Traumatic Memories

Interview Description Patricia Samarripa talks with her daughter Tori Leal about growing up with a single father. Facilitator Subject Log :38 Patty grew up in Uvalde, TX with her father; the values her father taught her; town drunk 6:30 Tori is a hero at her age; story of Tori saving a child's life at McDonald's; Tori's memory of that day 18:40 Patty was driver of the year in Houston; memories of Tori at Metro; they do everything together;...

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 Paul Francis Sanchez Yates, 42, talks to his friends Johnathan Eisen about his upbringing, the racial attitudes of the town where he grew up, his mother's alcoholism, his education, and filmmaking. Facilitator Subject Log 1:38 PS talks about his childhood in Darien, CT. He stood out and was discriminated against for not being White. His parents split when he was two years old. 4:30 PS shares the faint memories he has of his...

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 Candy Maria Torres (56) talks with Whitney Henry-Lester about her Puerto Rican ancestry. Facilitator Subject Log 00:45 Candy's parents grew up in Puerto Rico, but both moved to Harlem and lived there during the Great Depression. 09:30 Candy talks about how her mother and father met. She also recalls how her mother got into fights when she was younger and how her father really loved the feistiness in her mother. 15:35...

Interview Description Rick Palmer (57) interviews Claudia Tutt (36) about her life, and the recent challenges she has overcome since coming to Partners in Housing. Rick is Claudia's case worker. Facilitator Subject Log 01:10 Claudia explains how she came to the United States, and what brought her to Partners in Housing, specifically. 07:30 Claudia reflects on what she sees for her future. 08:18 Claudia talks about her various work...

Interview Description Jorge Valdez (26) talks to his wife, Jesusita Valdez (28) about his love of family, his experiences in the Marine Corps, and his relationship with Jesusita. Facilitator Subject Log 00:45 Family is very important to Jorge. He shares childhood memories from growing up in Texas. 05:30 Jorge recalls being in boot camp on September 11, 2001. 07:30 Jorge was deployed to Iraq 4 times. He shares memories of those times,...

Interview Description Patricia Valdez talks with her co-worker and friend, Yolanda Cruz about growing up in Laredo, moving to Houston, the death of her father, and the role of education in her life. Facilitator Subject Log :50 Pat has lived in Houston since 1989 to teach second grade 9:00 Pat's mother sewed a lot; Pat's regrets in life: she wishes that she had told her father that she loved him 13:40 father was killed; hitchhiker; woke up...

Interview Description Alice interviews her dad, José Vargas, about his family history, being Mexican-American, and his experiences in the Army in WWII. Facilitator Subject Log 00:50 José's mother's family was driven out of Mexico by Pancho Villa's men during the revolution because they were well off. 14:28 José held odd jobs after High School. He received a letter from Uncle Sam, drafting him to the army. 16:15 All nationalities were in...

Interview Description Gabriela Baeza Ventura (39) talks with sister Georgina Baeza (27) about her academic success. Facilitator Subject Log 00:40 Gabriela is originally from Ciudad Juarez. She tells the story about learning English in school and only feeling comfortable in her mathematics class when she didn't speak English. 02:30 Gabriela tells a story about being forced to wash windows with her mom (who was a maid) and knowing she didn't want to do...