Who is Mario J Sifuentez?

The son of immigrant farm workers from Mexico, Dr. Sifuentez grew up in rural Oregon. As a child he read voraciously even while working alongside his parents in the onion fields. At an early age he became acutely aware of injustice and it had a profound effect on him. His appetite for reading led him to open his eyes way beyond the circumstances of his life. He did well in school and had opportunities that his parents could hardly have imagined.

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TEACHING

Dr. Sifuentez teaches a number of popular courses including

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Local Harvest, Global Industry: The History of Production and Consumption of Food

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The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat: Race, Gender, and Sports

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That’s the Joint: Hip-Hop and the History of Race in America

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The Water Seekers: Race, Work, and Water Rights

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PUBLICATIONS

Checkout the latest publications from Dr.Sifuentez

Of Forests and Fields

Just looking at the Pacific Northwest’s many verdant forests and fields, it may be hard to imagine the intense work it took to transform the region into the agricultural powerhouse it is today. Much of this labor was provided by Mexican guest workers, Tejano migrants, and undocumented immigrants, who converged on the region beginning in the mid-1940s. Of Forests and Fields tells the story of these workers, who toiled in the fields, canneries, packing sheds, and forests, turning the Pacific Northwest into one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country.

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Labor Rising: The Past and Future of Working People in America

When Wisconsin governor Scott Walker threatened the collective bargaining rights of the state’s public sector employees in early 2011, the massive protests that erupted in response put the labor movement back on the nation’s front pages. It was a fleeting reminder of a not-so-distant past when the “labor question”—and the power of organized labor—was part and parcel of a century-long struggle for justice and equality in America.

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