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Mason, Belen Martinez (audio interview #1 of 4)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the first of three interviews with Belen Martinez Mason, conducted in the living room of her modest tract home in Rosemead. She remained open and relaxed throughout the interview, but became nervous when she had difficulty remembering details. 2/6/1981
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- 2021-04-09
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- SUBJECT BIO - Belen Mason was working in an upholstery shop before she took her job at the Lockheed subassembly plant, which was located near her home in downtown Los Angeles. The first of ten children, Mason was born in Fierro, New Mexico and moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was eleven years old. She married in 1941 and by the time she went to work at Lockheed, she had three children. Her fourth was born after she left Lockheed in 1944, shortly before she was hospitalized with tuberculosis. After her three year hospitalization, in 1947, she re-married and rejoined the labor force, first in Avon sales and then returning to work in an upholstery shop. Following another two year hospitalization, she worked in electronic assembly on and off for the next thirteen years, retiring in 1968 upholstery, by which time she had divorced her second husband and married again. Three interviews were conducted in her modest home in Rosemead, which was decorated with photographs of her family and of the Kennedys and Reagans. An eager and interested participating, Mason viewed her own life as offering a panorama on the early downtown Los Angeles neighborhood where she resided. Proud of her Spanish and Indian heritage, she also was pleased to talk about her family, and often had photographs ready to show me. Although Mason was generally relaxed during the interviews, she became somewhat agitated when she couldn't locate materials or reconstruct events precisely. TOPICS - family background; family history; and childhood;parents; childhood; family life; housing; neighborhoods; grade school; Mexican identity and language; and move to California;life in California; adolescence; parents; family life; education; school activities; religion; friends; social activities; early work experiences and earnings;marriage; childbirth; attitudes towards motherhood, domesticity, and work; employment and earnings; neighborhoods; ethnic groups; the Depression; husband; and family life;
- *** File: rrrbmason1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:40)... Brief interviewer introduction Mason's father was a Navajo Indian who born in 1888 in Georgetown, New Mexico. When he was three days old, his father was shot and killed. His mother managed to support the family by doing laundry for other residents living in the village. The place where Mason's father was born and raised eventually became a ghost town, and so did the town in New Mexico where Mason was born. (3:40-6:55)... Her father attended grade school until the fifth or sixth grade. He then worked as a water boy supplying water to miners working near the village where he lived. When he was twelve years old he began working in the mineral mines. In his early twenties he courted a White [sic] woman from New York, but when her family found out he was Indian the relationship ended and the family returned to New York. He met Mason's mother at a dance and the two married shortly thereafter. Mason's mother was born into a wealthy Spanish family. The family disowned her because she married an Indian. (6:55-10:48)... Mason discusses her mother's family background and how they settled in New Mexico. She explains that Spaniards were prejudiced and disowned daughters who married outside their "race." These Spanish values remained strong in her mother's family and her mother was ignored when she married Mason's father. Her mother received very little education. (10:48-12:14)... In 1917, her father's sisters moved to California. Mason and her brother were born in New Mexico, but her father did not want to raise them in a mining town. He was encouraged by his sisters to visit California and start a new life. He initially went to California alone and then decided to move his family to the state in 1919 because he believed it offered a better way of life and education for his children. (12:14-14:17)... Even though she was from a wealthy "Hispanic" (the term used by New Mexicans who were of mixed Spanish origin) family, Mason's mother was taught how to cook and clean so that she could care for her family when she married. Her physical features are Spanish and quite different than Mason's characteristically Mexican features. Mason describes her mother as a good housewife and mother who helped her father raise ten children. (14:17-20:49)... After her parents married, her maternal grandmother visited Mason and her mother at their home. Mason's father instructed his wife not to accept any money from relatives. She discusses her family history and the sectional conflicts that occurred between her maternal grandfather and white ranchers. The family also disowned her mother's older sister because she married a poor, Spanish man. Mason's father built a home near her maternal aunt and Mason recalls learning about her family history through stories told by her mother and this aunt, who she refers to has her grandmother. (20:49-23:09)... Mason was born on September 29, 1911 in Fierro, New Mexico. Her father wanted his children to be Americanized and he worked hard to assimilate into the American culture. Mason was not close with her paternal or maternal grandparents. She discusses her relationship with her aunt (grandmother). (23:09-26:36)... Mason's father wanted her mother to have the best of everything when he built their house in New Mexico. Her mother ordered furniture from New York and Chicago. When the family moved to California, she left the house and the furniture there for her grandmother (aunt). Mason believes that her parents homesteaded the land on which they lived in New Mexico; however, her father did not discuss this arrangement with her in any detail. When her mother's family came to visit, her father typically left the house because he did not know Spanish. In the home, her parents spoke a mixture of English and some Spanish, which her father eventually learned. When Mason started grade school, she learned about her Spanish culture and background more so than then her Navajo background because there were very few resources available on Navajo culture. Her father also spoke Navajo, but Mason never learned the language. End of tape. *** File: rrrbmason2.mp3 (0:00-1:56)... Mason describes Fierro, New Mexico and the neighborhood in which she lived as a young girl. She lived in a home next to her grandmother (aunt), both of which were located on a large lot at the foot of a mountain range. (1:56-4:01)... Belen, New Mexico was a small town that derived from a Navajo name; however, Mason does not know if she was named after a Navajo descendant. She does not recall any attempts by the miners in New Mexico to unionize. She believes that the workers were peaceful and the working environment was cooperative. Most of the information she learned about unions was disparaging and she left certain jobs because she did not want to unionize. (4:01-8:59)... Mason's parents married in 1910 and rented a home until her father built a house. She was born in a house and her mother was cared for by friends and Mason's grandmother (aunt) during the birth. Mason was delivered by a physician and weighed eleven pounds. The home in which her father built had three small bedrooms, a large bedroom for her parents, a living room, and a kitchen. Her father also built a large, screened porch. The home did not have indoor plumbing or electricity. (8:59-13:05)... The population of Fierro, New Mexico was approximately 2,000. Most of the inhabitants were Spanish or Indian miners and their families. During the Mexican Revolution, Mexicans began immigrating to New Mexico in large numbers. There also were a large number of Anglos in Fierro, most of whom were cowboys. The grade school Mason attended employed Anglo women as teachers, and the Spanish-speaking children were prohibited from speaking their language. If they did, the teachers washed their mouths out with soap. When three Spanish teachers settled in Fierro, Mason enrolled in their school and learned how to speak and write Spanish. (13:05-14:21)... Mason was not permitted to cultivate friendships with people who were not friends of the family. If a new family settled in the area, her parents visited the family and introduced themselves before she was allowed to play with their children. She describes some of the childhood games she played with her friends. (14:21-15:54)... Mason was taught in a one-room schoolhouse from kindergarten to the second grade. She enjoyed school and was taught Spanish during her early years in grade school. Before she started school she only knew a few words of Spanish taught to her by her mother. Her mother did not like speaking English and spoke mainly Spanish. Mason explains that her mother's Spanish was quite different than the way "Chicanos" speak Spanish. The word Chicano was not known to them at that time and she is insulted when someone refers to her as a Chicano. (15:54-18:17)... When her father moved to Los Angeles, he worked in a lumberyard located on Ninth and Santa Fe in Los Angeles. By this time, Mason had two brothers and a sister. Her father was in California for six months before the rest of the family joined him. Mason did not want to move to California because she did not want to leave her grandmother (aunt). Her mother left most of the family's belongings in New Mexico in case they returned to the area. However, her parents were private people and did not discuss these matters with the children. (18:17-21:52)... Even though her father was the head of the family, her mother also made important family decisions. Her parents did not argue, use foul language, or drink and smoke in front of the children. Her parents taught her social and religious values that carried her through life. Whenever she had difficulty, she usually went to her father or her grandmother (aunt) for emotional support. Her mother was a cold woman who did not provide Mason with the attention and support she required. Mason's father trusted her and did not discipline her unless she "got out of line." It was not until her father got older that she noticed how he disciplined her younger siblings. End of tape. *** File: rrrbmason3.mp3 (0:00-3:06)... Note: there is an interruption in the interview in this segment. Mason traveled to California on a Southern Pacific train. When she arrived in Los Angeles she was fascinated by the bright streetlights. Her father and aunts met her at the train station and the family had to split up and travel to her grandmother's house via her father's automobile and also a streetcar. Mason was unhappy about moving to Los Angeles. She cried the first night she arrived in the city. Her siblings, on the other hand, adjusted to the move quite well. She lived with her paternal grandmother for approximately a year. When her grandmother became ill and died, the family moved. (3:06-4:43)... When she moved from her grandmother's home to a two-bedroom apartment located on 7th Street in Los Angeles, she began attending a Catholic school. The school comprised four rooms that taught students from the first to the eighth grade. She attended that school until the eighth grade. (4:43-9:50)... In Fierro, her family attended church on Sundays and on special holy days. A woman in the community constructed an altar in her home and Mason's family worshiped there as well. In Catholic school, she became more religious and began noticing contradictions in religious doctrine. She describes herself as a "radical" because she was not afraid to question the decisions made by the priest and the nuns at the school. Mason considers her religious beliefs sacred and private, indicating that her faith surpassed the religious beliefs of her other family members. She was more influenced by her personal beliefs and the beliefs of her parents than her Catholic school education. (9:50-12:01)... In Catholic school the students were involved in various clubs and activities. The girls and the boys were separated, but periodically played outdoor sports together and attended dances. Mason's family attended this church on Sundays until a church was opened closer to their home. The congregation in church was mostly Anglo, as was the student body of the Catholic school. She was one of only four Hispanic children attending the school, but she did not experience any problems in this racially mixed environment. (12:01-16:17)... She attended a Catholic high school until the eleventh grade, at which time she quit because her father was ill and she had to go to work. Her career aspirations as a young girl were to become a nurse or a social worker. Her father supported his family by working in construction. During the Depression, his wages fell to approximately $5 a day. However, Mason never felt that her family was undergoing any economic hardships. They had a good home and plenty of food and clothing. Mason occasionally worked baby sitting jobs to earn extra money while in high school. When her parents increased their family size, her father purchased a large home and later purchased an apartment for his married children. (16:17-21:31)... While in high school she attended dances, played baseball, and went to Ocean Park with her friends. Many of her friends were boys. She did have a few girlfriends, but explains it was difficult for her to trust girls because many of them got "mad at you if you talked to their boyfriends." Mason's boyfriends treated her well and did not talk about "sex." Whenever Mason did go out with boys it was in a group setting and all of her friends had to meet her father. Her brother was her chaperone and was usually present when she went out with friends. Parents took turns taking the girls to dances. The parents congregated in the balcony area of the dance hall and socialized while the kids danced. Occasionally, Mason's father danced with her or another mother, as Mason's mother typically did not attend the dances. Mason often snuck out of her house and went to dances at the park on the weekends. As a teenager she also was active in school clubs and the All Nations Boys Club, which was located on 6th and Gaddis in Los Angeles. (21:31-26:56)... When her father became ill, she left high school and a friend helped her get a job at a hat factory. Her responsibilities included gluing feathers on hats. She earned approximately .50 to .75 cents a day and did not enjoy the work. The factory was located on Second and Spring in Los Angeles and consisted of only two rooms. On Saturdays, she worked at Boston Department Store. She worked at the hat factory for six months and then found a job at a fur coat factory where she put pieces of rabbit fur together to be fashioned into a fur coat. She earned approximately $2 a day working at the fur factory and left that position in 1930, shortly after she married her husband. She recalls that her life was fairly easy during this period. She had a happy home and social life and was able to purchase whatever she needed with her earnings. Although she was required to pay her telephone bill while living with her parents, her father did not expect or ask her to contribute her wages to the family income. However, she often used her earnings to purchase gifts for her parents. End of tape. *** File: rrrbmason4.mp3 (0:00-2:23)... Her husband was a student at Manual Arts High School. She met him at a high school baseball game and the two began dating. They dated for approximately eight months before marrying. Even though there were prejudicial ideals about mixed couples, her parents did not have problems with her marrying an Anglo man. Her father was disappointed that she married because he wanted her to return to high school. Her husband worked as a tire vulcanizer and then as a mechanic. He ultimately became a welder and remained in that trade until he died. (2:23-5:13)... When Mason married she envisioned herself becoming a housewife, but she also wanted to be "free." She describes herself as a "liberated" woman because she wanted to work even after she married. She did not want her husband to dominate her nor did she want to be in the home bearing children and working behind a stove for the rest of her life. She respected her husband and expected him to trust her. He was supportive of her wishes, as was her family. Mason's mother watched her children while she worked. Mason does not know what specific influences led to the development of her sense of independence. She believes that she was "just born that way." (5:13-8:30)... She was twenty years old when she married in 1930. She gave birth to her first child in 1931, her second in 1932, and a third in 1940. She initially only wanted two children, but ultimately gave birth to four. She did not use or have any information on birth control when she married. Following the Depression, the health department issued diaphragms, but she was not interested in using that form of birth control. She talks about the Depression, explaining that she really did not comprehend the crisis. When her husband stopped working she simply thought he was lazy. When she married her husband they moved to Huntington Park to be near her husband's family. She was not happy with this arrangement and they returned to Los Angeles moved into the apartment house her father built. She returned to work in 1935 to help support her family. (8:30-11:46)... Mason worked at an upholstery shop doing piece work. She earned $18 a week and worked six days a week. There were only about four women living in her neighborhood who worked, including Mason. The neighborhood in which she lived was very close knit. Most of the residents migrated to the Los Angeles area from New Mexico and Arizona after the mines were closed during the Depression. Many of the migrants from New Mexico were family friends and visited her father when they arrived in Los Angeles. Her father helped these friends find work and a home. It was not until she began working at Lockheed that she met people from states other than Arizona and New Mexico. Most of these co-workers were Anglos from the Midwest. (11:46-13:05)... Mason's husband typically handled the heavier chores, such as cutting the lawn or painting the house. She did not like a man in the house doing domestic chores and she washed the dishes and cleaned the house herself. She was usually the one who made the financial decisions because her husband had a drinking problem and he did not trust himself with money. They equally shared in the care and discipline of their children (13:05-17:55)... She did not work steadily at the upholstery shop. She often quit her job to care for her children, but would return to work several months later. In 1940, she quit working and gave birth to another daughter. She describes her life during these years. The only activities she was involved in outside the home revolved around her children's school clubs and extracurricular activities. In 1942, she submitted an application for employment at Lockheed because she felt it was her duty to do something for the war effort. End of tape.
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