An Interview with Author Tim Z. Hernandez

By Brent E. Beltrán

Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye, Rosalita,
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria;
You won’t have your names when you ride the big airplane,
All they will call you will be “deportees”
– Woody Guthrie, Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)

The first time I heard those lines was in 1998. It was in Spanish on the CD Siempre He Estado Aquí by Teatro Campesino co-founder and Fresno residents Agustín Lira and his partner of many years Patricia Wells Solórzano. At the time, I didn’t know that it was originally written by famed folk singer/activist Woody Guthrie. Later on that year, I heard it in English by the Latin super group Los Super 7.

As someone who has committed most of his adult life to the many struggles of the Mexican community in America and various social justice causes I can relate to the lyrics in that song. I can relate to the anonymity, not only of the deported that Woody wrote about, but to the anonymous Mexican workers that toil in the fields or stand outside home improvement stores throughout the United States struggling to work or find work.

Through a change of fate I, or others in my family, could’ve been among them. Though I may be a citizen that does not take away the empathy, I feel for others of Mexican descent who don’t have papers, who are undocumented.

A great injustice is being done in this country to those who are undocumented. But a greater injustice was done to a group of Braceros that Woody wrote and sung about who died in a plane crash on January 28, 1948. Twenty-eight migrant workers who were being sent back home to Mexico died in a fiery crash in Los Gatos Canyon in Fresno County. They were buried anonymously in a mass grave at Holy Cross Cemetery in Fresno.

Nobody cared about these people enough to restore their names – Until Now!

I have known Tim Z. Hernandez since 1999. I first met him in San Jose at a Floricanto organized by MACLA. Tim was a young poetic protégé of renown Chicano poet Juan Felipe Herrera (who would later on become the Poet Laureate of California).

In 2000, I played a small role in a spoken word CD that Tim put together with fellow Fresno poets called The Central Chakrah Project: A Spoken Word Cura. Since then he has gone on to win an American Book Award in 2006 for his poetry collection Skin Tax and in 2011 he won El Premio Aztlán Literary Prize for Breathing, In Dust as well as other literary prizes for his work.

Doing research for his soon-to-be released book, Mañana Means Heaven, he found the names of those that died in that terrible crash in 1948. With that knowledge, Tim decided to do something. He decided he wanted to help create a memorial listing all of the names of those that died in the plane crash. The anonymous would be anonymous no more. Their names would live on.

The following is an interview with Tim Z. Hernandez:

What is the Deportee Memorial?

Currently, the remains of all 28 passengers are buried in a mass grave at Fresno’s Holy Cross Cemetery. There is a simple headstone that reads “28 Mexican Nationals who died in a plane crash are buried here.” No names at all. Early on, while researching for my book, I found the manifest, the list of all 28 names. I am now working with the Fresno Diocese and Fresno based musician Lance Canales to raise money to install a new memorial headstone listing all of their names and its ties to a historical incident. We have scheduled the public event to take place on Labor Day of this year, September 2.

Why is it significant that the deportees who died in the plane crash finally get recognized?

Our names are the record of who we are, proof that we once existed. They are also the thread of our direct lineage, binding us to our ancestral beginnings. They are our individuality, our present and our future. If we consider each part of our name, first, middle and last, you will find that each of these elements is contained within them. At the very least, no matter what a person might’ve amounted to in this life, we all deserve to die with our names in stone.

What is your role in this effort and what does it personally mean to you?

I uncovered the list of names with the help of the Holy Cross Cemetery, Director Carlos Rascon. This was initially only supposed to be research for a book. Even though I’m a writer, at the end of the day I’m a human being, and here was the opportunity to correct a small but vital piece of history. Having had over 17 years of non-profit administrative and event planning experience, I knew a memorial had to be done, and that I had the tools to do it. My role was to raise the money needed ($10,000) to make it happen, and to see this effort through to the end. This goes far beyond the memorial headstone itself and the writing of the book. It extends out into the community, because the more we share this story the more it becomes history.

When was the first time you heard the Woody Guthrie classic Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) and what effect did it have on you?

It’s one of those songs you sort of grow up hearing. From folk music to pop and rock to Tex-Mex and even gospel, no matter your musical preference you can’t grow up in the United States having not heard the song at some point in your life. This said, it wasn’t until I stumbled across the newspaper headlines of 1948 that I was really awakened to the meaning and depth of that song. After that I was basically obsessed with one question: What happened to the names?

This was the beginning. When I found the names, I couldn’t help but wonder: Who were they? And so on.

What are the goals of the organizers and how close are they to reaching those goals?

Our initial fundraising goal was $10,000. The headstone will be a 4 x 8 ft slab of granite that weighs a ton and will have all 28 names listed along with some reference to Woody Guthrie’s song and the history behind the incident. Because that’s an old part of the cemetery too we have to hire a crane that will position itself outside the perimeter of the cemetery just to set the stone in place. Of course there are also event costs that we’re having to cover. The good news is we are now only $2000 shy of reaching our goal, so planning is full force ahead at this point. The date is set for September 2 of this year, Labor Day and the public is invited.

What can the public do to help make the memorial happen?

They can make a contribution to the memorial headstone. Checks can be made out to: Saint Peter’s Cemetery. Memo: Holy Cross Memorial.

Where can people get more info on the Deportee Memorial?

They can visit my website or email me directly at tzhernandez@yahoo.com

Is there anything else you want to say about this project?

Since the beginning we really wanted this to be a community effort. It’s one thing to go out seeking one big donor to cut a check for the entire cost, but an entirely different kind of event when the community rallies to make this happen. We’ve had individuals from all over the county donating, even teachers in small rural High Schools holding bake sales with their students to help contribute. It’s a great teaching opportunity, and we encourage everyone to participate in this bit of history making.

And finally, you are an award winning author with humble Fresno roots. What is next for you as an author and how can readers of this column find out more about your work?

I have a book of historical fiction coming out this August, “Mañana Means Heaven” which is based on the life of Jack Kerouac’s Mexican girlfriend, Bea Franco. This book also takes place in 1947-48 and it’s actually the book I was working on when I discovered the newspaper headline about the plane crash. I’ll be touring the west coast promoting this book most of this year. Otherwise I’ll be finishing up this new book project about the 28 deportees. Folks can find out more at my website: www.tzhernandez.com

All checks should be made out to Saint Peter’s Cemetery. Be sure to write ATTN: HOLY CROSS MEMORIAL on the envelope and in the memo line of your check.

Tim Hernandez
ATTN: HOLY CROSS MEMORIAL
302 Casper Drive, Lafayette, CO 80026

Also, you can purchase a copy of the song “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos” performed by Lance Canales & The Flood with Tim reading all 28 names by clicking here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lancecanales2. All proceeds will benefit the memorial fund.

Brent E. Beltrán is a third generation pocho that lives next door to Chicano Park in San Diego’s Barrio Logan. He can be contacted via email at desdelalogan@gmail.com and through his Twitter account @DesdeLaLogan. Article originally published in the San Diego Free Press.