home > TRiO and USP Programs > McNair > symposium > 2002 presentations > Bryan Ellis

Bryan Ellis
History

Susan Hardwick, Mentor

Convivencia in Cannon Beach

Migrant labor often brings to mind images of backbreaking work—jobs picking apples in an orchard or cutting asparagus in a field. While agriculture still relies heavily on migrant laborers, many who began in agriculture, and their children, are moving into more urban areas. My research is being conducted in Cannon Beach, a small coastal town in northern Oregon. Like many coastal towns, its economic base is tourism. Here, Latino laborers have found a town and atmosphere that welcomes them. Their work ethic has made them an indispensable part of the Cannon Beach workforce. Though the conditions in the hotels and restaurants are better than those of the fields, these migrants perform jobs many Anglo-Americans find undesirable. Despite their burdensome lives, the Latino population has found ways to express their Mexican heritage.This research will show how Cannon Beach has reshaped these workers lives, and how their presence, in turn, has reshaped this sleepy coastal town.