HURON, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – One man is dedicating a project to revive the untold stories of Mexicans who dedicated their livelihoods to feeding families and building up the US amid a world war.

Inspired by his grandfather who worked as a Bracero, Eric Magaña says he curated an exhibition that honors the forgotten legacy of Mexican workers in developing the United States during WWII.

“A ‘Bracero’ was nicknamed to someone who worked with their arms,” Magaña said. “Like brazos.“

Operating from 1942 to 1964, the Bracero Program was an agreement between the US and Mexico that employed Mexican men in the agricultural and railroad industries due to labor shortages from WWII.

“In reality, [Braceros] weren’t compensated; their money was not given to them and the housing was horrible, the food was horrible, and long hours,” Magaña explained.

Over the weekend, Magaña held an exhibition in Huron with the help of Huron’s Mayor Ray Léon, whose father was also a bracero. This September marks the second year Huron made history by becoming the first in the US to launch Bracero Legacy Month.

“Not a lot of people know about the Bracero Program, like it’s not really taught in schools and nobody really talks about it— the government doesn’t acknowledge it, and so I hope people feel proud of our hard-working families that were farm workers and sort of just feel seen,” Magaña expressed.

If you have family who was among the estimated 2.5 million men enrolled in the Bracero Program and would like to share their story, you can submit your photos to Magaña via Instagram.

“I’m mostly here to honor and uplift our stories, and how important they are, and you know, just spread the word on how great the Braceros were and our families are,” Magaña said.

The LEAP Institute will host the second annual Bracero Legacy Month Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 4 p.m. at 16900 Huron Avenue in Huron.

Viviana Yvonne contributed to this report.