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Monica Perales awarded the Oral History Association 2008 Article Prize
Posted: September 25, 2008
Monica Perales, Assistant Professor of History, was awarded the Oral History Association 2008 Article Prize for her recently published article, “Fighting to Stay in Smeltertown: Lead Contamination and Environmental Justice in a Mexican American Community.” The article, which appeared in the Spring 2008 issue of the Western Historical Quarterly, examines the 1970s lead contamination case that brought about the demise of a Mexican working class barrio in El Paso, Texas called Smeltertown. Despite the discovery of widespread contamination attributed to operations of the neighboring copper smelter, the Mexican American residents of Smeltertown mobilized to save their neighborhood from demolition and demanded a resolution that would not only ensure the health of their children, but would also save their beloved community.
The award, presented every two years, “recognize[s] a published article or essay that uses oral history to make a significant contribution to contemporary scholarship; and/or significantly advances understanding of important theoretical issues in oral history; and/or is an outstanding example of sound oral history methodology.”
The selection committee wrote that Perales’ “examination of this Mexican American community’s struggles against industrial encroachment and for environmental justice makes a significant scholarly contribution,” and that her piece “effectively used oral history to document their struggle.”
