Jesus Barragan (S3E24)

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Jesus Barragan was born in the segregated town of Glendale, Arizona, and grew up with bigotry all around him.

In Part 1, Jesus talks about his move to San Jose as a young boy and the education systems of Arizona vs. California, where he quickly encountered difficulties. He moved to San Francisco in 1975, but he ran into prejudice and discrimination at the jobs he got here, both directed at him and systemically. Among other fights he waged, Jesus helped file complaints to get The City to comply with federal employment guidelines.

Jesus is a fighter.

He left his job at the VA after he was victorious in suing them. From there, he went to Child Protective Services in The City, where he caught mistranslated material that discriminated against Spanish-speaking parents.

After he retired, Jesus met David Campos and started volunteering in Campos's office at City Hall, which is where he met Hillary Ronen. He stayed on when Ronen took over as District 9 supervisor in 2016.

After reflecting on what the coronavirus pandemic means for humanity, Jesus ends Part 2 with a verbal love letter to San Francisco.

We recorded this podcast at Jesus's apartment in South of Market in July 2020.