Emma Tenayuca
Emma Tenayuca (born December 21, 1916 in San Antonio , Texas , † July 23, 1999 ) was an American person of the labor movement. She campaigned for the minimum wage .
Tenayuca grew up with her grandparents and had ten siblings.
At the age of 16 she joined the labor movement. She came into contact with the Finck Cigar Company's strikes . After graduating from Brackenridge High School (1934), she became an elevator operator. However, she continued to feel part of the labor movement and was arrested while taking part in the Finck Cigar Company strikes. In 1937, Tenayuca became General Secretary of the Workers' Alliance for ten sections in San Antonio . Tenayuca became a representative of the pecan peelers' strike in 1938 . There were several reasons for the strike. The dust from work led to high tuberculosis rates. The sanitary facilities for the workers were also inadequate. Their salaries had also been cut.
On August 25, 1939, Tenayuca was given the opportunity to address a meeting of a smaller communist party. However, this resulted in outbreaks of violence in the audience filled with anti-communists. Although she managed to safely exit the event, Tenayuca received repeated death threats from then on. After she was blacklisted by the incident, she was forced to leave San Antonio. She moved to San Francisco. In 1952, she obtained a certificate entitling her to work as a teacher. She worked at Harlandale School in San Antonio after she was allowed to return to Texas. In 1974 Tenayuca received a Masters Degree in Education from Our Lady of the Lake University . She had been retired since 1982.
Tenayuca died in 1999.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Tenayuca, Emma |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American Person of the Labor Movement |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 21, 1916 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Antonio , Texas |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 23, 1999 |