Global Encounters in Oceana County: Mexicans, Germans, and WWII

Thursday, November 9, 2023
7:00 p.m.
Off Campus
Alumni, Community, Faculty, Staff, Students

Graphic with the event title, date, time, location, and an image of migrant workers in WWII-era West Michigan.

In 1944, Nazi prisoners of war were the largest group of foreign-born agricultural workers in West Michigan. This was an unusual development for the Mexican braceros who were already working in these fields, having been recruited by the U.S. government to fill wartime labor shortages.

What did these two groups think of each other?
What did the local population think of these two groups?
How did foreign policy and private industry shape all of these interactions?

Join us for a free, public presentation untangling this unusual corner of West Michigan history.

Co-hosted by the Oceana County Genealogical and Historical Society, this presentation is part of the GVSU Kutsche Office of Local History's Community Collaboration grant, building bridges between the GVSU community and West Michigan's local history resources.

Global Encounters in Oceana County: Mexicans, Germans, and World War II

West Michigan Research Station

5185 N. Oceana Drive, Hart, MI 49420

Thursday, November 9, 2023

7:00 pm

Location Information

West Michigan Research Station

5185 N. Oceana Drive, Hart, MI 49420

231-225-0443

Contact Information

The Kutsche Office of Local History

[email protected]

616-331-8110

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This event was added to the calendar by Mary Williford (willifom@gvsu.edu) on Monday, October 30, 2023 and was last updated on Monday, November 6, 2023 at 11:10 a.m.