How a Mexican immigrant became mayor in Illinois’ Trump country. ‘People here just get along.’
The influence of Mexican immigrants in the city starts with Arcola’s reputation as the “Broomcorn Capital of the World,” a slogan that dates to the 1920s, when the region was one of the top producers of the sorghum crop used for the bristle in household brooms. That legacy is celebrated by thousands each fall at the Broomcorn Festival.
The city’s largest employer is the Libman Co., a broom manufacturer founded in Chicago in 1896 by Lithuanian immigrant William Libman. The family moved the company Downstate in 1931 to be closer to the broomcorn crop.
By the 1950s, the high cost of harvesting broomcorn, which varies wildly in height and had to be reaped by hand, drove production to Mexico, which brought Fidel Silva to town in 1963. Silva was trying to deliver Mexican broomcorn to a factory in Paxton, but ended up in Arcola instead.
How a Mexican immigrant became mayor in Illinois’ Trump country. ‘People here just get along.’
Jesus Garza’s palms were sweating as he pulled his stocky frame up behind the wheel of a green Jeep Gladiator to take his spot at the head of the 50th annual Broomcorn Festival parade. In the…
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