Life Story: Emma Tenayuca (1916–1999)

Emma Tenayuca was born on December 21, 1916 in San Antonio, Texas. She was the oldest of her parents’ eleven children. Emma’s maternal grandparents encouraged her to take an interest in politics. They were both registered voters who debated local and state politics at home. Because of their influence, Emma paid attention to the world. She heard activists speaking in San Antonio’s public squares, read Spanish-language newspapers, and took notice when more and more workers lost their jobs in the wake of the economic depression.

Emma quickly noticed a pattern. The darker a person’s skin, the more he or she seemed to struggle. A common language did not unite San Antonio’s Spanish-speaking population. Rather, divisions existed based on economic status, skin tone, and heritage. Even her own family was divided. Emma’s mother’s family traced their heritage to Spanish colonizers who owned land in East Texas for generations. Emma’s father’s family was descended from the Native people of the region. Emma often noticed that her parents saw the world differently.

As a high school freshman, Emma joined the League of United Latin American Citizens. She was frustrated that the organization represented the same divides she witnessed at home. The group promoted assimilation with mainstream white American society, something with which Emma strongly disagreed. Emma realized that the league was eager to have her as a member because she was a light-skinned Latina with Spanish colonial ancestry. She believed there had to be another way.

When Emma was a high school junior, the all-women staff of the Finck Cigar Company went on strike to protest low wages. Emma was moved by their demand for justice and joined the picket line. When police broke up the picket, she was arrested. One year later, she graduated high school. Emma was not necessarily interested in becoming an activist or leader, but she knew that she had to fight the social injustices of the world.

In 1935, she joined the Young Communist League. The next year she joined the Communist Party. In the mid-1930s, the Communist Party took a new political position as popular opinion began to turn vehemently against the party. It attempted to build alliances with liberals and New Deal supporters. It welcomed people of all races and supported Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency. The party’s leaders argued that the New Deal provided necessary regulations and protections for hard-working Americans.

Emma’s involvement in Communist Party activities led her to join the Workers Alliance of America, a group dedicated to supporting laborers, particularly those unemployed during the Depression. By 1937, she was on their executive committee. In this role, she organized strikes, letter-writing campaigns, and other protests. Emma was often arrested for her activities and received regular threats from anti-labor activists.

Emma and her colleagues believed San Antonio was full of laborers in need of organizing. One of the largest groups in need of help was the pecan shellers union. In the 1930s, 40 percent of the nation’s pecans were shelled in Texas. Half of the pecan facilities were around San Antonio. Conditions in pecan shelling factories were horrifying. Rooms were severely overcrowded, with only one bathroom and poor ventilation. Pecan shellers, who were mostly women, suffered higher rates of tuberculosis and blamed their poor health on the work conditions.

On January 31, 1938, 12,000 pecan shellers went on strike to protest low wages and deplorable working conditions. Emma took on a leadership role in the strike through her work with the Workers Alliance of America. She spoke on behalf of the strikers and rallied workers on picket lines.

The strikers faced strong opposition. Over 1,000 strikers were arrested during the three-month strike. Local newspapers favored the interests of big business and portrayed Emma as a dangerous radical. Instead of focusing on the strikers’ demands for living wages and social justice, most articles talked about Emma and her Communist ties. Other leaders of the strike asked Emma to step out of the spotlight. She brought on too much negative attention.

Emma stayed involved, but from behind the scenes. Her work contributed to a positive outcome. Pecan shellers earned a wage increase. But the industry invested in more machines a few years later and many workers lost their