Migrant work in agriculture fields has historically been a shared experience which impacted multiple families throughout the Rio Grande Valley and beyond. Join the Museum of South Texas History on Sunday, May 5, at 2 p.m. for Emma González’s presentation of her book, “Field Mice: Memoirs of a Migrant Child.”
González published her first book “Field Mice: Memoirs of a Migrant Child” and “Field Mice: Memoirs of a Migrant Child” Children’s Edition in 2015, which told the story of her family’s true life migrant experiences during ten tumultuous years in the 1950s and 1960s. González writes about her life, at the age of 15, when her parents finally settled in Edinburg. Her struggles continued, after the years as migrants decimated her family, and forced her to shoulder the family’s financial burdens after her father’s death. In the end, González draws strength from her past to survive this new, unsettling life. “Field Mice: Memoirs of a Migrant Child” won Most Inspirational Non-fiction Adult Novel and the Children’s Edition won Most Inspirational Non-fiction Youth Book in September 2017 at the International Latino Book Awards in Los Angeles.
González’s works have also been selected by The Monitor’s Festiva Creative Writing and RiverSedge: A Journal of Art & Literature published by University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. She is the 2017 “Literacy Champion” recipient, an award from South Texas Literacy Coalition, for her work conducting writing workshops with high school migrant students. González shares her life’s story with migrant students to motivate them to stay in school, to reach for the stars, and conducts writing workshops “to find their voice and write their story.” For migrant parents, she offers heartfelt advice based on her experiences.
González lives in Edinburg, Texas, though she grew up in Ovid, Colorado as a migrant child while her family toiled in the sugar beet fields. She graduated from Edinburg High School in 1972 and attended UT-Pan Am, majored in criminal justice and ventured into successful business entrepreneurships. She lives with her supportive husband of 45 years and is close to her beloved children and grandchildren.
Sunday Speaker Series is included in the fee for regular museum admission. FRIENDS of the MOSTHistory are admitted free as a benefit of FRIENDship and must present their FRIENDship card at the Admissions Desk.
This program is made possible with generous support from the Carmen C. Guerra Endowment. Mrs. Guerra was deeply committed to supporting educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley. This named endowment was created at the museum by her family to honor her memory and to continue her commitment to providing opportunities for education to the community.
About Museum of South Texas History
The Museum of South Texas History is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is located in downtown Edinburg at 200 North Closner Boulevard on the Hidalgo County Courthouse square. Hours of operation are from 1 p.m.–5 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday. Founded in 1967 as the Hidalgo County Historical Museum in the 1910 Hidalgo County Jail, the museum has grown over the decades through a series of expansions to occupy a full city block. In 2003, following the completion of a 22,500 square foot expansion, the museum was renamed the Museum of South Texas History to better reflect its regional scope. Today, the museum preserves and presents the borderland heritage of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico through its permanent collection and the Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives and exhibits spanning prehistory through the 20th century. For more information about MOSTHistory, including becoming a FRIEND, visit MOSTHistory.org, like us on Facebook, follow on Twitter, find on Google+ or call +1-956-383-6911.