José Raúl Barrera

José Raúl “Rico” Barrera and Jesús Marín “Marín” Barrera play music during the march to Sacramento, 1966. Photo by John Kouns.

José Raúl “Rico” Barrera was born in 1932 in San Pedro, Texas. In 1954, he married Margarita Cantú. While in Texas, they worked in the fields picking cotton and vegetables. In 1962, they moved to California seeking a better life for their family. The reason for selecting Porterville, California as a home was that Rico’s sister, María Garza, and his brother Jesus Marín “Marín” Barrera and their respective families were already living in Porterville.

Gilberto “Beto” Garza, José Raúl “Rico” Barrera, Jesús Marín “Marín” Barrera, Román Esquivel, and Sebastián “Tano” Zamora siting among others at a rally, ca. 1966. Photo by John Kouns.

The three siblings were inseparable throughout their lives. Rico and Margarita worked in the fields picking various fruit, including oranges, olives, tomatoes, plums. In the summer months, along with the Garza and other Barrera family, they traveled to labor camps to pick plums and apricots. Rico and his brother, Marín, had a very special bond, always working in the same places and socializing together.

They often played at parties and family gatherings, with Marín playing the accordion and Rico playing the guitar. Both brothers could play both instruments as well as the drums. Rico played the drums professionally as a member of a conjunto group called Los Tremendos Vagos and later another group called Los Norteños del Valle. His music activities were typically on the weekends and included playing at weddings, parties, events, and city dances.

Jesús Marín “Marín” Barrera, José Raúl “Rico” Barrera, and Gilberto “Beto” Garza playing their instruments, Porterville, 1966

Jesús Marín “Marín” Barrera (playing the accordion), José Raúl “Rico” Barrera (playing the guitar), and Gilberto “Beto” Garza (playing the drum) with the marchers as they enter Porterville, California on 03/18/1966 during the march to Sacramento. Also in photo are: Desiderio Ramirez (in cap), Antonio Rosas (in white shirt), Sebastián “Tano” Zamora (in baseball cap), Lucio Chavera (middle), and César Chávez (at the end). The marchers are walking past 730 South Main St, Porterville, California.

Rico was a loyal, passionate and ardent supporter of the Farm Workers Organization (FWO), later the Farm Workers Association (NFWA) and later the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC). He was a regular on the picket line during the boycott years, attended Union meetings religiously on Fridays traveling to Delano with his brother, Marín, and other supporters, and he most notably played the guitar on the March to Sacramento which began in March 1966. He is seen often in photographs during the march.

José Raúl “Rico” Barrera and Yolanda Barrera play music while others observe at a UFWOC rally, Delano, ca. 1966. Photo by John Kouns.

He was a poet who frequently wrote poems for various events which occurred during the farmworker struggle including commemorating assaults on those on the picket line or actions taken by César Chávez. He recited these poems on the Radio Campesina on a weekly basis as well as at various UFWOC events and later at various César Chávez Day events. He was named Grand Marshal of the Cinco de Mayo parade in Porterville, California. In 2017, his children, Lydia, Ricardo, Hortencia, Roel, Roberto, Jose, Jr., and Alicia mourned the loss of their hero who taught them so much about life- working hard, generosity, and compassion.

Family, Music, and the Farmworker Movement

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