In the spirit of commitment to solidarity with migrants, the California Province of the Society of Jesus is a proud sponsor of Honor Migrante, a new CD album produced by Francisco Herrera and the non-profit organization Fundación Caminante. Honor Migrante is a collection of original songs in Spanish that educate migrant communities about fundamental human and worker rights. Fundación Caminante will be producing community concerts across California as fundraisers for local organizations that support migrants and working people.

Hotel workers and their community supporters demonstrated in Union Square, San Francisco, September 24, 2009. Photos: © David Bacon. Click for pop-ups.

Español

Honor Migrante, narrativa musical de una comunidad orgullosamente inmigrante, cuya voz es muy pocas veces escuchada publicamente. Francisco Herrera, historiador/músico lleno de espíritu, que usa un híbrido de estilos de la cultura chicana fronteriza: ése espacio cultural flexible que mantiene la esencia de la identidad mestiza en el centro de la homogeneidad cultural global. Estas canciones, historias y cuentos folclóricos encierran elementos del pasado indígena y el proceso histórico de la mezcla de culturas que se ha convertido la base para que cada generación forje su propia voz.

Las canciones de Francisco llevan la vitalidad de la experiencia migrante, historias de fe, amor y lucha de familias que cabalgan fronteras y culturas. La letra relata historias de árduo trabajar y la separación de familias por su estatus migratorio. Sus canciones combinan la profunda espiritualidad de la clase trabajadora mexicana quienes han usado ésta inmensa devoción para crear comunidades bi-fronterizas que sobreviven y florecen, a pesar de condiciones política y económicas muy dificiles.

La música combina el “swing,” de la música fronteriza conocida como “Tex-Mex,” dándole un acento californiano que incorpora aspectos del “Rock,” “Regea,” música “Afro-Cubana,” y Nueva Canción Lartinoamericano, por lo tanto transformada en “Cal-Mex.” Manteniendo el golpe rítmico de la polka fronteriza con el brinco juguetón que caracteriza las fusiones musicales de la Bahía de San Francisco.

Francisco es un Trabajador Cultural, un organizador que ha dedicado su vida al servicio a su comunidad. Su música es una forma de arte público cantado en iglesias, plazas, escuelas, huelgas, reuniones (mitins); y en todo lugar sus canciones inspiran y nutren la esperanza. Su voz encierra la esencia del alma chicana, que mezcla el calor inspiracional del “rhythm & blues – afro-americano” con la ternura campechana de los cantantes románticos rancheros de México.

English

Honor Migrante is a musical narrative that tells story of a community of proud immigrants whose voices are rarely heard publicly. Francisco Herrera is soulful border musician/storyteller using the hybrid styles of the Chicano border community, a flexible cultural space that has maintained the spirit of Mestizo identity in the midst of Global cultural homogenization – further influenced by work in Central and South America. These songs, stories and folktales capture elements of the indigenous past and the historical process of cultural mixture that became a building block for each generation to forge its own voice.

Francisco Herrera’s songs capture the vitality of the immigrant experience, stories of faith, love and struggle of families that straddle borders and cultures. Herrera’s lyrics capture the language and stories of the border, narratives of hard work and separation of families by their migration status. His songs combine the deep spirituality of working class Mexicans and Central Americans who have used this profound devotion to create cross border communities that survive and thrive despite harsh economic and political conditions.

The music combines the swing of the border music called Tex-Mex with a very “Californiano” approach that brings in elements of rock music, reggae, Afro-Cuban and the Latin American Nueva Canción, thus the evolution of “Cal-Mex.” You can feel the thump of the border polka with a very different swing to it that playful bounce that marks the San Francisco Bay Area’s characteristic musical fusion.

Francisco Herrera is a cultural worker, a community organizer who has devoted his life to service to his community. His music is a form of public art, sung in churches, plazas, schools, picket lines, meetings and everywhere his songs will provide inspiration and hope. His unique voice captures the essence of “Chicano soul” that blends the soulful inspiration of rhythm and blues with the earthy ranchero crooners of Mexico.

Español

Yo trabajo en el hotel
y el patron tiene welfare.
Mi trabajo le da el dinero
para que coma muy bien.
Me dice el muy embustero
que ya más no puede pagar.
Por eso organizamos
nuestra fuerza laboral.

Refrán:

Pa’ defender la dignidad
y protejer el bienestar
es nuestra union la que nos da
fuerza de pueblo que no se sabe rajar.

Con palmaditas en la espalda
dice "Man, you’re working well."
Pero si hablamos del sueldo
hasta se le olvida el ingles.
Pero en la unión voy aprendiendo
que me puedo organizar
y el ideoma no es escusa
pa mis derechos pelear.

Refrán . . .

English

I work at the hotel
and the boss, well -- he’s on welfare.
My work makes the money
so he can eat very well.
The liar tells me plainly
that he has no more $ to pay.
That's why we have organized
our labor force.

Refrain:

To defend our dignity
and protect our common good,
it is our union that gives us
strength of a people that will not be trampled.

With little pats on the back
He says “Man! You’re workin’ well!”
But if we speak about salaries
he even forgets his English.
In the Union I am learning
that I can get organized
and that language is no barrier
for me to fight for my rights.

Refrain . . .

Personnel: Francisco Herrera, vocals; Rafael, Liliana Herrera, backup vocals; Josh "El Chino" Jones, drums, batería; Geoff Brennan, bass/bajo; Eddie Pérez, acordión/bajo sexto; Joe Goldmark, slide guitar; Greg Landau, Camilo Landau, John Greenham, production.

Francisco Herrera is a member of AFM Local 1000.

Music Archives

	November 2009 Francisco Herrera Trabajo en el Hotel Francisco Herrera Photo: David Bacon
	October 2009 Kathy Mattea Blue Diamond Mines Jean Ritchie, Bill Monroe Photo: Unknown
	September 2009 Rich Trumka Raise Your Voice And Be Heard Rich Trumka Photo: Labor Heritage Foundation
	August 2009 Professor Louis Hurricane Professor Louie Watercolor: Ricardo Levins Morales
	July 2009 Special Get Ready To Strike Ray and Rachael Rodriguez Riley Wallace Photos: CWA
	June 2009 Billy Edd Wheeler Coal Tattoo Billy Edd Wheeler Photo: Earl Dotter
	May 2009 Joe Jencks Adonde Pertenezco Joe Jencks Photo: Scott Robinson
	April 2009 Rabble Rousers Card Count Bill Collins Photo: Corbis Bettmann
	March 2009 Dan Hall Lake Seaman's Union Men Dan Hall and David Norris Photo: Lee Rowe
	February 2009 Pete Seeger Talking Union Almanac Singers (Millard Lampell, Lee Hays, Pete Seeger) Photos: Unknown.
	January 2009 Los Lobos, Santa Isabel School Children's Choir De Colores Traditional Cover: Domingo.
	December 2008 Steve Earle Christmas In Washington Steve Earle Photo: Jim West.
	November 2008 Emma's Revolution Coast of Maine Sandy O, Pat Humphries Photo: William B. Folsom.
	October 2008 Bev Grant & Dissident Daughters In America Bev Grant, Bruce Markow Photos: National Park Service, Russell Lee, Marion Post Wolcott
	September 2008 Jon Fromer Little One Jon Fromer Photo: Emily Kunstler
	August 2008 DC Labor Chorus Picket Line Songs Andries vanTonder, Susie Rucks, Traditional Photo: Unknown
	July 2008 Tayo Aluko Go Down Moses Traditional Photo: NARA
	June 2008 Anne Feeney How Long? Anne Feeney Photo: Dick DeMarsico
	May 2008 Pat Wynne When Rats Dream Pat Wynne, Bernard Gilbert Photo: NHGRI
	April 2008 George Mann Rest, Papa Rest George Mann Photo: Howard Goldbaum
	March 2008 Lynn Marie Smith Rebuilding The Union Movement Lynn Marie Smith, A Taste Of Honey Photo: Jim West
	February 2008 Dropkick Murphys Worker's Song (Handful of Earth) Ed Pickford Photos: Jim West, Fred Askew
	January 2008 Joe Uehlein Artists See The World In A Different Light Joe Uehlein, Dave Alvin Photo: FBI
	December 2007 Finest Kind Homeless Wassail Ian Robb Photo: Unknown
	November 2007 Guy Carawan Which Side Are You On? Florence Reece Photo: Harlan County Library
	October 2007 Paul Robeson Water Boy Avery Robinson Photos: Alan Lomax, Joseph John
	September 2007 Billy Bragg The Internationale Eugène Pottier, Pierre Degeyter, Billy Bragg Lithograph: Unknown
	August 2007 Si Kahn Go To Work On Monday Si Kahn Photo: Earl Dotter
	July 2007 The NewLanders The Altoona Freight Wreck Fred Tait-Douglas, Carson Robison Photo: Unknown
	June 2007 Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello And Now What? Zack de la Rocha Poster: Ahmed Resistol
	May 2007 Coco Brown I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night Alfred Hayes, Earl Robinson Oil: M. Baer
	April 2007 Ry Cooder Strike! Traditional, new verses by Ry Cooder Drawing: Vincent Valdez
	March 2007 Teresa Healy, Tom Juravich Bread and Roses James Oppenheim, Tom Juravich Painting: Ralph Fasanella
	February 2007 Detroit Cultural Workers and Artists Caucus Walking 500 Days Bob Vasseur Photos: Pat Beck, Daymon Hartley
	January 2007 New York City Labor Chorus Ode To Workers Friedrich Schiller, L. V. Beethoven, Jeff Vogel Photo: Unknown
	December 2006 Charlie Bernhardt Children Of Abraham John McCutcheon Photo: Jerry Anderson
	November 2006 Ted Warmbrand Who's The Criminal Ted Warmbrand Photo: Mizue Aiseki
	October 2006 Woody Guthrie Buffalo Skinners Woody Guthrie Painting: Neil Waldman.
	September 2006 Freedom Song Network Rockin' Solidarity Ralph Chaplin, David Welsh Painting: Irving Fromer.
	August 2006 Seattle Labor Chorus Torn Screen Door David Francey Photo: Eric Nelson
	July 2006 Emma's Revolution Bound For Freedom Pat Humphries, Sandy O Puppet: SOAW Puppetistas
	June 2006 David Rovics Used To Be A City David Rovics Photo: George Waldman
	May 2006 Len Wallace Leaving The Fishing Behind Len Wallace Drawing: H. W. Elliott, J. W. Collins
	April 2006 Marc Blitzstein The Nickel Under The Foot Marc Blitzstein Photo: Unknown
	March 2006 Judy Gorman Step By Step American Miners Association, Waldeman Hille, Pete Seeger Cartoon: Mark Hurwitt
	February 2006 John Handcox The Planter And The Sharecropper John Handcox Photo: Evelyn Munro Smith
	January 2006 Lynn Marie Smith U.N.I.O.N. Henri Belolo, Jacques Morali, Lynn Marie Smith Photo: Rebecca Cook
	December 2005 John McCutcheon Christmas In The Trenches John McCutcheon Drawing: Frederice Villiers
	November 2005 Davis Gloff, Michael Carluccio, Larry Schrock Radio, Guns, and Money Steve Jones Poster: W. DeLappe, Holly Syrrakos
	October 2005 Chris Chandler, David Roe The Pageant of the Paterson Silk Strike Chris Chandler, Lisa Stolarski John Henry's Slow Rag David Roe Poster: Robert Edmund Jones
	September 2005 Brooklyn Women's Chorus We Were There Bev Grant Ceramic mask: Geri Gventer
	August 2005 Anne Feeney Shut 'Cha Down Anne Feeney Photo: United Airlines
	July 2005 Francisco Javier Herrera La Tierra Eduardo Robledo Photo: Ellis Boal
	June 2005 Si Kahn He Lies In The American Land Andrew Kovaly / Pete Seeger Photo: It's All Relative
	May 2005 Luci Murphy, Pam Parker Mother's Day Peter Jones Publicity photos
	April 2005 Angel Martinez Memoirs of Bernardo Vega Bernardo Vega, Juan Flores, César Andreu Iglesias Photo: Unknown
	March 2005 Pam Parker We Speak Louder Than Machines Steve Jones Photo: Jim West
	February 2005 Maria Dunn Troublemaker Maria Dunn Photo: Glenbow Archives
	January 2005 The Troublemakers Troublemakers Theme Pauly Gailiunas Graphic: Ricardo Levins Morales
	December 2004 Joe Jencks Christmas In Mansfield Joe Jencks Painting: Ray Tapajna
	November 2004 Kelly Wideman A Capella Banjo Samuel Augustus Ward, Katherine Lee Bates, Earl Scruggs Photo: Jim West
	October 2004 Chris Bricker, George B, Utah Phillips, George Mann Hail To The Thief / Stupid's Pledge / I'm George W George Mann, James Sanderson, Utah Phillips, Stephen Foster Cover art: Quenton of rushlimbaughonline.com
	September 2004 Laurel Blaydes, Joe Jencks, Chapman Zon What Will I Leave Behind / If I Had A Golden Thread Si Kahn, Pete Seeger Photo: Jim West
	August 2004 Utah Phillips 1910 Spokane Free Speech Fight Utah Phillips Photo: Roger Leisner
	July 2004 Dave Lippman I Hate Wal-Mart Dave Lippman Photo: Jim West
	June 2004 Finland Station Unemployment Compensation Blues Les Pine, Jerry Silverman Photo: Dorothea Lange, Farm Security Administration
	May 2004 John McCutcheon What It's Like John McCutcheon Photo: Hormel Foods
	April 2004 Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger A Little A' This 'N' That Pete Seeger
	March 2004 Charlie King & Karen Brandow Moving Day / We Shall Not Be Moved Fred Stanton / Traditional Photo: Unknown
	February 2004 Fruit Of Labor Solidarity Fruit Of Labor
	January 2004 Tom Juravich Ring Some Changes Tom Juravich Photo: Ellis Boal
	December 2003 Anne Feeney War On The Workers Anne Feeney Photo: Jim West
	November 2003 Rebel Voices Hospital Workers Paul McKenna Photo: Ellis Boal
	October 2003 Águila Negra El Mojado Flaco Jimenez Photo: Jim West
	September 2003 Joe Uehlein Jerusalem Steve Earle Photo: Ellis Boal
	August 2003 AFT Singers We're An On-Time Union Dottie Peoples, Gloria Britton-Ellis Photo: Michael Campbell
	July 2003 Jon Fromer, Francisco Herrera I Cannot Sleep Malvina Reynolds Photo: Ellis Boal
	June 2003 Pat Wynne Toxic Dreams Pat Wynne Photo: Pat Wynne
	May 2003 Susan Lewis, Janet Stecher, Luci Murphy Mean Things Happening / Roll The Union On Ain't You Got A Right John Handcox, Guy Carawan Photos: Labor Heritage Foundation, Highlander Center
	April 2003 George Mann & Julius Margolin If I Only Had A Brain Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, George Mann Photo: White House
	March 2003 Ray Korona The People Are In Charge Ray Korona Album cover: David Beyda
	February 2003 Charlie King One Puppet Town Charlie King Album cover: Mark Hurwitt
	January 2003 Pat Humphries No Sweat Bev Grant Graphics: Margaret Randall, Pat Humphries
	December 2002 David King Reindeer Games David King Doll: Linda Anderson
	November 2002 Bev Grant Labor Of Love Bev Grant
	October 2002 Charlie Ray Fetty III The Mobile Inspirational Charlie Ray Fetty III Colorado state fair parade float: USWA Local 2102
	September 2002 Joe Glazer The Mill Was Made Of Marble / I Ain't No Stranger Now Joe Glazer

Songs not otherwise attributed were recorded at the annual Great Labor Arts Exchange in 2001, 2003, 2004, or 2005 at the National Labor College/George Meany Center, Silver Spring, Maryland. Engineers: Bob Barnes, Ellis Boal, Charlie Ray Fetty III, Joe Jencks, Ray Korona, George Mann, Dave Sless, Isaac Wilson.

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