first impression of America

Interview Description Ana Maria Ruiz (46) talks with her sister Veronica Ibarra (30) about their mother. Facilitator Subject Log 05:20 Ana talks about living with her grandparents in Guatemala without her mother because her mother Maria Montenegro was living in Los Angeles, CA. Ana was 7 when her mother left. 09:30 Ana tells the story about how she came to Los Angeles when she was 14. She arrived with her mother. 14:50 Ana talks about the...

Interview Description Nicole Di Rocca asks her parents about their recent family trip to Cuba and her parents' immigration from Cuba over 40 years ago. Facilitator Subject Log 01:22 Thais reads a poem she wrote called "49 years "about the recent family trip back to Cuba. 10:08 Thais and Javier talk about their parents' exodus from Cuba following Castro's revoution. 15:30 Thais expected to have her Quinceañera in Cuba but couldn't go...

Interview Description Bamby Salcedo, 40, y su amiga Brenda Del Río González, hablan de su trabajo comunitario y activismo, de la discriminación que sufren las mujeres transgénero y de los momentos y cosas que les sirven de inspiración. [Bamby Salcedo, 40, and her friend and coworker Brenda Del Río González, 42, talk about their community work and activism, about the discrimination faced by transgender women, and the moments and things that inspire them.] ...

Interview Description Esmerelda interviews her husband, Rogelio, about coming to the US at age 6 and the values his family instilled in him. Facilitator Subject Log 11:20 Rogelio remembers going to the market and asking the Chinese shopkeeper for "ajo" because he couldn't say garlic. The man understood. 13:45 Drafted and went to Ft. Lewis, WA. He didn't tell his mother until the day before. At Ft. Lewis they told him he wasn't required to go to...

Interview Description Rosalinda Sanchez (43) and Carmen Abeyta (63) talk about their experiences as Latinas and Chicanas, their families and their experience with "curanderos ", or healers. Facilitator Subject Log 00:48 Rosalinda was born in Washington State. Her parents were migrant farmers with a cucumber farm. Carmen was born in Montrose, CO and her parents were also farmers. 09:30 Rosalinda talks about dealing with racism and discrimination in her...

Interview Description Felix Sepúlveda (77) is interviewed by his son, Carl Sepúlveda about coming to the United States from Perú to do his medical residency in Florida. Facilitator Subject Log 1:25 Felix landed in Miami as a medical student working as a intern in the emergency room 12:16 moving to Houston from Florida; loved Florida because it was similar to Perú; finished residency in pediatrics 19:34 Felix's mother encouraged him to stay...

Interview Description Sylvia Serafin y su amiga Sara Zapata de Mijares comparten con José Serafin y Arlene Quiñones las historias de su vida, incluyendo sus años en México, y su pasión e involvimiento en el desarrollo comunitario y la conservación de la cultura Maya Yucateca. [Sylvia Serafin and her friend Sara Zapata de Mijares share with José Serafin y Arlene Quiñones their life stories, including their years in Mexico, and their commitment and passion for community development and the conservation...

Interview Description Thelma Perales Shelton (59) talks with daughter Vanessa Reyes Vara (38) & granddaughter Valencia Vara (12) about her childhood. Facilitator Subject Log 01:10 Thelma talks about her family's ancestral roots in Guanajuato, Mexico. She has also traced her family's history back to Spain and the Moorish Empire. 09:00 Thelma talks about her mother working for a cigar company when she was 9-years-old. There weren't child labor laws...

Interview Description Emma Torres y su compañera de trabajo Maria Chavoya platican sobre la vida laboral de Emma, su papel dentro del sindicato de trabajadores campesinos (UFW, por sus siglas en Ingles), el declive del sindicato y sus logros y aspiraciones educativas. [Emma Torres and her coworker Maria Chavoya talk about Emma's work life, her role in the United Farm Workers union (UFW), the union's decline, and Emma's educational achievements and aspirations.] ...

Interview Description Facilitator, Jorge Rios (24) interviews Emma Torres (52) about her experiences in farmworking, her involvement in the United Farm Workers and the Cesar Chavez movement, and her education and work today. Facilitator Subject Log 00:53 Emma talks about Campesinos Sin Fronteras, of which she is the founder and Executive Director. CSF advocates for farmworkers. 02:23 Emma talks about her childhood as a migrant farmworker, and her...