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

In this podcast, 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.

Check back Thursday for Part 2, when Jesus will tell us how he ended up volunteering at City Hall.

​We recorded this podcast at Jesus's apartment (with masks and distance) in South of Market in July 2020.