MACRI Talk: Socorro's Rio Vista Farm

Have you heard about the Bracero Program? Rio Vista Farm in Socorro, TX was a point of entry for the US' Bracero guest worker program, where laborers from Mexico were processed before being sent to jobs across several states. Learn about the history of Rio Vista Farm and recent efforts to preserve this historic site and educate the public about the history and legacy of the Braceros.

This FREE virtual event will stream live on Facebook https://bit.ly/MACRI-live & YouTube https://bit.ly/YT-MACRI

This MACRI Talk is part of a special series sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

About our guests:

Victor M. Reta Jr.

Victor Reta is a Director with the City of Socorro, Texas, overseeing the areas of Communications, Historic Preservation, Special Events, Recreation & Emergency Management. Victor has over eight years of working in a municipal government setting, focusing on public education, historic preservation, and creating community equity. He is the on-site director of the Rio Vista Poor Farm, AKA the last intact remaining Bracero Processing site. He has been at the inception of the Rio Vista Revitalization Project and is so proud to be the steward of such hallowed history. He is the sworn Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Socorro and serves as the West Texas & El Paso Transportation Committee chairman. Victor is a proud alumnus of the University of Texas at El Paso BA, MLS- Go Miners!

Sehila Mota Casper

Sehila Mota Casper is a historic preservationist with a decade of experience working in heritage conservation, community building, and preservation equity. She is the inaugural Executive Director for Latinos in Heritage Conservation, and previously worked as a senior field officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and for the City of Austin. In 2016, Sehila led efforts for the National Trust to designate Rio Vista Farm, located in Socorro, Texas, as a National Treasure for being the main U.S. processing center for the Bracero Program. She serves on the board of the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites, Preservation Texas, Texas Dance Hall Preservation, the State Board of Review, and the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission.

***** The views and opinions expressed by our program guests are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute.