This site honors the memory of California pesticides activist Teresa De Anda, who passed away after battling cancer in the fall of 2014. In sharing her stories, it also documents recent California history as it unfolds in the state’s often forgotten agricultural landscapes. Teresa’s work was vital to making the problems experienced by residents of these regions more visible on the public stage. Her efforts survive her in the laws she helped pass and the many people who found their political voice with her support.
The oral history shared here is drawn from a 2007 interview conducted by Tracy Perkins. Some of the content has been published before in Voices from the Valley and in Boom: A Journal of California. Much is shared here for the first time, with her family’s permission.
- To read about Teresa’s life in her own words, and see the accompanying photography, visit this site’s home page, In Her Own Words.
- For suggestions on how to address the issues Teresa describes, and to connect with organizations active on these fronts, visit the In The Community page.
- For reading ideas to pair with this website in college classrooms, visit the In The Classroom page.
- For a short introductory essay from Tracy Perkins, this site’s interviewer, editor, and photographer, visit the Behind the Scenes page.
Thank you to the following people for help with this project:
- Valerie Gorospe Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment
- Linda MacKay
- Lauren Richter Northeastern University
- Tracey Brieger and Sarah Aird Californians for Pesticide Reform
- Rachel Deblinger University of California, Santa Cruz
- Zoe Stricker and Evelyn Torres Arellano, University of California, Santa Cruz
Thank you in particular to Valerie Gorospe – for allowing your mother’s stories to be shared, and for carrying on in her footsteps.
In Her Own Words 