) as a front organization to mobilize the unemployed, underemployed, and unskilled workers who were shut out of traditional unions during the Great Depression. The organization's goal was to promote government-funded unemployment insurance, employment aid programs, and the defense of workers' rights. She gained the respect and admiration of her coworkers and the larger labor movement because of her persistence and unflinching dedication to the cause of workers' rights. Tenayuca constantly fought to organize employees and advance the objectives of the organization as a prominent and outspoken WAA member. == Civil rights activism ==

Women’s League for Peace and Freedom Emma Tenayuca was also a member of the Woman's League for Peace and Freedom (WLPF), a worldwide feminist group that was established in 1915 with the mission of advancing social justice, equality, and disarmament. In the late 1930s, shortly after the protest in San Antonio, Tenayuca became involved in the Women's Liberation Party (WLPF). In 1940, she attended the international convention of the Women's Liberation Movement for Peace (WLPF) in Washington, D.C., as a delegate, representing the San Antonio branch of the organization. Tenayuca's participation in the convention allowed her to discuss the importance of peace and disarmament amidst the hostilities of World War II. In 1944, Tenayuca again demonstrated against the Border Patrol's violent treatment of migrants. Her rally in San Antonio, attended by over 1,500 people, was a powerful condemnation of the cruel and inhumane practices of the Border Patrol. These protests reveal Tenayuca's strong commitment to fighting against injustices faced by Mexican migrants and her unwavering determination to create a more just and equal society. == Legacy ==

Emma Tenayuca developed Alzheimer's disease after retirement and died on July 23, 1999. Tenayuca continued to inspire activists until and beyond her death. The admiration felt for her can be seen in ''That's Not Fair! Emma Tenayuca's Struggle for Justice'', a bilingual children's book that tells the story of her contributions to the pecan sheller strike. Tenayuca's story is also seen through play-dramas written to honor her dedication and contributions. A full biography of Tenayuca's life is in the process of being written by her niece scheduled for publication in 2021. The South Texas Civil Rights Project has dedicated an annual award, The Emma Tenayuca Award, given to individuals working to protect civil rights. Tenayuca earned the nickname "La Pasionaria de Texas" (Spanish for "The Passionate One") due to her many demonstrations in the face of numerous arrests. The Party of Communists USA even has a chapter named in her honor. == See also ==