Asturian-American Migration Forum

Art,

I've been looking at the photo album, and I see you posted a picture of Bayonne Anti-Fascistas collecting aluminum to support the Republican cause in Spain. I know that there were several picnics, "fundraisers," etc. during the Spanish Civil War to help resist the Nationalistas. I remember folks in West Virginia talking about collecting money to buy an ambulance for the Republicanos, but I don't have more details.

I'm wondering if you, and/or others, have stories about the Asturian immigrants' response to the Civil War, and efforts such as the one you've captured with this photo. How wonderful to have a visual! I'd love to hear more about the picture, how you came to have it, and some stories that might have been handed down with it.

Bayonne Anti-Fascistas

"Anti-Fasistas Bayonne NJ recogen plomo para destruir el Fascismo", aluminum foil collection in support of the Republican cause

Bayonne, New Jersey, Oct. 17, 1937

I'll have to ask my mom and aunt what they know about this. I know that my mom's family moved to Bayonne for a few years, but that would have been around 1930, too early for this photo. My grandpop also went to Bayonne by himself a number of times when work was slow in WV. Or maybe the work in the New York City area was more interesting for him, since I'm pretty sure he did more decoration/murals for churches and theaters in the NYC area than he was able to do in WV.

I have possession of a picture taken at an anti-fascist fund-raising rally taken in Fairmont CIty, IL. It is very large and must have been taken by wide-angle lens. It shows the audience attending a play that was performed as part of the fundraiser. THey all have their fists upraised in defiance! The original is hanging on the wall of Koke's restaurant in Fairmont CIty which my husband is involved in. My father has been able to identify about half of the 200+ people in the photo. 99% of them are immigrants or descendants of Asturias immigrants. There are many, many members of my own family in the picture, including my dad and abuela. My step-abuelo was performing in the play and I have a picture of the actors on stage also. Both pictures are too big to scan, but if anybody is really interested in seeing it I can have copies made a specialty phot store (we have done this already so I know they can do it) for about $30 apiece. I could then mail those copies to you. I don't think we have any copies left from when we had this done a few years ago, so I would have to remove the original from the wall. I would be willing to do this if anyone is really interested. Better yet.....as I have stated in other posts...come to St. Louis and my father and I can show you many pieces of the Asturias immigrant history that exists here.

Wow, that's a real treasure chest you have!

Another solution might be to take the photo off the wall on a really grey day and take a digital photo of it outside. This won't give you quite as much quality, I'm guessing, but it would probably be fine for our purposes.

Another possiblity, since it is so large is to scan it in sections (assuming this can be done without damaging it). Sections would allow us to be able to see the people better anyway.

I'll keep in mind your offer to show them in person. That'd be wonderful!