2 50 130 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/f009bd22b6d897ef6b7e5006b1b8f2f1.png b2078978cde01aff20ab1739533705cc Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Julia Rohde Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Elba Rosario Armstrong OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rosario-Armstrong_Elba_2.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Elba Rosario Armstrong Part 2 Latino Lorain Oberlin College Library Elba Rosario Armstrong Julia Rohde 0 https://youtu.be/FtsM8XcQmjQ YouTube video 0 Introduction My name is Julia Rohde. I am a fourth year student at Oberlin College interviewing Elba Rosario Armstrong for the Latino Lorain Oral History Project. Latino Lorain Oral History Project 47 Advocacy committee of the Coalition for Hispanic Issues and Progress (C.H.I.P.) So to get started, Elba, I would love to hear more about the early years of C.H.I.P.. Elba discusses the role of the advocacy committee of C.H.I.P.. advocacy committee ; C.H.I.P ; Coalition for Hispanic Issues and Progress ; hispanic community ; Lorain, Ohio 142 C.H.I.P.'s involvement with the desegregation lawsuit against the Lorain City Schools and the English-only legislation by the Lorain City Council The biggest issue was, I think, a combination of two issues: the desegregation lawsuit against the Lorain City Schools and the English-only legislation by the Lorain City Council. Elba discusses how C.H.I.P.'s advocacy committee was involved in the lawsuit regarding the desegregation of the Lorain City Schools and the English-only legislation passed by the Lorain City Council. African American ; African American teachers ; bilingual program ; busing ; C.H.I.P. ; Coalition for Hispanic Issues and Progress ; desegregation ; desegregation consent decree ; Education committee ; English-only ; English-only legislation ; foreign languages ; Hispanic teachers ; Hispanics ; lawsuit ; legal ; Lorain City Council ; Lorain City Schools ; magnet schools ; N.A.A.C.P. ; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ; school choice ; Spanish ; teacher recruitment 739 C.H.I.P's work against language discrimination towards Hispanic staff at the Cleveland Clinic Another issue that we dealt with was with the Cleveland Clinic. And I don't know if I mentioned it in the first interview... Elba describes how C.H.I.P. got involved with discrimination at Cleveland Clinic, where Hispanic staff were told they were no longer allowed to speak Spanish during their breaks and were asked to provide translation services without additional pay. advocacy committee ; C.H.I.P. ; Cleveland ; Cleveland Clinic ; Coalition for Hispanic Issues and Progress ; discrimination ; English-only ; Hispanic Month ; language discrimination ; Lorain County ; Lorain, Ohio ; Spanish ; translation services ; workplace discrimination 918 C.H.I.P.'s advocacy work at Lorain County Community College (L.C.C.C.) Another issue that we dealt with was with Lorain County Community College and it was in reference to an employee that had been denied promotion due to his ethnicity and also the lack of representation in the workforce, specifically the faculty and administration... Elba discusses C.H.I.P.'s advocacy work at L.C.C.C., where a Hispanic man was denied promotion due to his ethnicity. This case revealed a larger trend of lack of minority representation in the L.C.C.C. staff. C.H.I.P. ; Coalition for Hispanic Issues and Progress ; Hispanic community ; L.C.C.C. ; Lorain County ; Lorain County Community College ; Lorain, Ohio ; minority representation ; promotion ; representation ; workplace discrimination 1194 C.H.I.P.'s advocacy work at Lorain County Board of Mental Health to hire bilingual therapists Then we had another...because there were quite a few, if that is okay, there were quite a few that we dealt with. Another one was with the Lorain County Board of Mental Health and therapy actually was being provided through interpreters because of the lack of bilingual counselors and therapists, and so actually we just went in and talked with them. You know, they were very understanding... Elba discusses C.H.I.P.'s success asking the Lorain County Board of Health to hire bilingual therapists and counselors. bilingual ; bilingual services ; C.H.I.P. ; Coalition of Hispanic Issues and Progress ; Lorain County ; Lorain County Board of Mental Health ; medical ; mental health 1278 C.H.I.P.'s advocacy work at Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Board And then we had an issue with Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Board. And basically what had been happening was that El Centro had been providing services for persons who needed counseling as out-patients and for residential services which including 30 days or more stay. They didn't have those capabilities to do it, so they went to Cleveland... Elba discusses C.H.I.P.'s advocacy work at Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Board, where there were issues with funding addiction services for the citizens of Lorain. A.D.A.S. Board ; addiction services ; bilingual ; bilingual staff ; C.H.I.P. ; Cleveland ; Coalition of Hispanic Issues and Progress ; Cuyahoga ; Cuyahoga County ; El Centro ; health services ; Lorain County ; Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Board ; Lorain, Ohio ; public health ; Sacred Heart Chapel 1572 C.H.I.P.'s work against racial harassment in Lorain city government office Then also we had a situation with the city of Lorain--the government. We had a Black Puerto Rican male employee who said that he was being racially harassed. Elba describes how C.H.I.P. got involved with the Lorain city government when a Black Puerto Rican employee was being racially harassed in the workplace. Black Puerto Rican ; C.H.I.P. ; Coalition of Hispanic Issues and Progress ; Lorain City Government ; Lorain, OH ; racial harassment ; workplace harassment 1710 C.H.I.P.'s work against harassment of Hispanic family reunion in Lorain County Metroparks We had an issue with the Lorain County Metroparks and I don't know if I mentioned this one or not, but a Hispanic family had their family reunion in one of the Metroparks. and they had quite a few of their family members there, and one of the park rangers had been walking around, walking around, and he noticed that a motorcycle was parked near the pavilion area... Elba describes an incident in the Lorain County Metroparks, where a park ranger harassed a Hispanic family who was celebrating a reunion. C.H.I.P. ultimately got involved, as one member of those celebrating was given a citation. C.H.I.P. ; Coalition of Hispanic Issues and Progress ; harassment ; Lorain County ; Lorain County Metroparks ; Lorain, Ohio 2015 C.H.I.P.'s advocacy for Hispanic single mother evicted by Lorain Metropolitan Housing Board Then we had, another issue occurred. It was with the Lorain Metropolitan Housing Board. This was regarding a Hispanic mom, a single mom, who had nowhere to go and no family here in Lorain and was being evicted from the apartment in February, one of our coldest months. Elba describes a situation with the Lorain Metropolitan Housing Board where a Hispanic single mother was going to be evicted until C.H.I.P. was able to step in and assist with her rent. C.H.I.P. ; Coalition of Hispanic Issues and Progress ; eviction ; Hispanic single mother ; housing discrimination ; Lorain County ; Lorain Metropolitan Housing Board ; Lorain, OH 2207 C.H.I.P.'s strategies for community-building and reason for its establishment So those were the type of issues that we had dealt with as an advocate organization. And then what we did also was C.H.I.P. reached out with all institutions and we spoke with them to develop relationships with them and let them know who we were, what we were all about so that they understood, and we initiated some dialogue about mutual interest we would have... Elba details how C.H.I.P. established relationships with Lorain institutions in order to be successful in their advocacy work. C.H.I.P. ; Coalition of Hispanic Issues and Progress ; community-building ; Hispanic issues ; Lorain City Schools ; Lorain County Police Department ; Lorain mayor's office ; Lorain, OH 2375 The Revival of C.H.I.P. And in the last interview you had mentioned there was a brief time where C.H.I.P. died down a little bit and then you revitalized and served as President, and I'm wondering why you think there was that time where it wasn't as active? Elba describes how the same people were involved in different Hispanic organizations in Lorain, leading to people getting tired of being involved. She believes that this led to a period of decline for C.H.I.P., where it was recommended that the organization be disbanded. C.H.I.P. ; Coalition of Hispanic Issues and Progress ; community-buidling ; Lorain, OH 2606 Origins of the Hispanic Fund And you had also mentioned wanting to talk more about the origins of the Hispanic Fund... Elba explains that there had been a fund of $300 through the Lorain Community Foundation to honor Dr. Jose Rivera. When the Community Foundation decided to start a Hispanic Fund and an African American Fund, Elba and other members of C.H.I.P. were invited to become a part of the philanthropy process. Community Foundation ; Hispanic Fund ; Lorain Community Foundation ; Lorain County ; Lorain, OH ; philanthropy 2970 Establishment of the Lincoln Center in South Lorain I also wanted, because I know I talked a little bit about the Coalition for South Lorain, the Lincoln Center. This was formed, well actually the Coalition was the police, the Metropolitan Housing, the Lorain City Schools, El Centro, and Sacred Heart... Elba describes how Lincoln Elementary School--during school rebuilding--was temporarily leased to the Coalition for South Lorain to house the Lincoln Center, a community center where institutions in Lorain held offices, ESL classes were held, and other services were provided to the community of South Lorain. Boy's and Girl's club ; Coalition for South Lorain ; community center ; computer classes ; El Centro ; ESL classes ; food pantry ; Lincoln Center ; Lincoln Elementary School ; Lorain City Schools ; Lorain Police Department ; Lorain, OH ; Metropolitan Housing Board ; Sacred Heart Chapel ; school rebuilding ; South Lorain ; youth coordinaters 3304 C.H.I.P.'s work to place Hispanics on institutional boards And then one other thing that C.H.I.P. did that I wanted to talk about was that we, we wanted to--as I had talked about we would meet with institutions to tell them what we were about--we also wanted to get as many people involved, Hispanics, on boards for these organizations... Elba explains that C.H.I.P. also worked with institutional boards in Lorain to increase representation and place Hispanic people on the boards. C.H.I.P. ; Coalition for Hispanic Issues and Progress ; Hispanic board members ; Hispanic representation ; Hispanics ; Lorain County ; Lorain, OH Oral history interview of Elba Rosario Armstrong for the Latino Lorain Oral History Project. video 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rosario-Armstrong_Elba_2.xml LL_Rosario-Armstrong_Elba_2.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0025 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Elba Armstrong-Rivera Part 2 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Elba Rosario Armstrong named president of C.H.I.P. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Julia Rohde Type The nature or genre of the resource image https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/b171fc100a11dfb696a113f859a28008.PNG fca81fbf1af1579828e1f47641ba3a6a Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Minerva Macarrulla Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Erica Baez OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Baez_Erica.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Erica Baez Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Erica Baez Minerva Macarrulla 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/rr171x25z Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Erica Baez&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/rx913p922/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 400&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction, Early Life and Family Can you please state your name and date of birth? Erica Baez introduces herself and talks about her early life in Puerto Rico, her relationship with her sister, and her parents' jobs. She then gives an overview of how her family came to Northeast Ohio, beginning with her father coming to his family in Cleveland and then sending for them. Childhood ; Cleveland ; Early life ; Family ; Migration ; Puerto Rico ; Secretary 227 High School JROTC, Meeting Antonio Baez, Military Outlook Could you talk about how and when you met your husband? Erica discusses meeting her husband, Antonio, through her high school JROTC class. Erica's father was a big influence on her outlook towards the military because he always emphasized the advantages of working for it. She didn't have any concerns about the idea of being in the military growing up. Coming from a strict household made for an easy transition into the structured JROTC environment. Antonio Baez ; High school ; JROTC ; South Lorain School ; Spouse ; U.S. Navy 623 Living with Antonio's Parents While he was enlisted, did you stay here? What was that like for you? Erica recounts how she lived with Antonio's parents at the start of his military service. At the time, she wanted more independence. Family ; Housing 712 Emotional Pressures of Antonio's Service How long was he in the military for? Erica discusses the emotional pressures of having an active duty military spouse, emphasizing the anguish of not being able to hear from her husband and having to explain where he was to her kids. Bootcamp ; Children ; Deployment ; Rank ; U.S. Army Reserves ; U.S. Marines ; U.S. National Guard 1071 Antonio's Second Chance, Accepting Military Hardships Were there any positives of being a military wife? Erica explains how Antonio was seen as a troublemaker in high school and how people didn't expect him to be &quot ; successful,&quot ; but the military gave him a second chance to commit to his job, travel, and achieve more financial stability. Erica expresses acceptance of the ways that the military &quot ; breaks them down to create US marines.&quot ; Bootcamp ; High school ; Travel ; U.S. Marines 1245 Becoming a Military Mother Now, I'm not just a marine corps wife ; I'm a marine corps mother. Erica talks about the journey that her son took entering the marine corps after high school. Children ; Family ; Georgia ; Recruitment ; U.S. Marines 1413 Life &amp ; Raising Kids During Antonio's Military Service While your husband was enlisted for those seven years, what was your life like and how did you spend most of your time? Erica remembers her time living off-base with Antonio as he was stationed in North Carolina and Maryland. Her oldest son had a hard time being separated from his grandfather, but she's also grateful that her kids got to see so many places and sights. Friendship ; Living off-base ; Maryland ; North Carolina ; Station 1748 Nursing School, Home Health Job And what did you say you went to school for? Erica mentions that she completed nursing school and worked as a home health aid for a few months while Antonio was in bootcamp. Career ; Employment ; Healthcare ; Nursing school 1791 Friendships with Other Military Wives You mentioned living in North Carolina and Maryland and spending time with other families on base— what were those friendships like? Erica remembers her friendships with other women in North Carolina and Maryland who were also military spouses. Alcohol ; Friendship ; Substances 2019 Letting Go of Her Own Military Aspirations After you had your son, did you ever reconsider going into the military? Erica says that once she had her children, military service was off the table for her. She wanted to make sure that someone was always there for her children. Career ; Children 2055 Antonio Ending His Service, Cherishing Elders Do you remember when Antonio decided not to continue his military service? Erica tells the story of Antonio ending his active duty military service because of Erica's concern for their viejitos, who had begun to pass away more often and needed to be cared for. Caring for elders ; Death ; Elders 2320 Transition Back to Lorain, Antonio's Service Changing Erica What was life like when you got back here? Erica describes what it was like to get back to Lorain having been changed by her experiences in North Carolina and Maryland. Friendship ; Military families ; Respect 2540 Advice for Military Families, Changing Family Structure What message would you want to leave for future generations who could hear this interview? Erica emphasizes that people should have more respect for military families. She discusses how being a military family changes family structure and creates trauma. Advice ; Children ; Family structure ; PTSD ; Trauma 2823 Erica's Career I remember you said that you went to nursing school. Have you become a nurse since then? Erica discusses her home health job that she had after she went to nursing school. She stopped working as a home health aid when she left Ohio with Antonio, but found out later that she could have continued. She also speaks affectionately of Antonio's grandmother. She then describes her current job with Clearview District Schools, where she translates for Spanish-speaking parents. Career ; Clearview District Schools ; Elders ; Employment ; Lorain City Schools ; Nursing 3144 Outro Is there anything we haven't spoken about that you'd like to speak about? We close out the interview by thanking one another. In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Baez_Erica.xml LL_Baez_Erica.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0003 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Erica Baez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-11-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/bd3cf2da88a8f088727fd21e23386889.png 51b656fb10806e2a0adbc056862552f2 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Gabriela Linares Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Eugene "Gene" Rivera OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rivera_Eugene.xml Interview Keyword This field adds keywords to the Omeka Oral History item type. Keywords areincluded in the OHMS XML, this field in Omeka will allow for full data migrationbetween OHMS XML and the Omeka Record. This field does not impact theOHMS / Omeka integration and is optional if you do not need to map the“keywords” field in the OHMS XML to the corresponding Omeka record. Ponce Lorain Trios Latin Jazz Puerto Rican Home OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Eugene &quot ; Gene&quot ; Rivera 2:08:17 Latino Lorain Fall 2020 Oberlin College Library Ponce Lorain Trios Latin Jazz Puerto Rican Home Eugene &quot ; Gene&quot ; Rivera Gabriela Linares 0 https://youtu.be/6JIJuTUoKbM YouTube video English 71 Music as integral to Gene's Childhood It's difficult to say, &quot ; the first time&quot ; because there was alway music at our house. Records, because we had no radio and no television programing that was in Spanish. However, I can tell you an interesting story... Mr. Rivera narrates the time when his dad had just found an apartment, amongst such difficult times to find a home as a Puerto Rican family due to discrimination. Rivera goes on to discuss how he attended many music performances in Lorain since the city was in a central spot in relation to Chicago and New York which are two hot spots for music and latin jazz.The Rivera's family downstairs neighbor, knew a Trio musician, Johnny Rodriguez who stayed at their apartment after a gig in Chicago. Due to this connection, the Rivera family who were performing a Baptism in Lorain. Johnny Rodriguez got to perform trio music for the baptism after party. This was the first time Mr. Riviera saw a reel to reel tape recorder which was integral to the performance. Later on in this section, Mr. Rivera talks about the complexities of the parrandas. He mentions how there had to be some cultural negotiation between the Puerto Rican community in Lorain and other communities that may have been unfamiliar with these musical celebrations. Chicago ; Gig ; Guitars ; Housing ; Interstate ; Maracas ; Music ; New York ; Puerto Rico ; Radio ; Record Player ; Recordings ; Reel to Reel Tape ; Tape Recorder ; Trio Albums ; Baptism Party ; Clubs ; Cuba ; Johnny Rodriguez ; Latin Jazz ; Lorain Housing ; Mambo Kings ; Puerto Rico ; Records ; Tito Rodriguez ; Trio Music 1155 El Gran Combo in Lorain: A Memorable Experience By now it is 1964 and I am already a teenager, maybe a junior in High School. They had announced that they were bringing El Gran Combo to the Puerto Rican Home. Now, as you know El Gran Combo is a huge institution in Puerto Rico and plays around the world. At that time they were starting. Cortijo y su Combo was a musical group that represented the beginnings of salsa and brought Afro-Puerto Rican influences from the genres bomba and plena to latin jazz. Cortijo and his group were the first Afro Puerto Ricans to appear on TV. When this group broke up, El Gran Combo emerged. Mr Rivera, has experienced many performances but around the year 1964 during his junior year of high school, he was impacted by the visit of El Gran Combo at the Puerto Rican Home in Lorain. 500 años ; Afro-Puerto Rican ; Boogalu ; Cortijo y su Combo ; Dance ; Humor ; La Taverna India ; Mario Hernandez ; Political Songs ; Salsa ; Suit ; Television ; Vietnam El Gran Combo ; Performance ; Puerto Rican Home 2056 A Friendly Performer: Yomo Toro Yomo Toro, cuatrista, he would just talk to you. He would sit down and talk like a jibarito from the mountains. Very humble, nice, talking about jokes. He reminded me of my uncle. Mr Rivera recalls his experience meeting the artist Yomo Toro. Toro was an amazing cuatro player that reminded Mr. Rivera about his family and the jibarito personality. Cuatro ; Humble ; Jibarito 2263 The Founding of The Puerto Rican Home The Puerto Rican Home was a project of the entire community. We call ourselves La Colonia. I say we because I was part of it as a child and as a teenager but my parents where the adults, the beginners that put together the Puerto Rican Home. The older generation of La Colonia used to have a lot of dances that would be shut down before midnight. In search of a venue and place where the community could get together to celebrate their music, they found a bowling alley which then became The Puerto Rican Home and center for music and the latino community in Lorain. Codes ; Police ; Stock Dances ; Puerto Rican Home 2526 La Liga Puertorriqueña La Liga Puertorriqueña was formed to meet the socio political needs of the Puerto Rican community. They were accussed of having communist connections, an acusation that they denied. The Puerto Rican Home became the center for smaller organizations such as La Liga Puertorriqueña who was accused of being communist during Senator McCarthy's time. After these accusations the organization had to deal with these pressures and look for legal help to certify that they were not enforcing communist ideas during these meetings. Accusations ; Communism ; Meetings Civil Rights ; Communism 2749 Inauguration of the Puerto Rican Home That is how it emerged and in 1956 it was it inaugurated. According to the new paper there was a congressman, a county commissioner, the mayor... After all of the communist accusations that La Liga Puertorriqueña and other smaller organizations faced during this time, The Puerto Rican Home was inaugurated under the promise and that there would be no communist involved in this new organization. This inauguration marked the beginning of what would become a politically and community involved organization for latinos in Lorain. As we learned earlier in the interview, this bowling alley was radically transformed to meet the needs of the community. These needs varied from meetings to concerts to regional domino tournaments to softball events. In terms of the dances, these attract people from Youngstown, Buffalo, Detroit and Chicago. Boogalu ; Bowling Alley ; Communist ; Concerts ; Congressman ; County Commissioner ; Dominoes ; El Gran Combo ; Lares Carpenters ; Mayor ; Meetings ; Softball Community Events ; Inauguration 3306 Police Brutality We had sadder events. Sadder because it was the first time that the police killed a Puerto Rican from our community. Amongst the dances, there were brutal incidents that would then be commemorated at the Puerto Rican Home. Mr. Rivera narrates different occasions in which the police got involved with the Puerto Rican community and it ended in death and legal issues. Funeral ; Handcuffs ; Police Police Brutality 3517 Meetings at The Puerto Rican Home In the smaller homes there were meetings such as Las Damas, The Women's Club met there. Other meetings like political meetings, &quot ; meet the candidate&quot ; type of thing. Whatever issue you wanted to be aware you could go there for free. The Puerto Rican Home hosted many meetings. Mr. Rivera recalls one of his favorite moments at The Puerto Rican Home. He recalls being on his bicycle and knowing that Nelson Rockefeller was at an event there when he was running for President as well as the baseball player, Jackie Robinson. Bicycle ; Governors ; Meetings ; Rockefeller ; Vine Ave Meetings ; Nelson Rockefeller 3695 Johnson and Johnson Foundation Meetings It became the center of the midwest. I was in a meeting in the midwest, years later, of a group of people who met at the Johnson and Johnson Foundation wingspan living in Wisconsin. That foundation had conversations that would take on differnet issues in the United States. Due to the political involvement that Mr. Rivera took part in The Puerto Rican Home, he participated in meetings hosted by the Johnson and Johnson Foundation. During one of the meetings that took place in Wisconsin, a man from Chicago stopped Mr. Rivera once he knew that he was from Lorain. This man remembers traveling to Lorain as a child where his father would participate in cock fights. This is an example of how central Lorain city became for the latino community all around the midwest. Center ; Chicago ; Midwest Cock fights ; Johnson and Johnson Foundation ; The Puerto Rican Home 4009 Years in Kent State: A Visit to The Puerto Rican Home The college thing is that I did go there (The Puerto Rican Home) on another occasion and I took a couple of students. Mr. Rivera decides to bring some of his peers from Kent state to have a beer at The Puerto Rican Home, but he did not have a lot of money at the time. Skeptical of this visit, a leader and friend of the family who worked there called him over. In this small conversation he asked what this visit was about and gave him a life lesson. Drinks ; Leader ; Life Lesson Kent State ; The Puerto Rican Home 4158 Political Power: Elections at The Puerto Rican Home This guy, Lule Medina, who was the president of the Puerto Rican Home at this time Lule Medina, who was president of The Puerto Rican Home at the time, took the task of counting the votes that had gotten him elected. Medina compared them to the amount of votes that had gotten the councilman Elected and noticed that he had gotten a greater number of votes on behalf of the Puerto Rican community. This was a revelatory and empowering moment for the Puerto Rican community because they realize the great say that they had in their community. By 1962, Lorain had elected Evelio Rosario as their first Puerto Rican councilman. Councilman ; Democrat ; Major ; Republican ; Threat ; Votes Evelio Rosario ; Lule Medina ; Mayor 4439 Music and Political Movements There was always music. In 1959 we brought Mon Rivera to The Puerto Rican Home. In 1959, Mon Rivera visited Lorain and brought plena to the community. Rivera talks about plena and how this genre is rooted in narratives that talk about the diaspora and events that may have affected people from Puerto Rico. These songs include &quot ; Me dieron Lay off&quot ; which Mon Rivera performed. This song represents the common misfortune of Puerto Ricans being laid off from work and what this impacts their life economically (a story that we unfortunately often encounter). Mon Rivera 4612 Protests and Music What happened though, in the 60's. I was college age and the civil rights movement was happening. The Puerto Rican Home, for example, sponsored a bus for the NAACP organization to take people to the protests. The I have a dream protests. The Puerto Rican Home and the NAACP had arranged buses for the latino community to Travel to New York and participate in the &quot ; I Have a Dream'' protests. Mr. Rivera's Parents were able to go and participate in the civil rights movement. Mr Rivera then connects this narrative to the 2nd generation of Puerto Ricans and Lorain and their musical taste. During this time, motown, soul, jazz, and rock and roll attracted the young community. Songs of Protests included &quot ; We Shall Overcome&quot ; and &quot ; I'm Black and I'm Proud.&quot ; This is also the time where the musical group Los Nombres was formed, a group that was influenced by these genres and movements Influence ; Jazz ; Motown ; New York ; Protest ; Soul Civil Rights Movement ; I Have a Dream ; Los Nombres ; NAACP ; The Puerto Rican Home 5003 The First Generation and The Civil Rights Movement The language got on the way but hundred percent, all of them were on the side of the more progressive thinkers and the civil rights. They have had terrible experiences. Mr Rivera recalls stories involving racial discrimination against dark skinned Puerto Ricans upon their arrival in Lorain. He then connects these stories to many songs that spoke about these issues as they related to the community. The use of humor served as a coping mechanism in these songs as they narrate racial narrative that often deal with discrimination and the effects of it. Mr. Rivera also discusses how the first generation was often silent due to fear and how they were thought to fear protest with the use of propaganda. Bobby Capo ; Cortijo ; Fear ; Humor ; Progressive 500 Años ; Civil Rights ; Levanta Borinken ; Pedro Albizu Campos ; Racial Songs 5526 Afro Puerto Rican Music: Embracing Blackness Rafael Cepeda, he at that time was writing music for Cortijo y su combo. You had Bobby Capo, but Rafael Cepeda should be credited. He was a musician and writer from Loiza Aldea in Puerto Rico. This section focuses on Rafael Cepeda, an Afro-Puerto Rican composer who performed bomba and plena. Cepeda focused on blackness and embracing his identity and race through music. Blackness ; Poet ; Race Bomberos ; Juan Boria ; Rafael Cepeda 5654 A Confrontational Generation: Musical Fusion Our generation was more confrontational. You had the Young Lords that sprung up when we go to the 60's and the 70's in New York. You had the music. There began to be a fusion in music. Songs such as &quot ; Sabre Olvidar&quot ; by the band TNT, represent the beginning of musical fusion. This salsa song had a soulful piano solo which then was rare but spoke to the interest and experience of the second generation. This section also touches on songs that spoke to his generation during that time. Bilingual ; Cleveland ; Soul Musical Fusion 5853 Kent State Protest I was one of the students that was in the protest where the National Guard killed four students at Kent State University. Mr. Rivera was part of the protest where the Kent State Massacre took place. 300 yards away from the National Guard, gunshots were heard and seconds later student protesters cried. Four students had just been killed while peacefully protesting at their university. One of these students was a man from Lorain who was running from a class to the other when the bullets were released. Mr. Rivera then talks about the song &quot ; Ohio&quot ; by Neil Young and how it validates the feelings of being angry and what it meant to be a political activist. Gunshots ; National News ; Radio Bemba ; Teargas Kent State Protest ; Massacre ; Students 6232 Salsa, Race, and Pride. I think that the whole salsa songs. Again, they tuned up the volume on the issues but they continued the tradition of being very &quot ; lets not speak to loud here, about these issues.&quot ; Mr Rivera talks about salsa during the 70's and how it was not explicit and vocal about rights and social justice. An artist that pushed these boundaries was Eddie Palmieri with his album &quot ; Justicia&quot ; , as well as The Lebron Brothers who talk about blackness. During this time, Mr. Rivera was living in Puerto Rico and realized that there was a negative perception towards Puerto Ricans and how music served as a reminder of his value and pride. Radio Eddie Palmieri ; Puerto Rico ; Salsa 6471 Trio Music Trio music and Felipe Rodriguez... The words to the songs talked about love but they exaggerated it so much that they were just incredibly funny. Mr. Rivera focused on trio music and how the lyrics often exaggerated romantic feelings to the extent that they became funny. He provides the example, &quot ; Copas Rotas&quot ; a trio song that he heard at the barber shop and is a great example of this type of writing. As a young man who did not hear or realize the sarcasm of these lyrics, Mr. Rivera understood that falling in love was a torture. Barber ; Jukebox ; Love Trio Music 6757 The Barber Shop: La Fortuna We would go to the barber shop and of course there was only one Puerto Rican barbershop. La Fortuna, he called it. Due to segregation, Puerto Ricans had no other choice but to get a haircut at Luis' barber shop called La Fortuna. The name of this barbershop, &quot ; The Fortune '' meant that Luis had the advantage of being the only Puerto Rican barber. Luis had a lot of records that people would listen to in a jukebox. Every once in a while some romantic trio songs such as &quot ; Amor en el campo&quot ; would start playing and people would immediately label that request as a sign of being in love. Jukebox ; Segregation ; Trio Music Barber Shop 6857 Musical Division Among the Community There was somewhat of a division among the community in terms of music. This is due to the selection of the first Puerto Ricans to go to Lorain. They were selected to work at the steel mill. The recruitment of Puerto Ricans to work at the steel mill was not a simple narrative. This was a highly selective process due to the political turmoil that was going on in the coastal areas of Puerto Rico in the late 20's and 30's. These events included strikes on the sugar cane fields. Because of these political situations, they decided to recruit men from the center of the Island. Now, this is an important factor since it will have an impact in the type of music that travelled to Lorain. Music from the internal part of the island was very different from coastal music which is where enslaved peoples disembarked during the 15th c. This affected the taste and the musical divide between the first and second generation of Puerto Ricans in Lorain. Cayey ; Coast ; Diaspora ; El Gran Combo ; Pete Rodriguez ; Ponce ; Salsa Genres ; Mon Rivera ; Recruitment 7298 Radio Program I had a radio program on Sunday mornings in WEOL from 9:00-11:00 in the morning. Mr. Rivera found himself going back to the music that his parents enjoyed during his radio segment at WEOL. In a way this was a nostalgic sentiment that brought a sense of identity. Trio ; WEOL Radio Program 7472 Mr Rivera's Advice I think you have to be open minded. Mr. Rivera encourages musicians to be open to fusion and change. He talks about the importance of being able to go back to the old music while embracing the future. An Advice video 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rivera_Eugene.xml LL_Rivera_Eugene.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0020 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Eugene "Gene" Rivera Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-11-06 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/9677d5e319b39d21376ca0212782b3d5.pdf 4d09d1a88468101b7ee002dd3224cb94 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document For as long as residents can remember, the past city administrations have never appointed a Latino director to any city department in the history of the City of Lorain. Finally Mayor Chase Ritenauer, with a long awaited decision, has broken the glass ceiling. On Tuesday September 10, 2013 at the meeting of the Civil Service Commission held in City Council Chambers the mayor sent a glowing letter requesting the appointment of Mr. Rey Carrion as the new Director of the newly reorganized Building, Housing, and Planning Department. In his letter. Mayor Ritenauer expounded the diligent, hard working ethics of Mr. Carrion and credited his work on the new Lorain County Land Bank that has brought in needed dollars for all of the new demolitions going on about the City of Lorain. The mayor's letter stated: "Put in an impossible situation and a mess he did not create, it is my firm belief that Mr. Carrion has earned the opportunity to lead....With a new department, refined objectives, and a leader who, when the times got to be the toughest, grinded it out in circumstances that were set up for failure, Mr. Carrion performed admirably." For the past 3 years, Carrion was the Acting Director of the City Community Development Department, a department that was reorganized and merged with the City Building Department. Rey Carrion was born in 1966 in Rio Piedras Puerto Rico, a suburb of the capital city San Juan; it is also home to main campus of the University of Puerto Rico. Carrion came to Lorain with his family, following in his grandfathers footsteps, who was recruited by US Steel to come work in their Lorain plant about 1947. Also keeping with his father's tradition who was the Director of Economic Development for the City of Hato Rey Puerto Rico Mr. Carrion received his Bachelors of Science in Technology; majoring in Architectural/Environmental Design at Bowling Green State University, while his father's Bachelors degree was in Business Administration at the University of Puerto Rico. His mother earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Puerto Rico, she had her own art studio and taught classes in the arts. Also she ran her own kiosk and sold her art in La Plaza de las Américas in San Juan Puerto Rico. Carrion began school in Lorain in 7th grade at the old Whittier High School in South Lorain; he graduated from Southview HS and went on to graduate from Bowling Green State University. He had to put his degree on hold as he met and married Orquedia with which he has two children, Rey Jr. and Alexis. Carrion returned to his studies between working at City Hall, raising a family of four, and traveling weekly to campus. Since about 1992, in one position or the other, Mr. Carrion started his career at the Lorain City Administration Department as an intern and slowly worked his way up to junior planner, to project manager, to construction manager; and then in 2011 he took on the duties of Interim Director of Community Development. Now, by appointment, the first Latino Director of Building, Housing and Planning at the City of Lorain. Another first for the Latino population in City of Lorain which has grown to approximately 25 percent of the total population. Carrion said he was relieved that the temporal status was finally resolved and now he can continue to do his best to help Mayor Ritenauer put into practice some elements of the somewhat forgotten Staubach Report, commissioned many years ago but shelved to collect dust. This report highlighted the major obstacles that are hindering the progress of the City of Lorain. Some of the problems noted are the infrastructure: roads, buildings, blight, and the relocation of the city water treatment plant. He stated that Lorain City School District has now the most modern buildings and up-to-date systems in the State of Ohio. Soon the district will move out of its' current status with the Ohio School System and get back to improving the lives of the local students who attend school here. As far as infrastructure, Carrion commended the mayor: "The mayor is doing a difficult job of fixing the infrastructure; he has got the roads problem on track, the high tension lines are being rerouted, new water and sewage lines are being replaced." "We need to fix and remove these obstacles to move the city forward along with our school system, which is an important indicator of the livability, educated workforce, and future growth of a city." Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource First Latino Director in Lorain City Administration Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Antonio Barrios Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived La Prensa Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September 20, 2013 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/b9db0e7de639ad03701f32999f55e12c.pdf 971139e77d71ee521398c08aa87cc472 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Grounded By COVID-19, Community Groups Work To Save Cleveland’s Census Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived IdeaStream E-News Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jane Rissover-Plotke Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lee Chilcote and Conor Morris https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/8067329ceef155e2bb79bd5ced00ece5.PNG 6988b74cd5fedb34de19e79b910db480 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Becky Trigo Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Hector Garcia OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garcia_Hector.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Hector Garcia Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Hector Garcia Becky Trigo 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/gq67jr188 Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Hector Garcia&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/g445cd164/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction to interview with Hector Garcia (LEDE) 30 Early Life ; Family, Friends, and Opportunity Can you begin by telling me where you were born and where you grew up? Yeah, so, I was born in the South Bronx, in New York. From there I lived pretty much up until about '92. Then I moved out with my dad down to Brooklyn. Growing up in the 80s in the South Bronx was a little rough... Hector Garcia grew up in the South Bronx in the 1980s. He did not graduate from high school, nor did he think about the military growing up. Instead, his decision to join the military came as a method of survival. Hector dropped out of High School in 9th grade and was placed in a Brooklyn Detention Center. While at the center, a military recruiter approached him and gave him the opportunity to enlist in the military. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and started boot camp in January 2001. He was only 17 at the time, and thus his father had to sign for him. He did boot camp in South Carolina, which he felt like the detention center prepared him for. Bootcamp ; enlistment ; High School ; Juvenile Detention ; opportunity ; Puerto Rico ; Recruitment 652 Going into Training and Military Service Where did you go do your training? Do you have any specific memories from this time? Yeah. Paris Island, South Carolina, Yellow Footprint, you know? That was a... like I said, god moves you and prepares you for a lot of things, right? Me going through that detention home program kind of helped ease the transition because I was already used to having the little correction officers yell at us and treat us in that kind of a manner... During boot camp in South Carolina, he felt like the detention center prepared him for. After boot camp he became a field radio operator in California, and then he was deployed in Okinawa Japan. He states that traveling to Japan changed his life. There, he met his wife, they traveled together in what he says was similar to “free vacations” and they were deployed together. The most challenging part of military service to him was adjustment. He had to adjust to a different work ethic and way of life. He believes that his military service saved his life by getting him out of New York Basic Training ; family ; North Carolina ; service ; travel ; wife 1169 Re-Enlistment Is that when you re-enlisted? After I re-enlisted, we left Okinawa and I got stationed with 1st Battalion 8th Marines in North Carolina. From there I deployed to different parts... Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq... Hector then re-enlisted in North Carolina. After re-enlistment, he traveled around the world to Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq (etc). Through his travels, he got to experience different cultures, which made him more humble, and look at life differently. These experiences made him understand the value of his humanitarian work in the Marine Corps. After his experiences growing up, as well as being exposed to different kinds of social inequalities globally, he understood the importance of making a difference in people’s lives, and giving back to less fortunate people. He was in North Carolina for a total of 4.5 years, where he and his wife had 2 children. Marines ; Social Work ; U.S. Marines ; USMC 1397 Becoming a Recruiter and Establishing a Family after Enlistment ... I'm gonna harp on that a little bit. It was a crazy conversation. So, as a recruiter back in New York City, at home in Queens ; I'm in my office and we have this list of high schools. We call seniors and talk to them to try and give them information on the Corp, right? So I talked to this one kid and he said, &quot ; Y'know, I had thought about it.&quot ; And as a recruiter you like... Man, let me go ahead and jump on that. So, and I said, &quot ; What made you think about it?&quot ; And he said, &quot ; When I was a kid... Me and my family were in Lebanon...&quot ; After his time in North Carolina, he became a recruiter in Queens, New York. He worked non-stop as a recruiter, from Sunday to Sunday. In New York, he and his wife had 2 more children. At this point, he wanted to leave the service in order to be a good husband and father to his family. Family ; New York City ; Recruitment ; Relationships ; Transition 2090 Attending the Marine Corp Ball and Reflecting on Friends in the Military Hector reflects on the Marine Corps Ball. This ball gives Marine Corps members a chance to reflect on who they are, what they have accomplished, and feel pride to be part of history and tradition. He remains in touch with some of the kids he has recruited, and he has gotten the opportunity to watch them grow up. Some have joined the military and are still enlisted, while others have gone on to attend college. Celebration ; Marine Corp Ball ; pride ; reflection ; tradition 2477 Going into Social Work Thats what made me want to get my degree in social work... Which I did. I don't want to skip any of your history, as now you work at Lorain Community College, so do you want to talk about how you went into that? Yeah, so, one of the transitions of getting out of the service was, &quot ; Whats the next step? How do Veterans adapt to the civilian life?&quot ; After his service ended, Hector used the benefits from the post 9/11 military to go to school. He received a degree from Youngstown in social work. Veteran programming within Lorain Community College. Civilian life ; GI Bill ; Lorain ; Lorain Community College ; Post 9/11 ; Social Work ; Youngstown 2824 Self-Reflection on experience serving How did your experiences in the military change you? Overall, he believes that his military service changed him for the good, and he is now a better person because of what the military did for him. Speaking about race, he said that he did not see race in the Marine Corps until after getting out. It wasn’t until he got out and went to college that he saw the importance of the Hispanic contribution to the U.S.. He then saw the importance of representation and the importance of Latinos receiving equality. Change ; Future ; Hispanic ; Service ; strength ; War In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garcia_Hector.xml LL_Garcia_Hector.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0008 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hector Garcia Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-11-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/f99b5025d1ff4744f6553a641a44ecf2.pdf 29e421741c4d648185fee48e75b1900f Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document LORAIN: Several Puerto Ricans have worked tirelessly to guarantee the cuatros and maracas play very loudly this summer. The Puerto Rican community has been chosen as the spotlight nationality for this year's Lorain International Festival, June 21 - 28, 2009. For months, a group of Puerto Ricans have been mobilized through the Puerto Rican Cultural Committee to create events that will honor the Puerto Rican traditions throughout the weeklong festivities. The 43rd annual International Festival and Bazaar celebrates a wide array of cultures present in Lorain better known as the "International City." Puerto Ricans make up about 20 percent of the population of Lorain. Being spotlighted provides the nationality a great opportunity to showcase the richness of its culture-it's been 13 years since Puerto Ricans were chosen for the recognition. "I'm very excited that (Puerto Ricans) got called again (to be spotlighted)," Antonio Barrios, PRCC chair said, "It's a very precious moment. It's an opportunity to educate other people that don't know about the Puerto Rican community, our rich community. We're proud of being Puerto Rican and proud of being American. Most Puerto Ricans are very excited," said Barrios, of Santurce, Puerto Rico. Terri Soto, President of the Lorain International Association and of both Puerto Rican and Mexican background, said it was an honor to spotlight a group that are "hard workers and very family-oriented," she said. PRCC, with roughly 20 steady members, has done much more than simply provide ideas to the Lorain International Association; instead, they have organized and searched the sponsoring for their events, Barrios said. Since its inception last October, members of PRCC have been planning fundraisers, scheduling the entertainment, selecting the speakers, and choosing the foods. Among their fund-raisers were wine tasting events and the Arts and Crafts event held at the Puerto Rican Home, where cuatros painted by local artists were sold. Barrios said the two most significant and biggest events planned and sponsored by PRCC are the Boxing program featuring Wilkins Santiago and others from Freddy's Boxing Club on June 20 and the Elegant Evening of Culture that celebrated the Puerto Rican culture on June 24, 2009. Among the many subcommittees of PRCC, José Pepe Rivera, a DJ for an Oberlin radio station, has been assigned to lead the entertainment selections and play the cuatro, and Maria Córtez-González, secretary of the Puerto Rican Home, was chosen to lead the design and creation of PRCC 's float to be presented in the International Festival parade. Some members of the group, who have met every Thursday, said planning so many activities has been challenging but rewarding. Boxing Tim Carrion, a Lorain business owner and organizer of the Boxing event, said getting several individuals who are all leaders to work together was the most challenging part when being involved with PRCC. "This only comes around once in a couple decades and I wanted to make this spotlight event a success for our community," Carrion said about his decision to help PRCC. "Even though everyone has different opinions, everyone has come together to meet one goal, "Carrion said. Richard Romero, chairman of the Ohio Commission on Latino Affairs and member of PRCC in charge of organizing the LIA Breakfast for June 22, said the current economic state posed a challenge for the group. "I think the economy has put a damper but it has put us in a situation to be creative," Romero said "We're thinking outside the box when coming up with ideas. We would have liked to bring some national stars but we're bringing the locals. We decided to make Lorain our Puerto Rican Island," Romero said. Although PRCC was newly created last year to organize this year's International Festival events honoring the Puerto Rican community "rumor has it some people are thinking of keeping it running," Barrios said. Dennis Flores, Lorain city councilman and organizer of the Boxing program, said his participation with PRCC has been quite a challenge. "It's been very stressful and it's been very hard. Some members got sick and dropped out. But this group has a lot to be very proud of. We're approaching the festival, and under the circumstances...the way the economy is now, we've triumphed," he said. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource International Festival recognizes achievements of Puerto Ricans Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ingrid Marie Rivera Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived La Prensa Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 26, 2009 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource newletter https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/7b115ba859945f6c86ca339b5df50edd.png d82f42f478a5494e93061f9190873859 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Brendan Aleman Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Joel Arredondo OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Arredondo_Joel.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Joel Arredondo Latino Lorain Fall2020 Oberlin College Library Joel Arredondo Brendan Aleman 0 https://youtu.be/GTxzBxW9CmQ YouTube video 22 Introduction/Early life Here, Joel Arredondo Introduces himself and gives his date of birth, before transitioning to talking about his early life. He also discusses how his family came to Lorain Ohio. Mr. Arredondo also mentions Lorain's unique history as a diverse city he shares what is like being the son of Mexican immigrants growing up with with diverse people in his community. Early childhood life ; International city ; Introduction ; Joel Arredondo ; Lorain childhood ; Family ; Family values ; Immigration 229 Building a sense of community in Lorain Joel Arredondo begins to describe the unconventional methods in which his father built a community for them which included aspects of passing such has changing his name, developing an understanding of language. We then begin to transition to one of his earliest happy memories which was how he met his wife's brother and eventually his wife. Community ; Education ; Passing ; Racism 602 Politics and beyond Here Mr. Arredondo discusses his first experience as candidate running for 8th grade class president. In addition, we discuss ab mentors and friends who guided him to politics. He also talks about how his brother was more politically involved and he wouldn't become as involve until later on in his life. In 2007, Joel Arredondo was considered the position of President of Lorain City Council along with five other people to which he was appointed and served two year term before winning re-election 6 more times. Colorism ; Early life ; Family Tree ; Lorain City Council ; Politics 1351 The international City then vs. Now Mr. Arredondo's father and grandfather came to Lorain to work at the steel mill. He even briefly mentions how the shipping yards and other small manufacturing jobs were abundant and thats when the city of Lorain began to grow. He recalls the emergence of mega shopping malls and creation of highway roads destroyed certain neighborhoods. When discussing how education shifted, it was clear that when jobs were at a surplus Lorain was thriving. However, when they began to close and move bussiness away from Lorain schools closed education ; Lorain City ; School closings ; steel mill 1680 Lorain's workforce and school system Mr. Arredondo discussed how Lorain employed people from all over the managed to make their way to Lorain. He speaks about Puerto Ricans, Mexican, Dominicans etc, came to lorain and were easily able to find job. As he does mention, COVID has impacted many of these jobs. We then began to discuss school closings which was linked to the shipyards and steel mill jobs being closed down. Now, Lorain currently has one school opened. He also speaks about how the school had the &quot ; industrial arts&quot ; that was eventually shutdown. CHIPP ; Jobs ; Lorain city ; Puerto RIcans ; School closings ; Small school initiative ; Steel mill 2635 A trip down memory lane Joel Arredondo shares that being asked and serving his 7th term as the president of Lorain City Council. He then recalls an activity he did in school which included having a family, becoming a college graduate, and having grandchildren. He pridefully shares that his daughter has recently became a mother. As a follow up question is asked, Mr. Arredondo emphasizes the importance of education and family structure which stems from his parents telling him &quot ; Do the right thing.&quot ; Achievements ; Family ; Family dynamic ; Goals 3113 Overcoming adversity One of challenges Mr. Arredondo shared, was one that familiar working class families were familiar with. Given the massive layoffs especially from those in the steel industry, many families began to struggle to make ends me. The Arredondo family was no exception. Mr. Arredondo learned the meaning of hard work early on and sought employment when his father was unemployed. He also recalls his father's words of advice of and emphasis of perseverance. He's talk about about struggling in college and then being turned away from the Air force. He also share his experience as restaurant manager and owner until he became an auto salesman. Adversity ; Perseverance ; Work Experience 3673 Highlight Important Institutions As Joel Arredondo recalls important institutions, he mentions the Boy Scouts, Holy Name Society at his church (which he has been involved with on/off since 1977), Committee foundation of Lorain county (was asked takeover board member Armstrong's remaining term). Mr. Arredondo credits his wife for actually taken on the position. for He was also part of the Hispanic Fund's board to which then we transition to talk about CHIP (Coalition for hispanic issues of Progress). This organization originated because the of school integration bussing program. He later became VP of Chip and re-elected for five subsequent terms. Career ; CHIP ; Institutions in Lorain ; Religious Organizations ; Sacred Heart Church 4310 Lorain&quot ; s Historical Moments Mr. Arredondo recalls attending events a sacred Heart Chapel with family where he'd often times find himself playing baseball with his friends. Eventually, the boys would attend mass so they can enjoy the food that was offered afterwords. In doing so he became part of a larger community there. He then recalls how his grandmother home was rented out to Puerto RIcan men who would work in the steel mill in the 1950s. A personal historical moment has been seen their children become college graduates. He also recalls becoming the first elected (not appointed) Mexican-American President of Lorain CIty Council and he also became Mayor of Lorain for 9 days. Board housing ; Lorain ; Lorain history 4706 Challenges In Lorain ; The City's strength Mr. Arredondo states that Covid-19 has made thing very difficult for everyone. He also says that small businesses and workers are struggling to make ends meet. He then highlights his relationships with his constituents as a salesman and says his honesty and empathy is keeps people coming back to his business. He later speaks about the systematic racism within Lorain city Police Department. He then highlights Lorain's strength being inclusion along with diversity. He then shared a story about how CHIP only allowed Latinos with memberships to vote. This meant biracial-spouses were unable to vote despite paying for a membership. This later changed when Mr. Arredondo became President. CHIP ; Covid-19 ; Diversity ; Inclusion ; Lorain Police Department ; Mexican Mutual Society 5411 Recapping the interview As they are wrapping up the interview, Brendan ask Mr. Arredondo about his time in Kentucky State in relation to the Ken State riots. He recalls going to campus to take an exam but then having the exam cancelled due to the riots. All students were told to leave campus and go home. To which he left and made his way to his brother college before eventually going home. Mr. Arredondo says his take away from this experience was to have courage to change the things deemed incorrectly and that violence is never the answer. Mr. Arredondo then ask Brendan about his political interest comes from before giving him some final words of wisdom. Ken State riots ; Recap Oral history Interview with Joel Arredondo for the Lorain Oral history Project video 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Arredondo_Joel.xml LL_Arredondo_Joel.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0001 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joel Arredondo Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-11-01 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/ebf2b25c084719129608a55c848c952f.png ffa047241343a616c90d42e63f67067c Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Gabriela Linares Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Jose "Pepe" Rivera OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rivera_Pepe.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Jose &quot ; Pepe&quot ; Rivera Latino Lorain Latino Lorain Fall 2020 Oberlin College Library Jose &quot ; Pepe&quot ; Rivera Gabriela Linares 0 https://youtu.be/LNdUX-l8cP8 YouTube video English 39 Born into Music When my dad migrated here to Lorain back in 1948. My father came to work at the steel mill when the steel was hiring people from Puerto Rico. There was a big migration of Puerto Ricans that came. At that time, there was a lot of the musicians that my dad knew in Puerto Rico that came along with him. Pepe Rivera's father built a home for 3 families who had recently migrated from Puerto Rico. The house's basement served as a rehearsal room where most of the musicians that Pepe Riveras' dad knew from P.R. would come together to play music. Young Pepe would hang around on his walker and enjoy music. After a few years Pepe's love for music and skills grew to the extent that he and 2 other musicians created a trio called Los Príncipes the first latino recording artist from Lorain. Bands ; Construction ; Fiestas ; Migration ; Musicans ; Rehearsals ; Steel Mill ; Trio Puerto Rico ; Vine Avenue Dances ; Los Principes ; Migration ; Music Rehearsals ; Sammy de Leon 290 Los Nombres and The International City Los nombres was bilingual. We did both Spanish and English. Los nombres where Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Dominicanos. We had a little bit of everything. The city of Lorain which is referred to as the international city is home to many communities of latinos that came together besides their differences. Mr. Rivera describes this as the melting pot. The idea that this small city could contain so many different communities and identities. Band ; Bilingual ; International Los Nombres ; The International City 386 Musical Influences The music developed. They used to do a lot of parrandas and that is how I got introduce o it. Mr Rivera describes the parrandas which is where he started playing the cuatro constantly. He recalls the music that he grew up with and remembers how important the folkloric music was during the holidays. These folkloric genres developed into so many genres that are still alive in Lorain such as merengue, salsa, and bachata. Boleros ; Develop ; Salsa Cuatro ; Parrandas 572 The Puerto Rican Home That was the go to place. It was more family oriented. The Puerto Rican Home is a two story building where Pepe go to perform and visit many dances. This place was a great mingling and community building center for the latino groups in Lorain. Now, after its lock down, other organizations such as the Mexican Mutual Society still hold similar events and dances. Bands ; Barra ; Dances ; Mingling The Puerto Rican Home 722 Mexican and Puerto Rican Musical Collaboration Actually, it was a joint venture. As far as my experiences. The Mexican community at that time was the MACC which is the Mexican community society. They used to sponsor a lot of the dances. The Mexican and Puerto Rican community collaborated and sponsored each other's dances and concerts. There was not as much separation as there is now between communities. Jose Rivera compares these times to a melting pot. Dances ; Melting pot ; Sponsor ; Workers Los Nombres ; Mexican Dances ; The Puerto Rican Home 863 Concerts in Lorain We had promotors here in Lorain that would contract groups out of Puerto Rico. During this time, it was more affordable to bring big names such as Hector Lavoe and Ismael Miranda to Lorain. There were a lot of amazing concerts that took place in the city. Jose recalls the time when his first group Los Principes became the main act of these dances. Due to the lack of venues that there is now in Lorain, artists are normally booked in the Cleveland area. Concerts ; Dances ; Venues Ismael Miranda ; Los Principes ; Sammy De Leon 1023 Parrandas Being one of the three cuatro players in Lorain, Jose Rivera would participate in about seventeen parrandas during one season. Because of the demand of parrandas during Christmas time, Jose Rivera put together a group &quot ; El Ritmo del Sabor&quot ; which would take care of bringing music to different houses during the season. Cuatro Parrandas 1138 Radio Show Im proud to say that today I work for WDRW Radio Sabor Latino. We are now bringing a new format. We call it Café Colao'. With his new radio show Café Colao', Jose Rivera is hoping to bring back Puerto Rican Music from the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's. Mr Rivera's friend Albert Aponte loaned a library of Puerto Rican music from those eras. People in Lorain and in Puerto Rico are excited and looking forward to tuning in and enjoying the show. Later on this section Jose Rivera discusses the beginnings of the show and the incorporation of latino music in the radio. Mike, a radio host, developed a show that was dedicated to the latino community on Sundays. He also mentions how today, he dedicates a portion of his Sunday shows to inform the latino community about various topics. He interviews community leaders, keeping them informed of what is going on in Lorain. El Centro ; Lorain ; Music ; Puerto Rico ; Tim Carrion ; Victor Leandry Cafe Colao' ; Radio Show 1535 Growth and Change For example with our new councilman, Rey Carrion, he is now with the 6th Ward, in the latino community which is the South Lorain community. Lorain is growing as a city. New businesses are starting, people are coming together to clean the streets and claim parks. These efforts are making the community stronger while fostering creativity and growth for them. Accesibility ; Business ; Community ; Envolvement Change ; Growth ; Town Hall Meetings 1814 Upcoming Musicians in Lorain The up and coming musicians... It used to be more like playing by ear. When I grew up it was more playing by ear but I think today the younger musicians have moved ahead where they now read music. By doing that it develops into a whole different atmosphere. Jose Rivera talks about the new generation of musicians and how Jackie Warren who graduated from Oberlin College is now playing with Sammy de Leon. Jackie and Sammy de Leon did a drive up concert during COVID which was an amazing experience for the Lorain community. Mr. Rivera then explains how the new generation of musicians is being trained to read music which is opening doors into the professional world. Jackie Warren ; Oberlin College ; Professional ; Sammy De Leon Drive-up Concert ; New Generation 1953 Music Group: Latin City Soul Latin City Soul is a mixture of a mixture of the group of that we were developing when we were growing up back in 1968. The group Latin City Soul has become a mixture of all of the musicians from Jose Rivera's Childhood as well as the younger generation of musicians in Lorain. They are now performing all sorts of genres like: merengue, salsa, and bachata. It is incredible how these two generations have come together keeping these genres alive. Bachata ; Generations ; Hit ; Merengue ; Salsa Latin City Soul 2106 The Black River Landing and &quot ; The New Normal&quot ; The city of Lorain does have a format. They have a place that they developed called The Black River Landing. The Black River Landing venue at Lorain became a social attraction. Jose Rivera recalls a time where there was an audience of about five thousand people. Now, during the pandemic things have changed. Internet ; Pandemic ; Social Pandemic ; The Black River Landing 2443 New Beginnings Cafe Colao' and what is happening today, that is what is developing. We want to give everybody an opportunity. During this section Jose Rivera connects the radio show Café Colao' with what we are living today in relation to the pandemic. His efforts are aiming towards giving the older generation to experience some sense of normalcy by going back to music and bringing people together by listening to the show. This show also gives Jose Rivera the opportunity of keeping the community informed about what is currently happening. Colador ; Community ; Radio Cafe Colao' 2623 Music: Growing Up Where I grew up as a kid the homes were close together and there was always music. Jose Rivera remembers the time in his childhood when he got together with his friends, picked up a broomstick, and used that broomstick as an imaginary guitar for their band in the garage. Because his dad was a musician, his house was always filled with music. His father would hold rehearsals in the basement and the radio would always be playing in his house. Bands ; Basement ; Radio ; Rehearsals Garage Performances ; Growing up 2774 Racism and Division Unfortunately this country has developed all this racism and the bigotry that is going on. Jose Rivera talks about the division that has been growing over the years. This is something that affects the community, yet Lorain keeps the community alive and fosters unity. Mr. Rivera ties this to restaurants and diversity and the role of businesses on creating community. Administration ; Community ; Morality Division ; Racism 3211 Lorain in Song The Nombres wrote a song called, Lady Lorain. Now, Lady Lorain became the official song of the city of Lorain. The group The Nombres wrote many songs that carried the history of the city of Lorain. These included Lady Lorain, which became the official song of the city, songs about a flea market, as well as a song called &quot ; These Colors Don't Run&quot ; dedicated to the United States Flag. Lady Lorain ; Los Nombres ; These Colors Don't Run Lorain ; Songs 3491 Jose Rivera's Advice Continue to stay strong. Keep developing your art. Make sure that you develop your craft. Mr. Rivera encourages the younger generations of musicians to stay strong, develop their craft, and to educate themselves. Change ; Growth ; Pandemic Advice video 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rivera_Pepe.xml LL_Rivera_Pepe.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0021 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Jose "Pepe" Rivera Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-10-13 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/40bc77dd8f94d9e95c5ea3df14a2c14a.PNG 901a3ae199cac1e76ffae20f36762cb8 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Tzetzangare Rosas-Perez Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Jose Rodriguez OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rodriguez_Jose.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Jose L Rodriguez Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Jose Rodriguez Tzetzangare Rosas-Perez 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/k0698750g Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Jose Rodriguez&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/g158bh30q/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introductions I'm Tzetzangare Rosas-Perez and I am interviewing Mr. Jose Rodriguez to talk about his life as part of the Latino Veterans Project. Mr. Jose Luis Rodriguez was born April 22, 1946. The interview was done on October 29th, 2022, in the Lorain Historical Society. 42 Early Life: Growing up in Puerto Rico Let’s begin with some questions about your early life. Can you just begin by telling me where you were born and where you grew up. Mr. Rodriguez was born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico where he was raised for the first 12 years of his life. Both his parents and grandparents were born in Yabucoa meaning he had generational connections with his homeland. He discusses what it was like to attend school especially since he only had to go for half a day. Mr. Rodriguez explains that this was mainly because he had to return home and help out with chores around the house and the farm. One of the details he notes is not wearing shoes even though they lived on a hill and how he had to attend school with no running water or electricity but that just showing how much things change over time. Rural Living ; Yabucoa, Puerto Rico 114 Family Dynamics: Working on the Farm My dad had came to the United States in 1950. My mother and him had had three children. Mr. Rodriguez discusses the beginning of his family's move to the United States. His father had first moved to the United States in 1950 leaving him at home almost like the man of the house. Since his parent’s had three children, him being the oldest of two younger brothers, he felt a sense of responsibility. This came across by working on his family farm to help his grandfather and grandmother plow the fields with oxen. Even though his father left when he was six this did not impede him from helping his grandfather to work on the tobacco fields where he was given a jar to pick the insects off the tobacco plants. His own mother’s first job was working with his grandfather packing cigars. He notes that part of his job was also going around his neighborhood and selling the products his grandparent’s farm produced in addition to still going to school Family ; Farm Work ; Migration ; Tobacco 265 Connections to the Earth We lived outside mostly. After discussing just how much working on the farm meant to him, he reiterated that he lived mostly outside and enjoyed eating a lot of fruits. Everything that they had or used they grew, in other words he notes the self-sufficiency that he and his family practiced outside of the canned goods. As he said they had everything from tobacco to coffee. He also mentions that he had a dog that used to follow him around even to school which was 2 miles away. He had gotten this dog about two years before coming to the United States himself. Pets ; Self-Sufficiency 319 New Life: Coming to Ohio So, when I had to leave Puerto Rico it was hard. I didn’t want to come. Since Mr. Rodriguez had such a connection not just to the people in Puerto Rico but also the land and animals it was hard for him to leave when it came time. He migrated in February 1956 to Ohio where his father came to work in the Steel Mills in Youngstown. He had extended family spread around Ohio but ended up arriving in Lorain and not Youngstown with his father. His mother decided to go to Lorain because her brother was in Lorain as well as some other close family members. His father not only worked at the Steel Mill but also as a cook at the railroad. His father worked from Sunday evenings until Friday’s which made it difficult for their introduction and settling in the United States because his mother did not speak English. They had arrived in the East Side of Lorain but then moved to the West Side in 3rd grade (1958). Since getting to the United States his mother had four new siblings, three brothers and one sister. On the West Side they lived on 14th Street in an apartment building with other Puerto Rican families. He reminisces on the constant moving around that he experienced. Railroad ; Steel Mills ; Youngstown 532 Religion: Attending Catholic School My dad put us in Catholic School here. I remember we used to clean the church After coming to Lorain he was put into Catholic school by his father where he cleaned the church. The church and the school were in the same building and by cleaning the church they would help pay for their tuition. All three of his brothers, the older siblings, would partake in the cleaning. Catholic School ; Jobs 568 Father’s Job: Painter My father used to paint houses on the side. His father also used to paint houses on the side to maintain his family. It would not only be his father but also Mr. Rodriguez’s brothers and his uncle at times. They would start on Friday and by Sunday the house would be finished. Family ; Family and Labor 582 Religion: Early Involvement While we lived there, I was pretty much involved in the church Mr. Rodriguez reflects on his involvement with the church. He was a catechist at 18 years old to students that were only 13-15 years old at Old St. Peters on 17th Street. His father and mother were always close to the people and priests at church. His father didn’t drive so to get to church there would be a gentleman that would drive around in a Station Wagon or a Van to pick them up. Catechist ; Old St. Peters, Catholic Church 642 Friendships and Adolescence I had some really close friends. Jose Gonzalez, who used to live on 9th street, was one of many close friends in Lorain. He was the oldest of 13 and Mr. Rodriguez was the oldest of seven so they would always be watching kids. They became really close friends and to this day they are friends. He graduated from 8th grade from St. Josephs, the church school, he went to Lorain High. He was way ahead when he got into Lorain High so he breezed through with all A’s. He went there for another year, where he then decided to transfer to Admiral King because they had an electrical program. After deciding he didn’t like it he transferred back to Lorain High. He also did it for his girlfriend at the time, girlfriend since 8th grade until graduation where they broke up since she was going to college. Admiral King High ; Friendships ; Lorain High School ; St. Joseph Middle School 761 Getting Drafted That’s when I got drafted. When I graduated in 1966 in June, by September I had been drafted and I was on my way to Columbus, Georgia. Once he graduated in June 1966 he was quickly drafted by September. He was sent to Columbus, Georgia with a group of 90 more boys from Lorain County that were also going to Georgia for basic training. After going through several programs and training the military wanted him to go to OCS [Officer Candidate School] which he thought was good until he realized he needed to enlist for another 9 months. He was sent to Virginia in hopes he would be interested in OCS there. Columbus, Georgia ; Draft ; Officer Candidate School ; Virginia 855 Community and Mentorship It seems like the move from Puerto Rico to Lorain or Youngstown was a bit difficult because of the loss of community but the church served as that community built here. It sounds like you were a role model to the younger kids and the community, being the oldest. Were there some friends, mentors, or role models in your life you haven’t discussed yet His dad’s best friend, Alfonso Rodriguez, was thought to be his father’s brother because of the shared last name and since they spent so much time together. Alfonso and his wife had no children themselves but they were really close to his dad and his family. Since his father did not drive Alfonso would drive them around, everyone would be in the car. They would go to Youngstown quite a bit with them. Alfonso was a good man who Mr. Rodriguez never heard say any bad word. He would often give him consejos, or advice. His godfather lived in Youngstown, where he would often go, always had a room for him. His godfather would also give him a lot of consejos. His father was crude and rough with them since he ruled with an iron fist. He gave his kids a strict curfew where he would be forced to sleep outside if he was late. He also gave him a lot of girl advice although he was always working. This meant his mother did a lot of the policing because his father was not around too much. She was a great cook and there would always be people and friends over. One of those close friends was Celestino Rivera, his brother’s best friend. Celestino was very smart, everyone thought he would be a priest. Celestino Rivera ; Family Friend ; Mentorship 1101 Church: Building Programs and Defining Relationships I was really involved in the church. As a matter of fact, I was the vice president of the Parish Council when I was only 26. As a young adult, Mr. Rodriguez was once again very involved with the church, more specifically Sacred Heart. He became the vice president of the Parish Council at only 26 years old which is a position he held for 8 years. Mr. Rodriguez became close to Father Bruce and all of the other priests that moved through the church. Together with his wife, they became involved with the church by starting new programs that are still being used. One of those programs were godparent classes which godparents, especially for baptism, needed to take before becoming godparents. Another program that he created was the Crusillo Essay for the Sacred Heart Church which is an intense three week retreat at the age of 23. His development allowed for the Crusillo movement to expand across the country. Marriage Encounters, another weekend retreat for couples, was one other program that he helped create to help build communication between relationships. The main thing that he did was making sure that talks for Marriage Encounters were translated from English to Spanish. He also talks about the impact that COVID had on his interactions and even his celebration of 50 years of marriage. Cursillo Program ; Marriage ; Parish Council ; Sacred Heart Catholic Chapel 1594 Dealing with Health The thing with that is that while all that was going on, I was dealing with depression and anxiety. Mr. Rodriguez discusses that while he was the program coordinator and such a critical part of the church community, he was also dealing with depression and PTSD. At the time, he did not know about PTSD and in fact was not diagnosed with it until 1998.He notes that in 1970 he had gone to the VA Medical Center but instead of getting a diagnosis he was just given the runaround. As a coping mechanism he became a workaholic, while working at the Steel Mills as an electrician he was also working as an exterminator on the side. He was a people person which was aided by his jobs which moved him all over Ohio to do work. Mr. Rodriguez shares that in 1999 and 2001 he had two major back surgeries which put him out of work for a year. He had been advised by his doctor to not go back to work and instead ask for disability pension in 2002. He left his Steel Mill job but kept his small business going since his brothers also relied on it as their sustenance. He is reminiscent of the period of time he would go on walks with an old friend for 6 years. Disability ; Mental Health ; PTSD ; Steel Mill ; Surgeries 1795 Family: Father Figure and Marriage After a while, I had to quit the walks. We did it for about 6 years. Because I had to deal with the kids. Mr. Rodriguez discusses what it was like helping his daughter raise her three children after and even before she divorced her husband. He explains that he had become a father figure to his grandchildren, especially his granddaughter Sofia. He then goes on to explain his connection with his wife even as children. He explains that he knew his wife from their First Communion especially because she was his friend’s little sister . He is three years older than her, meaning that they met when he was 13 and she was 10. He remembers that she was his brother’s girlfriend first, before he was drafted to Vietnam. One of his memories is picking up girls after coming up from Vietnam. He later became engaged to his wife in 1969 and they were married by 1970. Father Figure ; Spouse 1983 Back from Vietnam and Thoughts I came back...When I came from Vietnam, instead of going home, I went to Puerto Rico. Mr. Rodriguez explains that after he came back from Vietnam he went to Puerto Rico to visit his grandparents instead of coming home. He wasn’t aware at the time, but when he came back from Vietnam his brother was drafted which caused his mother to have a nervous breakdown. It was a highly tense time in Lorain, his neighbor’s husband had actually passed away in Vietnam. His mother’s godson was also killed in Vietnam. He went back to Fort Bragg since he still had four months of service to finish and then went to New York to visit his aunt and uncle for a month before finally returning to Lorain. This is when he found out that his mother had been put in a psychiatric ward after the news about his brother’s draft. He describes his feelings after serving as being rattled and having to deal with the anxiety of post war life. Through all of this he explains that the person that should be getting the recognition or a purple heart should be his wife that stood by him. Mr. Rodriguez had always thought that he would be going to college or at least a form of school after highschool. What actually happened was that he was so used to working he didn’t enroll and was suddenly drafted into the Vietnam war. He hadn’t even thought of the military until then since he didn’t think he would be drafted. Having no preconceived notions other than the handful of people in his family and friends that had served. He remembers once going to Fort Knox to visit his uncle that worked as an instructor on tanks for 30 years. Draft ; Fort Bragg ; Fort Knox ; New York ; Puerto Rico ; Purple Heart ; Vietnam 2237 Getting Help I think what happened was I wanted to forget it all. Mr. Rodriguez talks about all Vietnam Veterans that he knew would try to forget their service just like he did. He mentioned that he had been going to group counseling with other veterans which was interrupted by the pandemic. One of the things he discovered was that the same kids that he went to school with and grew up with went to Vietnam and served but it was never discussed afterwards. Mr. Rodriguez didn’t even know who had gone and who hadn’t and it wasn’t until group counseling that he was beginning to have answers. Edwin Lopez, his godson, was the one who encouraged and ultimately convinced him to go to these meetings and it was after discovering that he had also been to Vietnam. Mr. Rodriguez also discusses that divorce was a huge side effect from veterans. Almost everyone that he knew got divorced, and he feels like one of the lucky ones because his wife hung in there with him. From his observations, veterans often turned to drugs and alcohol, they had anger issues, became unhoused, and would find themselves in trouble with the law. He confesses that he was also drinking while working and program coordinating to lessen the anxiety that he felt, in his words a functioning drinker. He sympathizes, and explains that these veterans were simply looking for relief because it seemed like no one wanted to deal with them. The counseling group was actually started by Vietnam Veterans for Vietnam Veterans. He explains that he didn’t wear his hat for over 45 years because of how Vietnam Veterans were viewed and received. The only thing they had has to rely on each other since they were the only ones to understand their experiences. For a long time he didn’t think he needed any help since he was already going to therapy. He emphasizes that the Vet Center in Cleveland became a resource to him and that after so many years he was finally able to talk about Vietnam without getting worked up. Group Counseling ; Pandemic ; Substances ; Veterans Helping Veterans 2767 Experiences and Lessons So I think it would be really interesting, and I know that you were saying it's been difficult to talk about your service. Would you want to speak more about any connections or challenges with the service? Mr. Rodriguez compares his experiences to that of his younger brother. He talks about how his brother went to service and came back worse than Mr. Rodriguez. He explains that unfortunately he recently passed and he never had the chance or opportunity to talk with him about his service. Mainly because his brother did not want to talk about it. He explains that trauma plays a big role in how they feel and act. Since divorce is a huge symptom of veterans the creation of broken homes was inevitable. He explains that broken homes and divorces can also lead to affecting the kids. Personally he found that navigating life with religion was a way to find comfort. He reveals that he found serving one another was the purpose of life. He questions how people can live without faith. He also shares that he learned that the people that you know are the people that can hurt you the most. Divorce ; Family ; Trauma ; Vietnam 3159 Thoughts Towards the Military and Message for the Future Has your service, with the military and connections with other veterans, impacted your feelings about war or military in general? Mr. Rodriguez discusses how serving has given him an insight into politics and the government. He sees what is going on in the government and the country and how Democrats and Republicans are enemies that just want power. He mentions that some of the ways they do this is by preventing voting through so many measures. After serving it is easier to deal with and notice knowing what war is and what it is fought for. Contrary to what history writes, he doesn’t think that Vietnam is a useless war because he knows they were fighting communism. He mentions the idea of American Amnesia since not much is said about what happened to the Vietnamese people after the US left. He explains that unfortunately in order to kill it was encouraged to see them as not human, but he never saw them as anything other than humans. Mr. Rodriguez wants anyone watching to understand that the people who are fighting the wars are being trained to kill and learning to survive. They are taught that the people who they are fighting against want to hurt them, want to hurt your community, or want to take something away from them. At the end of the day it is people killing people. He believes that this is a situation of the worst in us trying to protect the best in us. He also wishes Vietnam never happened and that there would be no wars. He does understand that the United States has more freedoms than any other country and they were gained because of the wars. He finishes his story by reiterating that the spouses need much more recognition. Government ; Spousal Recognition ; Vietnam In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rodriguez_Jose.xml LL_Rodriguez_Jose.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0022 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Jose L Rodriguez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/176db6cd6be729eced049ae579100701.png 737c075c1a826d22b96739d4b0231cfb Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Victor Leandry Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Juanita Senquiz OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Senquiz_Juanita.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Juanita Senquiz Latino Lorain Fall 2020 Oberlin College Library Juanita Senquiz Victor Leandry 0 https://youtu.be/TunF2Ut1SNs YouTube video 0 Introduction and membership in Latino organizations in Lorain Today is Thursday November 5, 2020...My name is Victor Leandry, I am the Executive Director of El Centro in Lorain, Ohio, and I am here to interview, and have the pleasure to interview, Juanita Senquiz. And I am going to have her introduce herself. This interview is part of the Latino Lorain History Project, it is a collaboration of the Lorain Historical Society, Oberlin College, El Centro and many, many other partnerships in the community. So, Juanita could you tell us your name. Senquiz introduces herself and begins talking about her affiliations and membership in key Latino organizations in Lorain. She is currently the President of CHIP (Coalition of Hispanic Issues and Progress) and she describes how Elba Armstrong, in her capacity working as a principal in the Lorain City Schools, recruited Senquz to join CHIP since 1988. After working for more than 30 years in Lorain City Schools, she retired and returned to work in Human Resources where she has worked for 7 more years. CHIP (Coalition for Hispanic Issues and Progress) ; El Centro de Servicios Sociales ; Elba Armstrong ; Lorain City Schools ; Lorain Historical Society ; Oberlin College 216 Her father's journey and early life in Lorain First of all, let me ask you about your parents...they came from Puerto Rico, or they stayed in Puerto Rico and you were the one who came? Senquiz explains that her maiden name is Irizarry and how her father is from Utuado and mother is from Coamo, Puerto Rico. Her dad went to Lorain first in the late 1940s for work and met Senquiz's mother's brother who was already living and working in Lorain. After getting married in Puerto Rico, they both returned to Northeast Ohio and first lived in Bay Village before moving to Lorain. Senquiz was born in Lorain at St. Joseph hospital in Lorain which is currently being torn down and has a lot of sentimental value to people in Lorain. She also discusses growing up on the west side of Lorain and attending Irving Elementary School before moving to the east side where her father bought a home in the 1960s which was a less diverse neighborhood. She continue to live in her home on the east side of Lorain. Bay Vlllage, Ohio ; Coamo, Puerto Rico ; Compadres ; East and West Side of Lorain ; Irving Elementary School ; Labor migration ; Lorain neighborhoods ; Love letters ; Railroad ; Residential segregation ; Sacred Heart Chapel ; St. Joseph Hospital, Lorain ; Utuado, Puerto Rico ; Vine Ave 622 Growing up and raising her family in Lorain So is there anything you remember from your teenage years or any special dances or groups or special Latin clubs--did you participate in any of those things? Senquiz describes her upbringing as strict and how they were not allowed to participate in many things. After graduating from high school she attended dances with her girlfriends. Because she lived on the East Side with strict parents, besides church and El Club Utuado and Club Coameño, she didn't have a lot of interactions with the Hispanic community in Lorain growing up. She also discusses religious classes at Sacred Heart and the importance of the hometown associations in Lorain as part of a connection of friends and families. After graduating from high school she began working for Lorain City Schools where she typed for the Board of Education while she worked while still in high school. As someone who has worked for Lorain City Schools since they age of 16, she has a great knowledge of Lorain City Schools. Her husband, Pablo Senquiz, came to Lorain from Puerto Rico when he was 18 where he worked at Ford and they were married when she was 22 years old. They have been married for 44 years and have two children. Board of Education ; Club Coameño ; Club Utuado ; Dances ; Ford ; Georgia ; Job training at Lorain City Schools ; Latinos and housing ; Lorain City Schools ; Mexican Mutual ; Mother-daughter relations ; Ohio State University ; PSR classes Sacred Heart Chapel ; Puerto Rican Home ; Sacred Heart Chapel ; Strict parents 1273 Becoming a leader in the Latino community in Lorain So if you can think back about your life...When did you develop this interest to be involved in the Latino community? Senquiz talks about how part of her involvement in the Latino community in Lorain began with her family's involvement in organization like Esperanza Inc. in Cleveland. She was inspired by how involved Willy Senquiz was involved in Cleveland and how that led to be more involved in Lorain with organizations like CHIP, the Hispanic Fund, and other Hispanic and non-Hispanic boards. They also discussed the important role of Latinas in CHIP--Elba Armstrong, Angie Martinez and Juanita Senquiz were all presidents--and other organizations in Lorain. She speaks at length of busing in Lorain and CHIP's role in advocating for Latinos and busing and the other way CHIP helps out Latinos in Lorain. She also discusses the UAW's role in the beginning of the Hispanic Leadership Conference and how with the closing of the Lorain Ford plant how CHIP took over the annual conference. She also discusses CHIP's candidates night and the important role it plays in local politics and voter education for the community, as well as the way the Hispanic Leadership Conference has developed over time. Angie Martinez ; Busing in Lorain ; CHIP ; CHIP and Hispanic Leadership Conference ; CHIP candidates night ; CHIP Scholarship Fund ; Cleveland, Ohio ; Closing Ford Plant ; COVID-19 ; Esperanza Inc, Cleveland, Ohio ; Ford ; Girl Scout Concil Board ; Latina leadership in CHIP ; Lorain County Community College ; The Hispanic Fund ; United Auto Workers (UAW) and HIspanic Leadership Conference ; Willy Senquiz 1943 Final thoughts on leadership Is there anything else you would like to talk about that we haven't talked about or anything you want to tell us? She ends saying that she is quiet and Victor affirms her important leadership role and how she is well-respected. She also reflects on the value of respecting each other and how important that is in community. CHIP ; Leadership ; Respect video 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Senquiz_Juanita.xml LL_Senquiz_Juanita.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0026 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Juanita Senquiz Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-11-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/05d93bbcebc9b1c0f8aed564cc3ec324.PNG c3508d84de0b0c334ac48e547f6c44d6 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Becky Trigo Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Judy Reveron OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Reveron_Judy.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Judy Reveron Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Judy Reveron Becky Trigo 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/2b88qc21b Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Judy Reveron&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/j67313813/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction to interview with Judy Reveron (LEDE) 56 Early Life ; Family in Puerto Rico Can you begin by telling me where you were born and where you grew up? I was born in Puerto Rico and I came here when I was 17 years old. Growing up, Judy Reveron’s family worked on fields harvesting sugar cane and coffee. Her community in Puerto Rico was mostly made up of family members, noting that most of her friends were her cousins. She immigrated to the United States at the age of 17, leaving her family in Puerto Rico. family ; farm work ; Puerto Rico 177 Moving to Lorain and Meeting her Husband I moved to the United States when I was 17 years old. I came for a vacation and I stayed. And where did you stay? I stayed with my brother, my oldest brother... he lived here with his family so I came to live with his family. When she came to the United States in 1962, Mrs.Reveron stayed with her brother in Lorain, Ohio. She worked in a factory at 18 years old. Coming to the United States she could only speak Spanish, leading her to the Spanish-speaking, Puerto Rican community of Lorain where she received some guidance. She met her husband at her work in Cleveland through mutual friends. Cleveland ; community ; Factory ; Spanish ; spouse 279 Husband enters military ; Moving to Texas Did you have any concerns about him going into the military? Oh, yes. Because it was the Vietnam era. We were thinking of getting married but it was like ; How about if you get sent to Vietnam? At the time her husband was being drafted they had begun discussing getting married. After he did his basic training and went to medical school, Mrs.Reveron joined her husband on base in Wichita Falls, Texas. They got married in 1967 and she reflects on her lack of English as continuing to isolate her in this new community. She was able to make friends with the other couples on the Sheppard air force base. The church across the street from where they lived was used for both Protestant and Catholic services. She remembers the difficulty of seeing young men returning from Vietnam, suffering from trauma induced mental health issues. catholicism ; church ; community ; Draft ; family ; friendship ; marriage ; mental health ; military base ; Vietnam 570 Family in Military Was there anybody else, like did you have any other friends in the military or also siblings... that served? My brother was also in the service, in Germany, but it was a totally different time... Mrs.Reveron’s brother served in the military in Germany, however she notes that the experience was different and that she was always in communication with her family. Germany ; military family ; service 602 Community and Life in Texas She made many friends from various different states who were all young families. They would celebrate holidays together, stating that the community was only close with each other though now, she says, they’ve lost touch. While her husband worked, Mrs.Reveron worked as a stay-at-home mother. She hated living in Texas ; it was too flat for her liking and the weather was strange. She remembers having to translate arguments between her neighbors children where one child only knew English and the other only knew Spanish. After 3 and a half years of her husband working in Texas, she was delighted to hear that he had received early leave. The time she spent in Texas was very lonely. Children ; Community ; holidays ; language ; loneliness ; Wichita falls 892 Returning to Ohio Mrs.Reveron moved back to Cleveland with her husband since they were already familiar with the area. She states that she didn’t like Cleveland either, saying that it was “too busy” for her. The move was easier because she was close to her mother-in-law and could travel to visit her family in Lorain. Cleveland ; Family ; Lorain 958 Culture of Military Families She recounts a New Years Eve celebration with her husband and other soldiers, feeling pity for them because they didn’t have loved ones to celebrate with. This prompted her husband to decide not to re-enlist in the military. Mrs.Reveron reflects on her feelings of military service. Her husband's service within the military brought them closer together, feeling more secure that he could at least come home. family ; reenlistment ; respect ; soldiers ; solidarity 1136 Message for Future Generations Mrs.Reveron hopes to leave a message of self-respect, dedication, and family. She reflects that neither her nor her husband knew what to expect when entering military life. Being far away from family was an aspect of what made their lifestyle difficult and lonely. Enlistment ; family ; respect ; strength In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Reveron_Judy.xml LL_Reveron_Judy.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0017 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Judy Reveron Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/cd15b7da225aefb19b1dddc601c5f393.PNG cd1bdbae6e47372fa5d1eea1b35d651c Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Cecelia Blake Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Katie Garcia OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garcia_Katie.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Katie Garcia Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Katie Garcia Cecelia Blake 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/76537136c Avalon Https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Katie Garcia&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/b2773v73c/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 33 Questions about Early Life/Childhood Where were you born and where did you grow up? So I was born in Oberlin and I grew up in Lorain, born and raised. When I was 19, that's when I went to the Marine Corps. My Father is from down South, a small town called Whitfield Alabama. Katie begins by talking about where she was born and raised and where he parent's were born and raised as well. She is a one of five siblings, which she not always enjoyed growing up but now appreciates the fact that everyone in her family has remained close. Katie's mother was her primary role model. She explains how her mother always put her children first despite any of the challenges she endured, which was very inspiring to Katie growing up and further allowed her to feel supported to succeed. Family ; Hometown ; Parents ; Siblings 297 Introduction to Military Service How did you first begin to think about military service? I never really thought about the military until she went. And so when I decided to go into the military like you know what I'm going to do the Marine Corps. And I also did it because everyone said I couldn't do it. Katie was first introduced to the military by her sister, who was a part of JROTC and also served in the Marine Corps. Katie explains that when her sister was discharged, she always spoke highly of her experiences which is what initially piqued Katie's interest. Katie also talks about her decision to pick the Marine Corps as the branch of the military that she wanted to join, and says that it was largely attributed to the fact that people said she could not do since people in the Marine Corps needed to be &quot ; butch&quot ; or &quot ; buff&quot ; . Gender ; Reactions ; Sister ; USMC 357 Basic Training Where did you do your basic training? My basic training was in the Marine Corps recruit depot Parris Island. Theres two basic training for the Marine Corps. If you live East of the Mississippi River you go to South Caroline, Parris Island, If you live West of the Mississippi River you go to San Diego. But if you are female, all females go to Parris Island. In this segment Katie talks about her basic training on Parris Island in South Carolina, where all female marine had to complete their training. She was very nervous, although it was not her first time away from home. Her first memory is rushing off the bus, knowing a little bit of what to expect from her sister's experience, but when she went to meet her drill instructors she was greeted by three beautiful women. She initially thought to herself &quot ; oh, it couldnt be that bad&quot ; , however she explains that the minute they closed the door &quot ; hell unleashed&quot ; . Katie also adds that &quot ; these beautiful women are so different from what they look. It was so unexpected.&quot ; Family ; First Memory ; Gender ; Parris Island ; Yellow Footprints 510 After Training Where did you go after your training? After my training I went home to do recruiting assistance, and from there I went to Marine Corps combat training in North Carolina. Katie talks about how everything is earned in bootcamp, &quot ; They strip you down and they build you back up.&quot ; Katie felt confident in boot camp, like a new person and on top of the world. Being a female marine was especially meaningful to her, and she had a set goal for herself to be the best woman that she could be and more, the best woman marine that she could be. She felt that she represented an elite group wearing a uniform and seeing the expressions on peoples' faces. Combat ; Confidence ; Rank ; Representation ; Role Model ; Stability ; Training ; Transformation 694 Meeting Hector Garcia How did you meet your husband? I met my husband at my first duty station, Okinawa, Japan. We worked together and we were friends first, really good friends. Katie talks about meeting her husband in Japan, while on duty for six months traveling different parts of East Asia. East Asia ; Husband ; Japan ; Okinawa ; Travel 743 Challenges of Service/Maintaining an Image What was the most challenging part of your serve? The most challenging part of my service, I think, was the way female Marines were treated. Katie talks about the challenges she faced being a female marine and the treatment she achieved for being a woman. It wasn't always equal and she was often looked at as a detriment. She did not need to be equal with her male marine counterparts, but she wanted the respect that she felt she as well as all female marines deserved. She was trained to be strong but also lady-like, and her drill instructors were very inspiring for her while active duty as she tried to up-hold her image. Discrimination ; Expectations ; Gender ; Inequalities ; Respect ; USMC 1013 International Experiences What were some of your experiences in Japan? It was awesome. It was really cool it was, you know, I had traveled outside the country prior to joining the Marine Corps and that initially made me realize that the world is so much bigger. Katie says that traveling prior to Germany prior joining the Marine Corps had a major influence on her decision to join in the first place. She cried at first going to Okinawa because the she would have to be there for twelve months, although she then ended up staying there for three years. She said at first it was a culture shock, but she got to learn about herself while being there as well. She explains that it was an amazing learning experience and she took advantage of a lot of the things that it had to offer such as tutoring Japanese kids. Culture ; Leaving Home ; Relocating ; Travel 1107 Relocating Where did you go after your service? So I met my husband in Okinawa, we worked together and then started dating for a year, year and a half. Then we got married and I began pregnant with my first son. Katie explains how when she got pregnant with her first son, the rule was changed so that women were only non-deployable for six months now rather than a full year. She talks about how it was a big possibility that she had to go to war in Iraq and give up custody of her son, which terrified. She decided to &quot ; get out&quot ; and only do her four years, which she realized is what she wanted to do with the support of her family because she could not see herself leaving her baby. Children ; Custody ; Deployment ; Family ; Husband ; Iraq War ; Military Wife ; Pregnancy 1230 Transitioning Post Discharge What was the transition like after you were discharged? Katie completed her four years of enlistment, was honorably discharged, and became a military wife. Her husband became a recruiter in New York, so they all moved to New York together. She described that it was a big transition, and that the military felt like a security blanket. She wasn't especially career driven at the time but she was driven to be a mom and was thankful that she was able to raise her son while her husband was deployed in Iraq. She was very happy. Discharge ; Education ; Motherhood ; Security ; Transition ; Wife 1298 Reflecting on Military Experiences/Final Message What are some of your reflections on your time in the military? How did it change your view of military in general and war? My own personal view to be honest... I think its good that women are in the military, but I don't think it's good necessarily that women are in combat. Katie talks about how she feels it is a conflict in war, so to speak, that a man's initial instinct is to protect a woman in a lot of different ways. She explains that it is a man's human nature to protect In emotional physical, as well as sexual ways, and that can sometimes be challenging for women who are trying to accomplish themselves in the military. However, she is so grateful for the second chance and new paths the military gave her and the fact that it instilled so much confident and poise in her, as well as allowing her to become a mother. A final message she leaves for future generations would ultimately be &quot ; don't be afraid to think outside the box. If you have a desire to achieve something or do something, then go for it.&quot ; Challenge ; Education ; Gender ; Military vs. Combat ; Opportunity ; Service ; Women In Copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Garcia_Katie.xml LL_Garcia_Katie.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0009 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Katie Garcia Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-11-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/0259975ba97a6d8590df884de446053f.pdf 4ec7575554392d8375d2e61eb76444c7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource La Prensa - El Centro's 39th Gala Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived La Prensa Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 15, 2013 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaytlen Cruz https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/0e5974ddd28b07fc5e743239c3d57358.JPG f4f14c51c3292880ebace8b52cd74201 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data photo Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Leandry Family Reunion in Puerto Rico Description An account of the resource Photo of Victor Leandry with family in Puerto Rico. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Victor Leandry Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource photo Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Victor Leandry https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/e003706d1af2c29800833c52c694c333.pdf a6fda38056a13b809ad77b27e4501c6b Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document LORAIN: National Hispanic Heritage Month has begun. Lorain opened its celebrations near Lake Erie with the 3rd annual Lorain County National Hispanic Heritage Month Fest Celebration, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011. Organized by Richard Romero, magazine publisher, editor and writer, and his team, the festival paid tribute to all Latino cultures with a great variety of ethnic cuisine, music, dance,art and all culture. Romero said roughly 1,500 people attended the festival Sunday at Lorain's Lakeview Park. "Everybody knows when it's Black History Month," Romero said "But many Latinos do not know when it's Hispanic Heritage Month. That's the reason I do this every year. It's our month to highlight the great contributions of our community and remember the great leaders who made a difference in this country. From folks in the Military to education to entertainment." Romero added "It's tough to do but it's real important. We try to do it on one day, a Sunday and we try to startat a time after most people have gone to church." National Hispanic Heritage Month begins Sept. 15 and runs until Oct. 15 every year, and celebrates contributions by Latinos whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. The dates were selected because they coincide with a number of Latin American countries' dates of independence. The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson. It was expanded into that 30-day period by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, and was enacted into law on August 17, 1988. September 15 was chosen as the start date because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala. Honduras, and Nicaragua. Plus, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, on October 12, also falls within this 30 day period. The festival featured an art gallery displaying artwork for sale by Mexican and Puerto Rican artists. Romero said the festival is funded by sponsorships and art sales. Food was provided by the Puerto Rican Home and the Mexican Mutual Society. Romero said because he wants to help ethnic clubs survive in the area, the ethnic clubs are not charged, and they are able to collect 100 percent of the proceeds of their sales for their own fundraisers. This year, Romero joined forces with the Puerto Rican Club's leaders, and he provided the cost for his event and their event's entertainment. Entertainment this year included Mexican dance group Alma de Mexico, and the Puerto Rican dance group from Cleveland's Julia de Burgos Center, Isla del Encanto; and included musical groups, Boys de Merengüe; Grupo Los Maximos, a reggaeton group from Lorain; Justo Saborit, a Latin Jazz Salsa band; and Hiram Y Su Mambo Swing, that played merengüe, bachata, salsa, and even songs in English. Romero said a hit with the crowd was the song "Puerto Rico," by Grupo Los Maximos, their original song inspired by the island's people and struggles. "They wrote it after they talked about what's going on in Puerto Rico, what the island needs, and that those on the mainland should not forget about the island. The song says don't forget the people and don't forget your culture," Romero said. The Latino Heritage Festival in Lorain mostly spotlighted the Mexican and Puerto Rican communities, but Romero said he is looking to further include the other Latino cultures in the future. Romero asks anyone representing other Latino cultures to contact him to plan for next year, he said. "A lot of people don't have the opportunity to go to Puerto Rico or Mexico, so let's bring the culture to them," Romero said. He said he is grateful for the MetroParks, overseeing Lakeview Park, and allowing him to use their venue for the Hispanic Heritage month celebrations. "We, Latinos, need to support these events when they happen," Romero said "The Hispanic community needs to have events at places as beautiful as this, as the Lake. If we have more Latinos from other Latino cultures here next year, it will be an opportunity to attract tourism." Happy independence Day! ¡Feliz Día de la Independencia! Sept. 15: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua! Sept. 16: Mexico! Sept. 18: Chile! ¡Felicidades! Que viva la raza! Que viva los hispanos y latinos! In honor of Mexico, here is part of the Mexican National Anthem: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ipnJZ71DEV8&feature=related Mexicanos, al grito de guerra El acero aprestad y el bridón; y retiemble en sus centros latierra Al sonoro rugir del cañón. Mexicans, at the cry of war,-prepare the steel and the steed,-and may the earth shake at its coreto the resounding roar of the cannon. Ciña oh patria! tus sienes de oliva De la Paz el arcángel divino, Que en el cielo tu eterno destinoPor el dedo de Dios se escribió. Gird, oh country, your brow with olive the divine archangel of peace, for your eternal destiny was written in the heavens by the hand of God. Más si osare un extraño enemigoProfanar con su planta tu suelo, Piensa, oh patria querida, que el cielo-Un soldado en cada hijo te dio. But if some strange enemy should dareto profane your ground with his step,-think, oh beloved country, that heaven has given you a soldier in every son. Guerra, guerra sin tregua al que intente De la patria manchar los blasones! Guerra, guerra! Los patrios pendones En las olas de sangre empapad. Guerra, guerra! Enelmonte, en el valleLos cañones horrísonos truenen Y losecos sonoros resuenen Con las voces de Unión! Libertad! War, war without truce to any who dareto tarnish the country's coat-of-arms! War, war! Take the national pennants and soak them in waves of blood. War, war! In the mountain, in the valley, the cannons thunder in horrid unison-and the resonant echoes-cry out Union, Liberty! Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lorain opens Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations at Lakeview Park Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ingrid Marie Rivera Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived La Prensa Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September 23, 2011 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Language A language of the resource English and Spanish https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/02fe1120a865301267ea62dd752aa160.pdf b79b3ca91b479d15196b5ed232820e63 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document LORAIN: "La tierra de Borinquen, donde he nacido yo, es un jardín florido de mágico primor..." Ataste of Puerto Rico's rich traditions-its music, food and culture - were all celebrated in South Lorain this past weekend when the local Puerto Rican Home Club hosted its 14th annual Boricua Festival and 4th annual Puerto Rican Parade, Sept. 16-17, 2011. The festival featured a Latino Art show and silent auction, folkloric music and dance by Julia de Burgos' dance group Isla del Encanto, raffles, domino games and a Talent Show Saturday. Roughly 100 people attended the club Friday, said Julie Ortiz, the club's secretary. Dozens of people lined up to watch the parade Saturday afternoon, many carrying Puerto Rican flags or displaying their Puerto Rican pride on T-shirts, hats and banners, The parade welcomed floats filled with artists performing the cherished music of the island. Grupo Los Maximos, a reggaeton group from Lorain, performed their original song "Puerto Rico" atop El BoriMex club's float. One group marched and chanted "Stop deportations. Keep families together." Like any Puerto Rican parade, there were no shortage of a variety of cars, trucks and motorcycles. Some spectators wondered why there was a Puerto Rican parade and not a Mexican parade in South Lorain on Sept. 16-Mexico's Independence Day. But for the Santiago family watching the parade, the day was a double special treat. Marylou Ornelas watched the parade near Pearl Avenue with her daughter Emily Santiago, 8, daughter, Gabriela Santiago, 11, and son, Pedro Santiago, 13. They are proud of both their Puerto Rican and Menican heritage. The Santiagos' three cousins including Jayden Santiago Ott, 9, joined them, and they were waiting for more family to turnout for the parade, Emily, Gabriela, Pedro and Jayden said they would love to learn more Spanish and visit their Puerto Rico and Mexicosomeday.andlisted their favorite ethnic foods. Among their Puerto Rican favorite dishes they listed rice, pernil (pork) and alcapurrias; among their Mexican dishes: tacos, they said in unison. And that is the festival's exact purpose: to teach and reacquaint both the young and old with their Puerto Rican culture, in addition to serving as the home's main fundraiser. Evelyn Vasquez, one organizer for this year's pageant for the Puerto Rican home, said she wants the young to learn their culture. Eight girls are competing in the 2011 pageant, Running for Miss Chiquitita are Nahivelys Matrero and Ajaysha Quiñones; Running for Princesa are Nadia García and María Pedraza; and Running for Reina are Quirena Olivencia, Rose Sánchez, Jaileene Sánchez, and Bianca Cruz. The 5th annual pageant will take place Oct. 8, 2011 at the home, and will feature a talent portion. "The girls are doing so well. They are learning about their culture, learning dances of Plena and Bomba, learning how to speak Spanish," Vásquez said. She added that she wanted to thank the previous organizer of the pagcant, Nidia Silva. "She did a wonderful job for the last four years." Nidia Silva and her husband, Juan Silva, former President of the Puerto Rican Home, had organized the Boricua Festival for many years. This year, the Puerto Rican Home welcomed a change in leadership. Its new officers include President Mon Rivera, Vice President Million Medina, Treasurer Rosie García, and Secretary Julie Ortiz. Juan Silva previously said it was time for him tostepasidefromhisleadership position but that he would continue to help the Latino community in other ways. Richard Romero, magazine editor and writer, joined the Puerto Rican Home's leaders and helped provide funds for the festival's entertainment this year. Romero said he wants to help the ethnic clubs. "Many ethnic clubs are closing up because they can't survive in this economy," Romero said "A lot of people don't have the opportunity to go to Puerto Rico, so let's bring the culture to them," he said. To see video coverage of the Puerto Rican Parade log onto La Prensa's YouTube Page: http:// www.youtube.com/user/ LaPrensaWeekly In honor of Puerto Rico, here is its National Anthem, Himno Nacional de Puerto Rico, "La Borinquena." http:// www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Ds8txCOwLuc La tierra de Borinquendonde he nacido yoes un jardín floridode mágico primor. Un cielo siempre nítidole sirve de dosely dan arrullosplacidoslasolasasus pies. Cuando a sus playas llegó Colónexclamó lleno de admiración:" Oh!, oh!, oh!, ésta es la linda tierraque busco yo. "Es Borinquen la hija, la hija del mar y el sol, del mar y el sol, del mar y el sol, del mar y el sol, del mar y el sol. The land of Borinquenwhere I have been bornis a flowery garden of magical beauty. A constantly clear sky serves as its canopy and placid lullabies are sung by the waves at its feet. When at her beaches Columbus arrived full of awe he exclaimed," Oh!, oh!, oh!, this is the lovely land that I seek. "Borinquen is the daughter, the daughter of the sea and the sun. Of the sea and the sun, of the sea and the sun, of the sea and the sun, of the sea and the sun. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lorain's Boricua Festival celebrates Puerto Rican traditions Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ingrid Rivera Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived La Prensa Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September 23, 2011 Language A language of the resource English and Spanish Type The nature or genre of the resource newsletter https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/ce86ad7b31c37886719d8c3c08fe0eaa.pdf df9ab38b8b17eece1a94551e4ca3fb75 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document It has been more than a year since the Lorain International Association selected the city's vibrant Puerto Rican community to be the Spotlight community for the 2009 annual Lorain International Festival & Bazaar to be held June 22-28, 2009. This week, a committee of activists will be giving the Puerto Rican community a wake up-call. "The clock is ticking and we've got a lot to do in the short time that's left," says Antonio Barrios, chairman and co-founder of the Puerto Rican Culture Committee (PRCC). The group's first communily meeting was held on Oct. 14, 2008, at Sacred Heart Chapel. "We hope to engage the Latino and non-Latino community in this cultural celebration," adds Barrios. Each year the Lorain International Festival & Bazaar focuses upon the cultural heritage of one of the city's ethnic communities. 2009 will mark the 40th anniversary of the annual week-long event, much of which is held on the city's Black River Landing. While numerous ethnic groups make an annual appearance at each annual festival, it has been ten years since the Puerto Rican community was the primary focus. The schedule of the 2009 Festival will provide Lorain's Puerto Rican community with a unique opportunity to showcase its accomplishments through an array of entertainment and speakers, explains Barrios. Barrios said the nonprofit group has already reached out beyond Lorain County to make contact with the Puerto Rican communities of Cleveland and New York. He hopes to make connections with transplanted members of the Northeast Ohio Puerto Rican community who are now living and working in Toledo. "We've also made contact with the president of the senate of Puerto Rico and other officials from Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican community comprises approximately 20 percent of Lorain's population of 70,124 making it the largest ethnic groups in the city. Surprisingly, it has been at least a decade since the community was spotlighted by the International Association, says Barrios. During that decade, the community has made many significant strides. The community can trace its origins to the 1940s when the steel companies that once dominated Lorain's economy began to recruit workers in Puerto Rico for their mills. Unlike Toledo, where the majority of the Latino community is of Mexican heritage, the Latino communities of Lorain, and to a lesser degree Cleveland, are comprised primarily of those of Puerto Rican descent. In recent years, the Puerto Rican community in Lorain has begun to flex its political muscles. Dennis Flores represents the city's Second Ward in City Council. Recently retired, Fred Lozano served on city council for 20 years. La Prensa's Rubén Torres, likewise, served on city council. Ray Carrion serves as the city's Development Director; Richard Romero as deputy safety director in the current administration of Mayor Tony Krasienko. This Latino representation supplements Latino officeholders Joel Arredondo, who is the current council president, and David Flores, who has served on city council. Both are of Mexican descent. According to Richard Romero, Chair of the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission (formally, OCHLA), "I think it's great that the International Festival is spotlighting the Puerto Rican community in 2009. "I am also proud of the fact that Lorain have tremendous leaders such as Cel Rivera, Mary Santiago, Fred Lozano, Mike Ferrer, Juan Silva, Rosie Reyes, Nellie Caraballo, Daisy Maldonado, and Victor Leandry (just to name a few) who have talent, have built strong relationships, and have a true commitment to the Puerto Rican community. "We are one of the few communities that still have an ethnic club, The Puerto Rican Home Club. President Juan Silva is truly a leader who wants to continue to promote the Puerto Rican culture in a positive light. The Puerto Rican Home also has board members that work very hard, and it is important that we support them. The success of the Puerto Rican cultural committee will be determined on how we all work together to put our best foot forward. "We also appreciate all of the support that the Mexican Mutual Society has given to the Puerto Rican community." Catch 22 According to Barrios, the Catch 22 of being honored by the Lorain International Festival & Bazaar committee lies in the fact that the community being honored has to organize and produce the program as well as foot the bill - and that even includes the floats in the international parade. That's what gives the work of the PRCC a sense of urgency. The PRCC has approximately eight months to recruit new members from the community as well as organize the volunteers needed to work the Festival-and also seek corporate and private funding. "One source will certainly be fundraisers," says Barrios. But he is realistic enough to recognize the challenge he and the other members of the PRCC face. "It's a huge opportunity for us, but we are the ones who have to make it happen. It has to be a community effort for the entire community. We have to let bygones be bygones and put our differences in the past. This is a good vehicle for us and we have to make it a showcase for our culture. We are the owners of it, and we have to show our pride of ownership," adds Barrios. Presently, the core group of the PRCC consists of Barrios, José "Pepe" Rivera, Lou Acosta, Councilman Dennis Flores, Victor Leandry, Ray Carrion, and Tito Rivera, all of whom are unpaid volunteers. Barrios is working on several exciting possibilities for the Festival week including bringing a prestigious museum-quality exhibition of pre-Columbian art into the Lorain public schools. "The art represents the history of the original native population of Puerto Rico and is an important part of our heritage. However, various issues such as security and insurance will have to be resolved before it can become a reality," he explains. Barrios is also hoping to bring the current Miss Puerto Rico Universe-Ingrid Marie Rivera Santos-to Lorain, to crown the community's Festival Princess. And he would like to have the President of Puerto Rico's Senate deliver the Festival's keynote address. "It is a matter of community pride. The majority of Puerto Ricans in the community are excited about playing some role in the Festival and seeing their community spotlighted for the week," says Barrios. "We will put on a great show," he promises. Editor's Note: Antonio Barrios is a well known freelance photographer and is the owner of FrameWorks. Terri Soto has been in charge of the Festival's annual Puerto Rican princess pageant and was last year's Festival's president. Last year's festival can be visited at: www.loraininternational.com If you would like to join the PRCC and are unable to attend the community meeting, you can contact Barrios at: lbarrio22@yahoo.com Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lorain's Puerto Rican community to be spotlighted in 2009 Lorain International Festival Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alan Abrams Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived La Prensa Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 17, 2008 Language A language of the resource English https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/df35e164e6a254bd284d29d526236d36.png 23509e5e6736ff2339cff6c83dfd5aad Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Los Nombres Cover Description An account of the resource Digital Album Cover Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gabriela Linares Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Jose Rivera Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Bandcamp Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource January 17, 2012 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/43f7039c2a67416f1e8a400e485f5c58.png 7e3aade3341bce861c3f6afe03113010 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Pearl Puzak Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Lourdes Bennett OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Bennett_Lourdes.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Lourdes Bennett Latino Lorain Fall 2020 Oberlin College Library Lourdes Bennett Pearl Puzak 0 https://youtu.be/HiFHYxy6hNc YouTube video 0 Lede Hi, my name is Pearl Puzak and I'm with Lourdes Bennett for the Latino Lorain Oral History Project. Thank you for being with me. Today is Saturday November 14, 2020. Pearl gives an introduction to contextualize the oral history. latino lorain ; lede ; oral history 24 Childhood and Growing up in South Lorain Pearl: &quot ; Would you be able to tell me about what your life was like growing up in Lorain?&quot ; Lourdes: &quot ; Where do I begin? It was for me, I'm lucky number 13 out of 14 siblings, so things were a little different for be from when my parents came. I loved South Lorain, I love the diversity of it. We had all our friends, we played, it's nothing like it is now. We had friends from school and church. It was a great childhood, not perfect, but a good upbringing&quot ; family ; siblings ; South Lorain ; upbringing 245 The Steel Mill Pearl: &quot ; You mentioned that your father worked at the steel mill. Could you contextual the steel mill, Puerto Rican immigrants, and your own family's story?&quot ; Lourdes: &quot ; Absolutely. My dad was having a hard time finding a job in Puerto Rico. Before he came here, he was selling oranges. He heard through the grapevine that there were jobs in the USA. He and his brother - they were the youngest - were hesitant to tell my abuelo that they wanted to come to the US, but when they finally did, he saw that both of them weren't able to find jobs.&quot ; Lourdes speaks about how her dad and uncle came to move to the USA from Puerto Rico and eventually to Lorain. They moved to New Jersey first, went back to Puerto Rico, and eventually landed in Lorain in 1950. Her dad was also married in 1950, and permanently moved in 1952. They didn't want to live in a boarding house with other steel mill workers, so they lived in an apartment and eventually a house as the family expanded. Lourdes uses the word 'sacrifice' to think about the price of a better life. boarding house ; childhood ; family ; immigrant ; Lorain ; Puerto Rico ; sacrifice ; steel mill 786 Family in Puerto Rico Pearl: &quot ; Is your family still in contact with anyone in Puerto Rico?&quot ; Lourdes: &quot ; Yes, a lot of our uncles and aunts are gone. I think my mom still has one sister still alive. My mom passed with she was 94, but their kids - we do stay in touch. There are certain members that we are more in contact with than others&quot ; Lourdes speaks about her family that is still in Puerto Rico, and the extent to which they're still in contact. She speaks about current events that effect travels, such as hurricanes and the Puerto Rican economy. Lourdes also discusses the difficulties of having aging family that are overseas. cousin ; economy ; family ; hurricane ; Puerto Rico 987 Schooling and Childhood Memories Pearl: &quot ; Do you have any memories that exemplify what it was like growing up in Lorain?&quot ; Lourdes: &quot ; A lot of great memories. School - I went to Lowell elementary, Whittier Junior High and Southview High School. None of those are still there, they've all been demolished over the last few years. I had great teachers, and the diversity of Lorain was amazing. I don't know why, but I recall having students in my classes who's names were just so different from my. It was a Greek name - there were all different types of nationalities. We all learned, we all struggled, especially those of us that had a hard time in school but I didn't feel any bad thoughts as far as there are now in terms of school.&quot ; Lourdes discusses her schooling and the diversity of her schools. She also discusses the cohesive atmosphere of South Lorain, the house she grew up in, and spending time with her siblings as a child. diversity ; family ; house ; Lorain ; school 1306 Relationships with Siblings Pearl: &quot ; Growing up in family of 14 siblings, do you want to speak about how you relationships have changed with your siblings from childhood to now, especially as they've gotten married and had kids?&quot ; Lourdes:&quot ; Sure, well it's funny because the younger ones - that's who I was closest to. My brother and I would make fun of my older sister because she was valedictorian, and here my brother and I came, we were way different. There were those expectation, kind of thing. We were more like pests to the older ones, growing up. But now, it's different. With the pandemic, we decided that we'd have weekly zoom calls with the siblings. The majority of the time it's the eight sisters that are on.&quot ; Lourdes speaks on her relationships with her siblings and how they've changed over time. Some siblings have moved away from Lorain. Lourdes was closer to the siblings her age as a kid, but have grown closer with the older ones as time has gone on. She also references divided political opinions in 2020, but emphasizes the importance of putting differences aside and loving her family. brother ; family ; Lorain ; siblings ; sister 1826 Professional Life Pearl: You went to school in Lorain all through high school, what happened when you graduated high school? Lourdes: I graduated high school and shortly after that, I got pregnant. So I worked. I have a 33 year old son, and a 22 year old son. Pretty much worked right after that, took classes here and there, we had to work at that point. Did a little bit of nonprofit work, then went into the legal field. I worked as an administrative assistant, executive assistant for a while, then went over to office assistant. I lived in Lorain my whole life, but I worked in Cleveland. Commuting back and forth&quot ; Lourdes speaks about her professional life and its progression. She began working as an administrative assistant in nonprofits and law firms in Cleveland before finding work at El Centro a few years ago. Lourdes always has known about El Centro, as she grew up nearby. She speaks about the meaning in doing work in her community. Cleveland ; community ; El Centro ; Latino ; Lorain ; nonprofit ; work 2337 El Centro and Collaboration Pearl: &quot ; In addition to El Centro, do you have any other institutions that you think have been really crucial to Lorain and have effected your life or the people's lives around you?&quot ; Lourdes: [hard to hear] &quot ; ... organizations or corporations that partner with El Centro. There's a lot of organizations, and that's one great thing about El Centro and Victor, he loves to partner. Why recreate the wheel if United Ways is already doing something similar and we can replicate that.&quot ; Lourdes speaks about other social services organizations that work with El Centro in Lorain, and praises Victor Leandry (director of El Centro) for his collaborative approach. collaboration ; El Centro ; Lorain ; nonprofit ; organization ; partnership 2517 Community in Lorain and the Future Pearl: &quot ; What do you think of when you think of your community in Lorain? Could you characterize that? Lourdes: &quot ; Resilient, probably when I was younger it was.. I'd use the word family. For the last few years, South Lorain is resilient, hopeful. Knowing what Lorain was at the high of the steel mill, the 50s and 60s, just knowing the history of it.. hopefully one day we'll get back to that, but I think it will be a different type of community. Seeing the collaboration with different councilmen and whatnot, they're trying to think out of the box.&quot ; Lourdes thinks about her the resiliency and hope she sees in her community to the future, and seeing how Lorain will develop. She talks about political collaboration and the advantages of having a lakefront for technology while reflecting on Lorain's past. community ; downtown ; history ; hope ; lake ; Latino Lorain ; Lorain ; Lorain Historical Society ; resilient ; steel mill ; technology 3168 Lorain's Community Pearl: &quot ; Can I ask you what your proudest moment of living in Lorain has been?&quot ; Lourdes: &quot ; I would say, being a member of the International City - but also looking back at the community and the people, and how we all came together when needed for various reason. It seems like we're still doing that. Again, there's been some rough times but being part of the International City and a community that comes together when needed - well when needed, not needed, but especially when needed. We have such a diverse community, and it's awesome to see that diversity coming together. Lourdes speaks about how the Lorain comes together as a community, and how unique it is due to the city's diversity. She discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Lorain's community over her lifetime. community ; diversity ; help ; International City ; Lorain ; resiliency ; sacrifice ; strength 3532 Lorain and COVID 19 Pearl: &quot ; I'm interested to hear how being in a pandemic and social distancing has impacted Lorain's cohesive community. Do you see the effects of the pandemic and how are people adapting? Lourdes: &quot ; We have. In terms of the numbers, Latinos in Lorain County, the numbers are a lot higher than others. We're doing great at work, at school, wearing a mask at the stores, but when it's Sunday afternoon and you go to your abuela's house, your aunt, your guard comes down, that's where a lot of the numbers are rising. I'm sure they're all asymptomatic and don't know it. In our culture, we hug and kiss every person who walks through the door. In my family, we do the fist bump or the elbow bump. It's weird, it's wrong, but we know we have to.&quot ; Lourdes talks about how Lorain is navigating the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and how her family is adjusting. She also speaks about the effects on El Centro programming. community ; coronavirus ; COVID 19 ; Latino ; Lorain ; Lorain County ; pandemic 4077 Lorain's Importance to Lourdes' Family Pearl: &quot ; It seems like Lorain has a very important history to you and your family, and I guess I'm wondering what makes it home? How do you see that developing in the future?&quot ; Lourdes: &quot ; Lorain definitely has a special place in my heart and my family's. There would be times when, what if Mami and Papi went to Chicago? What if.. whatever. They came to Lorain, and Lorain will always have a special place in our hearts. Whenever we see an article with Lorain, OH in it, my siblings will text it to us. My niece is in school in Colorado, and she was reading a book that mentioned Lorain, OH, so she took a picture of it and sent it. So even my nieces and nephews, they know how special Lorain is to us and will always be, because it formed us into who we are today, with my mom and dad, and their sacrifices. They came to Lorain to do it, and thank goodness that others came and they were able to relate to those people and have those other people to help out.&quot ; Lourdes speaks about why Lorain is important to her family and how she feels it has formed her family. Her nieces and nephews who don't live in Lorain still know the importance of the city to the family. community ; family ; home ; Lorain ; special place 4347 The Importance of Lorain's History Pearl: &quot ; Is there anything we haven't spoken about that you'd like to add?&quot ; Lourdes: &quot ; This is for the Latino Lorain History Project. Lorain - just thinking of the families that came for the hobs, we know a lot of them, my parents knew a lot of them, and we know the sacrifices that our mom and dad went through to come here, not knowing the language. There were probably some days they regretted it, but I think that kind of helped my mom and dad, knowing they were not alone. There were hundreds of other Puerto Ricans and Mexicans that came here, and it's a part of history from the late 40s to today that no other city can say what we did, they didn't do that. It's important that we capture that, it's important that the steel mill was a big part of Lorain and will always be a big part of Lorain for many families, for many generations. They wouldn't have come to Lorain without that steel mill, without Ford. Lorain is special, it's not perfect, just like any community. but all the sacrifices that were made, to see where the familes are now, and to see the hard work their parents did, it brings joy to my heart to see that and to see a lot of them still here in Lorain, trying to get it to another special place that it will one day become.&quot ; Lourdes speaks about the importance of capturing Lorain's history and unique story through the Latino Lorain Oral History Project. She finds joy in the close community of immigrants, and how many are still in Lorain. Lastly, Lourdes looks to the future of Lorain and is excited to see what it will become in the hands of a caring community. community ; family ; hard work ; history ; Latino Lorain History Project ; Lorain ; Puerto Rican ; sacrifice ; steel mill Lourdes Bennett's oral history narration for the Latino Lorain Oral History Project. video 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Bennett_Lourdes.xml LL_Bennett_Lourdes.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lourdes Bennett Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-11-14 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/3fc4af925d502a774a5ed46497bb43e1.png 8e48ce87e38a4e5f66f68642fc01e7de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data photo Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lourdes Bennett Family Photo Description An account of the resource Photograph of Ms. Bennett's mom (Juana Rivera), dad (Vicente Rivera left of my mom), uncle (Andres Rivera) and oldest sister Jenny Rivera Koinis taken around 1952. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Lourdes Bennett Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1952 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource png Type The nature or genre of the resource photograph https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/d8e590038bffb6d97ea153b5f5398bd5.jpg fc62682d43bb405324269ac5132cbf37 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data photo Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maggie Rivera-Tuma, speaks as part of the annual meeting of Neighborhood Alliance on June 28, 2018 Description An account of the resource Maggie Rivera-Tuma stands at the head table in a banquet hall behind a tabletop lecturn bearing the Neighborhood Alliance logo. Attendees are eating dinner at tables throughout the room and listening to Maggie Rivera-Tuma speak. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard Payerchin Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Morning Journal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 29, 2018 Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/195dd31e814d92c72a58804c544c0b0e.JPG 2eb14fe70bd5e0d088e257a07764235e Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maria & Isabel during the El Centro Virtual Gala Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Maria Carrion Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource January 7, 2020 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/15f4f56660715755f7220912e94f95b6.jpg 559924c507b91bc14f483c694a5f7686 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data photo Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maria and her six siblings at Lakeview Park Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Maria Carrion https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/5bab15f161a5af5f1be47bdbcad4ee30.jpg c15caf5c2eee94e2a2e2111674a515f5 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Zoe Jasper Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Maria Carrion OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Carrion_Maria.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Maria Carrion 01:02:36 Latino Lorain Fall 2020 Oberlin College Library Maria Carrion Zoe Jasper 0 https://youtu.be/9zBUmy7ezeE YouTube video 15 Introduction My name is Zoe Jasper, I'm a fourth year student at Oberlin College, and I'm here today interviewing Maria Carrion for the Latino Lorain oral history project, which is a collaboration between the Lorain Historical Society, El Centro, and Oberlin College. Thank you Maria for taking the time to speak with me and for contributing to this archive. Could you please state your full name and age? Interviewer and Carrion introduce themselves and establish that this interview is part of a collaboration between Oberlin College, El Centro de Servicios Sociales and the Lorain Historical Society, conducted online through Zoom due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus ; COVID-19 ; El Centro ; El Centro de Servicios Sociales ; Latino Lorain ; Lorain Historical Society ; Oberlin ; Oberlin College ; Zoom 72 Immediate Family Could you tell me a little bit about your family and where you grew up? Carrion shares the story of how her parents met, when her father was working at the steel mill in Lorain and her mother was living in Mexico. She also talks about her six siblings, where they have each ended up, and what it was like growing up in a big family. big family ; family ; growing up ; Lorain ; Mexico ; parents ; seven children ; siblings ; U.S. Steel plant 273 Puerto Rican and Mexican Heritage Last time we talked, you spoke a little bit about how your dad being Puerto Rican and your mom being Mexican had a big impact on you growing up and sort of your sense of yourself. Would you want to talk more about that? Carrion talks about how her Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage impacted her growing up. She also talks about balancing Latino and American cultural differences. She then delves into her parents' respective families and experiences of migration. American culture ; assimilation ; brother ; cultural differences ; culture ; culture at home ; diversity ; early life ; English ; ethnicity ; family ; food ; Ford Motor Company ; grandparents ; Hispanic ; identity issues ; language ; Latino ; Latino ethnic groups ; Mexican ; Mexico ; migration ; parents ; Puerto Rican ; Puerto Rico ; school ; siblings ; Spanish ; tradition 756 Higher Education and Career Path So, speaking of jobs actually, what kinds of jobs did you have, or where did you work when you were growing up? Carrion recalls working her first jobs as a high schooler and in her college years switching schools a few times because she was passionate about teaching but also interested in being able to make more money through secretarial and corporate jobs. Carrion talks about ultimately getting her degree in business, finding success in corporate jobs, but feeling unfulfilled. She discusses going to graduate school for a degree in health and human services before ending up at El Centro. She feels now that the stepping stones of her life have led her to a rewarding second career where she gets to teach and work with people of her ethnic background. 1970s ; Bachelor of Science in Business Administration ; Baldwin Wallace ; Baldwin Wallace University ; Boston ; Bristol Myers Squibb ; BSBA ; business ; career ; Caribbean ; college ; corporate jobs ; El Centro ; El Centro de Servicios Sociales ; executive assistant program ; Ford Motor Company ; fulfillment ; graduate school ; health and human services ; helping people ; hospital towel supply company ; jobs ; LCCC ; Lorain County Community College ; making own money ; money ; Northeastern ; Northeastern University ; pharmaceuticals ; secretary ; social services ; switched career path ; teacher ; thinking about retiring ; women's careers ; work 1180 El Centro and Religion Could you tell me more about the work you're doing at El Centro and how you got this job specifically? Carrion talks about returning to Lorain to care for her mother before she passed away and realizing she wanted to give back to her community through work in health and human services. Growing up, Carrion says that she had fewer interactions with the clients and community of El Centro because she did not go to high school in South Lorain. However, she says that church was the most important community institution for her during her early life. Since she felt limited by her family's religious lifestyle, religion is no longer a major part of Carrion's life. adding value ; Catholic ; church ; Clearview High School ; community ; community development ; El Centro ; El Centro de Servicios Sociales ; faith ; family ; giving back ; health and human services ; high school ; Housing and Physical Development Manager ; mortality ; mother passed away ; Princeton, NJ ; religion ; Sacred Heart Chapel ; South Lorain ; spirituality 1685 Changes to Lorain Over the Years This is sort of an unrelated question, but if you were to sort of think back to Lorain as a city more generally when you were growing up, how do you think you would describe it to young people today? Carrion describes how Lorain has changed since she grew up there and the core values that are still important to the city. She also talks about how perspectives on race and ethnicity have changed. community feeling ; core values ; early life ; education ; family ; helping each other ; industry ; kids ; Lorain ; Lorain, OH ; melting pot ; public transportation ; race ; racism ; respect ; The International City 1934 Personally and Historically Significant Moments in Lorain Could you share with me your proudest moment growing up in Lorain that you can think of? Carrion shares her proudest and most challenging moments growing up in Lorain. She also recalls moments and transitions she witnessed that were historically significant to the city. challenges ; changes ; Cleveland ; college ; degree ; education ; expectations for women ; family ties ; first gen ; first generation ; Ford Motor Company ; graduation ; high school ; independent ; industry ; industry moving out ; jobs ; leaving Lorain ; Lorain ; neighborhoods ; Northeastern ; Northeastern University ; proudest moment ; revenue ; self sufficient ; shipbuilding company ; transition 2409 Experiences Living in Other Cities Could you talk more about your experience first going to Boston and how that was different than what you might have been used to and what it was like to come home and see how things had changed? Carrion talks about her many positive experiences living in cities outside of Lorain, including Boston, Chicago, and San Juan. She also discusses the challenge of transitioning from life in Puerto Rico to Princeton. Boston ; career driven moves ; Caribbean ; Chicago ; college ; expatriate ; international experience ; job opportunities ; network ; new experiences ; positive experiences ; Princeton ; Puerto Rican ; Puerto Rico ; returning to US ; San Juan ; transitions 2803 Lorain Today and Plans for the Future So now that you are back in Lorain, what do you see as the greatest challenge facing people in the city right now? Carrion shares what she sees as the greatest challenging facing Lorain today as well as the city's greatest strengths. She then talks about her plans to live outside the US again in the future and the value of her international travels over the years. adding value ; adventure ; Barcelona ; community ; consulting ; culture ; dreaming ; Europe ; human race ; independent ; learning ; Lorain ; making a difference ; motivation ; narrow minded ; open minded ; outside the US ; pride in your city ; race ; retirement ; Spain ; travel 3228 Favorite Foods and Conclusion I was thinking back to earlier, about how you said there were sort of really different cultural differences between your Puerto Rican and Mexican sides and I was wondering if you had any specific foods from either side of the family that you remember fondly from your childhood. Carrion describes her favorite foods that she ate growing up, as well as her favorite places to eat in and outside of Lorain today. She dispels stereotypes and misconceptions about the foods of different Latino cultures. At the close of the interview, she expresses gratitude for the opportunities she has gotten in life and for her own work ethic and drive to succeed. bakery ; blessings ; Caribbean ; childhood ; Creole ; food ; giving back ; hard work ; Latino ; Lorain ; Mexican ; mother ; opportunities in life ; pastries ; Puerto Rican ; restaurants ; rice and beans ; school ; seasoning ; South American ; spicy food ; stereotypes ; success ; Tex Mex ; Thai food ; tortillas ; tostadas ; West Lake Oral History video 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Carrion_Maria.xml LL_Carrion_Maria.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0007 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maria Carrion Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-10-27 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/130f2d86e5acaa89f392634dc32d0763.JPG b237aa366a3bf0db9547613b264a7188 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maria with her students at El Centro Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Maria Carrion https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/ee3386c7244dbf0367e53bdc3dee017f.jpg 5823dcf44203fc62ea3178e241606da0 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maria's father, Ignacio Carrion Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Maria Carrion https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/af24dade33cd1f1580820cb49627d61d.JPG bd6b3353457b7af285ac8f5af529eab3 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maria's father, Ignacio Carrion, retired in Puerto Rico Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Maria Carrion https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/b3ab2cabbbdd01c248a68135f7b4dc02.JPG 9b4c091d9014d32b4d3c1cd2474b1023 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maria's mother, Maria Conchita Solis Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Maria Carrion https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/3d2524ab05cd4ab547436a9b3f060065.PNG 0c47e7c56eda596ea623d85dc91641ef Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Jonathan Bruzon Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Marty Martinez OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Martinez_Marty.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Marty Martinez Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Marty Martinez Jonathan Bruzon 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/tb09j569g Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Marty Martinez&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/mk61rg95s/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction to Interview with Marty Martinez 29 Early Life in Lorain &quot ; So could you first begin by telling me a little a bit about where you were born and where you grew up?&quot ; &quot ; I was born and raised in Ohio and uh, I'm an Italian-Mexican so I lived in the Italian section for the first five years, and then we were some of the first to move to Homewood in South Lorain...&quot ; Marty Martinez was born and raised in Lorain in the mid-1940s, first born in the Italian section of Lorain and then moving to Homewood in South Lorain. He discusses his education path, particularly noting his time at junior high as being very influential for being a tough school. He graduated high school and pursued night classes before enlisting in the military. He also details his family, introducing his Mexican father, Italian mother, and younger sister. He emphasizes that all his decisions were made with family in mind, noting his grandfather on his mother's side as being his biggest role-model, with the Lorain community also helping to raise him as well. Education ; Family ; Role-Model 487 Enlistment and Family Reactions &quot ; So talking about decisions and family, you kinda talked already about how you decided to enlist in the military, so when did you start thinking about military service as something you wanted to do?&quot ; &quot ; I started thinking about it in December of that year cause I was lost. I went to night school for computers. I couldn't afford college ; I didn't have the grades to get the scholarships, but I was just lost from the time I graduated, and I just wanted to get it over with cause I knew I was gonna get drafted.&quot ; After graduating high school, Marty pursued night school as he could not afford college at the time. Claiming to feel lost, he decided to enlist in the military mainly since he knew he was going to be drafted anyways and did not want to delay the inevitable. His main reasoning for joining the Air Force was his constant mentality of &quot ; what can I do to survive,&quot ; joining as he knew the odds of surviving there were greater than that of the Army. He also joined the Air Force knowing that his grandfather once served there. He notes that while his mother was angry with him for enlisting and the rest of his family distraught, they knew that he had to go serve. Enlistment ; Survival ; U.S. Air Force 672 Military Service and Experiences in the U.S. Air Force &quot ; What was your most vivid memory that you can remember either in training or in school?&quot ; &quot ; I went to basic training like everybody, and while I was doing guard duty I bumped into a guy I grew up with. It's a small world. And then after basic training, I was transferred to outside Montgomery, Alabama for medical school cause I was in the medics...&quot ; Marty began his service with basic training and guard duty, then being transferred to Alabama for medical school to serve as a patient care medic. He notes that he was there during the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s, having to be cautious because of prejudice and racism there. He then transferred to Tennessee for tactical air command, serving in supply transportation. He was then ordered to a station in the Dominican Republic, serving as a night guard assigned to take care of the labor force. He found his time there to be especially difficult due to the hot weather and dark nights, and even mentioned never being told who the &quot ; enemy&quot ; was. He was then transferred back to Tennessee until 1966, when he was ordered to go to France and then England, and mentions his time in Europe as being his most fond memory of his service. He then ends his description of his service by admitting that he did not wish to come back home once his service was over. Dominican Republic ; Europe ; Medics ; Tactical Air Command 1164 Post-Service: Occupations and Struggles &quot ; I was in England and I stayed 6 months in England because I didn't wanna come home. I would've stayed but I survived the war, it's all about survival. I survived in the first place, why would I wanna stay in when this time I'd go for sure. So I ended up coming home and the only reason I came home was cause of my grandfather Ragnoni, I just loved him dearly...&quot ; Marty reflects on his feelings of not wishing to come home after service, noting that the biggest reason he returned was to see his grandfather, who he ended up staying with when he first returned. He emphasizes the feeling of betrayal he experienced upon his return, noting that veterans are often thanked now upon the basis that the military is now volunteer-based, but he was never given any gratitude at the time of his return. He then goes on to discuss his post-service education and occupations, beginning with his studies at Lorain Community College in computer science while working at Standard Oil of Ohio (SOHIO) in marketing. He then went on to major in business at Baldwin Wallace University while making a living. He recounts the many occupations he's had, including a traveling insurance company, Cleveland Clinic, and multiple banks. He found out very difficult and discouraging to navigate through these, mentioning that despite his hard work he was treated poorly and almost never rewarded with any raises, bonuses, or promotions. He even brings up the psychological troubles he has faced because of these struggles, and he began to question whether his efforts were worth it. Betrayal ; Corporate America ; Higher Education ; Mental Health ; Occupations 2186 Starting a Family: Holding Family as a Core Value &quot ; I met my wife in 1972. I was on a drinking spree, I was at a bar. I met her at Beaver Park, and she was the most beautiful thing I ever saw, and we started dating...&quot ; Marty recounts first meeting his spouse at Beaver Park in Lorain, Ohio, and then marrying her in 1973, also mentioning his two sons who were born in 1974 and 1977. One of their challenges with starting a family involved debt, with his spouse receiving an operation without insurance before they were married, and then giving birth to their first son still without insurance. He shares his admiration and respect for his spouse, claiming both that she and his grandfather were the two most important people in his life. He is grateful of his spouse for having helped him through his toughest times during his life after service. He once again emphasizes that his reasoning behind all his decisions is based around family, and what he can best do to protect them. Debt ; Family ; Spouse 2473 Community and Camaraderie &quot ; What we've learned growing up in South Lorain, we learned to understand you right away, cause I had to know when you come at me, are you gonna stick me, beat the heck out of me, or be nice to me? We all had to learn that...&quot ; Reflecting on the values and lessons his upbringing in Lorain taught him, Marty mentions the importance of helping one another in the community and knowing as many people as possible. He also recalls his time spent in the old neighborhood house and new neighborhood house (modern-day El Centro de Servicios Sociales) for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Chicanos clubs, as well as the work that social workers in Lorain provided him with. He also touches upon the sense of camaraderie during his service, mentioning that has units felt like family to him. He recalls times spent with his friends in military service and the difficulties they would help each other through. Despite the unpleasant conditions during his time in the Dominican Republic, he is very thankful for his officers and comrades, and claims to have been treated very well. Community ; Connection ; Friendship 2912 Coping With Prejudice &quot ; What was that sense of coping with prejudice for you like, if you don't mind me asking?&quot ; &quot ; Growing up in Elyria- Lorain I mean, I was protected a lot but I had to watch myself.&quot ; Marty emphasizes the importance of watching where you went in Lorain, recalling the times where he was kicked out of a past partner's house by her father, and another where his group, the Chicanos, were almost kicked out of a bar by patrons. He also notes how important his association with his family name, the Chicanos, and the VFW all helped him by bringing in a factor of intimidation, emphasizing the importance of intimidation and association as survival tactics at that time. Chicanos ; Prejudice ; Survival ; Veterans of Foreign Wars 3117 Messages for Future Generations and Closing Thoughts &quot ; Are there any other messages that you want future generations to hear from you personally?&quot ; &quot ; Yeah and I brought them up off and on: I'm not used to 'it's all about me,' that's not our generation. And what they need to know, and what I'm seeing it as is they don't know who they are. They need to know who they are, where they come from, and they need to understand our history.&quot ; When asked what messages he would leave with future generations, Marty advises them to be selfless and realize the importance of histories, both their own and those of others. He asserts that the issues we face today are a result of people not learning our understanding our past history, pointing out U.S. history in particular as an example of this. He states that doing so will help people be more understanding of one another and the cultures they bring with them. He also advises future generations to listen to his generation's stories, emphasizing the men who were lost in the war as true martyrs. He closes off by emphasizing how thankful he is to have survived, and that he continues to think positive and give back to the community as much as he can. Advice ; Martyr ; Selfless ; Storytelling In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Martinez_Marty.xml LL_Martinez_Marty.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0013 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/e43a27c155a174602c84f9c6adb4c0fe.jpg a720e92bba8e083683d69bccac6ed13c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez in uniform at the Chicksands Airforce Base Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Matinez https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/9f6b5aded2d8957bc470edebd0533a17.jpg add3d1ba26742897682ec1821281853e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez in uniform with a woman Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Martinez https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/bb086125f2cfd9fa527c70ff4fa47e62.jpg 5258ae329d70bf5c0766821287702a77 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez's Lackland Military Training Center letter Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Martinez https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/56f649ba710fa71cfb905185e0e057a4.jpg 83ea96116f05aa8d26ca7527634134dc Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez's Military service from December 1964-May 1969 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Martinez https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/d4323050418cdb7d9395d46fd8477530.jpg b39e9c6727050bacea0b4caaf940f46f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez's Selective Service System Registration Certificate Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Martinez https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/58f7f7c13069238932da7042c9d124ab.jpg 9e9e98b458699c3b174890c5b67454f7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marty Martinez's Selective Service System Registration Certificate Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Marty Martinez https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/574f61e77d25bc29093f781509ab7ed6.PNG 59b08622d7442c198830e442182615cf Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Leah Yonemoto-Weston Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Merida Rodriguez OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rodriguez_Merida.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Merida Rodriguez Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Merida Rodriguez Leah Yonemoto-Weston 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/5999n342c Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Merida Rodriguez&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/nv935287v/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction to interview with Merida Rodriguez Okay, we have to start by doing what’s called a LEDE. It’s just kind of an introduction by saying I’m here interviewing Ms. Merida Rodriguez and like a formal statement. Do you want me to say Mary or Merida for this? Yonemoto-Weston conducts a LEDE and introduces Merida Rodriguez who is being interviewed on October 29th, 2022 for the Latino Veterans Oral History Project which is a collaboration between the Lorain Historical Society, El Centro de Servicios Sociales and Oberlin College. 47 Early life, from Puerto Rico to Lorain We’ll begin with some questions about your early life if that’s ok? So I guess we’ll just start with, can you begin by telling me where you were born and where you grew up? Rodriguez recounts that she was born in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico and then brought to Lorain, Ohio a year later by her family where she has lived ever since. She states that she knows Lorain very well and that the location for the interview (Lorain Historical Society) was once a public library. Rodriguez describes being raised in the neighborhood surrounding Lorain Historical Society, Downtown Broadway, in apartments with many other Hispanic families and attending the local schools. She recounts that she met her husband and other friends, including Celestino Rivera, through Sacred Heart Chapel’s youth groups. Rodriguez describes how she and her husband made their first Communion together as children before becoming a couple many years later. Catholicism ; friends ; migration ; Sacred Heart Chapel ; Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico 214 Meeting husband and early days of relationship Wow! That’s so wild! So how old were you when you and your husband started dating? Rodriguez describes that she and her husband started dating when she was 17 years old after finishing high school. She states that knowing her husband through her brothers growing up made him feel like a friend first and foremost before developing a romantic relationship with him. Rodriguez describes how her husband was drafted and sent to Vietnam while the two were dating. They eventually reunited in Puerto Rico when he received “R and R” and Rodriguez went to meet and visit family there. She describes the joy of meeting both her own family and her husband’s family as well during this trip. family ; Puerto Rico ; Vietnam War 315 Family and friends in the military I definitely want to talk about, obviously, your husband’s service and everything like that in Vietnam, but before we go there, you talked about your brothers. Did you have any sisters as well? Rodriguez discusses her family including how she has two older brothers but no sisters. One of her brothers, Hector Rodriguez, was in the air force and served for four years and their other brother, Angel, was in the navy. Rodriguez describes how neither of her brothers were sent to Vietnam but instead to Thailand and The Netherlands. After their military service, both the brothers came back to Lorain and got married. Rodriguez describes how she knew many people in the military and many military families growing up. Most of her friends were drafted, including her husband. However, she describes that her brothers enlisted. Yonemoto-Weston asks about other members of Rodriguez’s family growing up and Rodriguez describes how her father came to Lorain to work in the steel mill. Rodriguez recounts that her father left Puerto Rico for Connecticut with his brother before moving to Lorain and that after he was able to save up money, he sent for Rodriguez and her mother and brothers in Puerto Rico and moved them to the U.S. with him. Rodriguez states that Lorain is most of what she knows in respect to her surroundings as she has lived there for so long and the vast majority of her life. draft ; military family ; U.S. Air Force ; U.S. Navy 467 Life in Lorain during husband’s service and difficulties of his return after war We can talk a little bit more about your husband’s service if that’s alright with you. So you met at Sacred Heart and then how did you learn he was being drafted? What did that feel like to you? Rodriguez recounts that the draft was a communal thing during the Vietnam War and how most of her male family and friends were drafted around the same time in 1968-69 and pretty much everyone in her community knew someone in the military. Rodriguez describes dating her husband before he served six months in Vietnam and then returning to Lorain together from their trip to Puerto Rico after his service. She states that the two dated for a bit longer after returning to Lorain before getting engaged. Rodriguez recalls that she could see the difference in her husband’s personality after his return from Vietnam. She describes him being less calm and relaxed and having anxiety, which was difficult for her to understand. Rodriguez discusses how the general American societal culture at the time was very hostile towards Vietnam veterans and that her husband experienced harassment including being spit on and being told not to wear his uniform upon returning to the U.S. Rodriguez states that she heard and saw these things but that they were hard for her to absorb or fully understand as a civilian who’s relationship with her husband was independent from the military and his service. She states that the world was in a very different place and time culturally. Rodriguez recalls that this time was very difficult because she did not understand where her husband’s anxiety and depression were coming from and that she felt she was naive to these issues when she married a person who was struggling. Yonemoto-Weston asks what kinds of things Rodriguez was involved with while her husband was away in Vietnam. Rodriguez answers that she attended beauty school and started working in various beauty parlors as she waited for her husband to return. She also states that she found community in her church with other women whose husbands or fiancees were at war. Rodriguez describes this as a traumatic time as the community repeatedly had to experience the loss of friends and family serving overseas. She reminisces about sending letters to her husband while he was away and receiving the letter with the news that he was being discharged. depression ; discrimination ; marriage ; Sacred Heart Chapel ; trauma ; Vietnam 975 Marriage and family life, husband’s journey to recovery Could you tell me more about your life after he was discharged and what that was like? Your married life? Rodriguez discusses how over all her marriage has been wonderful and she feels lucky. She talks about how once she and her husband had children in the 1960s, things started to change in terms of her husband’s mental health and Rodriguez could not understand this shift. She gives examples of how his PTSD would affect the family like that he could only sit facing the windows of a building in public settings and did not like crowds and how this represented a loss of trust in the community around him. Rodriguez describes her husband as not feeling secure during this time. She emphasized however, that her husband was a wonderful father and did not let his mental health issues affect his parenting. In fact, according to Rodriguez, her husband would emphasize to his children that they were lucky to have the things they did in the US and that children in Vietnam did not have the same privileges. Rodrgiuez expresses that she feels that she had to keep a lot secret and hold a lot of her husband’s trauma and that she believes many Vietnam veteran wives feel the same way. She discusses how the creation of VA programs and the expansion of mental health awareness has made things a lot easier for their family in the past few decades. children ; family ; mental health ; VA medical center ; Veterans Affairs 1401 PTSD and cultural mental health education Because it’s, uh, it’s, I have to tell you it’s sad when you see someone you love suffer from anxiety, depression, which is what we know today as PTSD. I didn’t even know what that meant. I remember he used to come home and say, “You know they say I have PTSD!” and I’m like “Well, what’s that?”. So we all had to be educated on that. Rodriguez discusses how awareness around PTSD and veterans’ mental health has become more widespread in the past 20 years and how this has helped her community and family. She describes that understanding and naming the things her husband has gone through validates her experiences because it was difficult to help her husband through this PTSD. marital relationship ; PTSD ; spouse ; stigma 1599 Pride and strength Was there anything you found to be good or fulfilling about being the wife of a Vietnam vet? Or any positive parts? Rodriguez states that a positive part of being a Vietnam veteran’s wife has made her very prideful and aware of the sacrifices veterans have gone through. She describes feeling glad that she was naive to the atrocities of war while it was happening or else she does not know how the community would have coped. Rodriguez describes the strength, empathy, kindness, and compassion she gained from being a Vietnam veteran’s wife. Though she describes herself as being less trusting as well and feels well aware of the toll war takes on people. She praises her children for enduring the aftermath of their father’s service. familial support ; respect 1911 Message for future generations What message would you like to leave for future generations who might view or hear this interview? Rodriguez describes her message for future generations as to not give up on one’s family struggling with mental health issues as veterans. She describes the importance of continuing to support veterans through the hard times and help destigmatize mental health. future ; love ; support In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Rodriguez_Merida.xml LL_Rodriguez_Merida.xml Sort Priority This field should be added if you are using the Philly Theme with your OHMSPlugin Suite 0023 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Merida Rodriguez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-10-29 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/0a0054b8e52a60ac18c7511cd6568257.jpg 2bfc1a81561d1edac96381a3280b742c https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/13834a8c8f6cb7983dcd49c3d55256e1.jpg 16425c0274dc6ff2c9bb6bbc0a74d43d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mexican families in Lorain (1921) Description An account of the resource Some of the first few Mexican families that lived in Lorain, specifically South Lorain who were employed by the B&O Railroad or the steel mill. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Lorain Historical Society Type The nature or genre of the resource Photographs Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kahtia Moyotl https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/73f1c01c3f86b4d579e996be61dcb5f9.jpg 6115e25d0cef15eaef09b8e40c1a1789 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Walter Thomas-Patterson Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Mike Ferrer OHMS Object This field contains the OHMS Hyperlink (link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer) https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Ferrer_Mike.xml OHMS Object Text The field contains the OHMS Index and/or Transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable within Omeka 5.4 Mike Ferrer 01:31:07 Latino Lorain Latino Veterans Fall 2023 Oberlin College Libraries oberlin Mike Ferrer Walter Thomas-Patterson 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/9c67wm83m Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title="Mike Ferrer" src="//media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/6682x398c/embed" width="600" height="337" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; English 77 Introduction Hello my name is Walter Thomas-Patterson, and I am here with Mike Ferrer to interview him as part of the Latino Veterans Oral History Project, and for the record can you state your name and birth date Ferrer states his name and birthdate. The interview setting is the Lorain Historical Society.&#13 ; Lorain Historical Society ; Latino Veterans ; Oral History Project. 0 78 Childhood in New York City Where were you born and where did you grow up Ferrer discusses his early life and his family growing up as being one of four boys living. His family lived in the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens in New York. He stated that his biological father was mostly out-of-the-picture ; Ferrer recalled one time when his father picked him up from school, which was a notable event. Ferrer stated that his mother was from Sabana Grande, a small town in Puerto Rico ; she was the one who mainly raised him.&#13 ; &#13 ; His upbringing in New York during the 1960s was chaotic. He recalls "playing on the roofs of Manhattan, gangs everywhere, people threatening to take your lunch money,” and that his schooling was marked by inconsistency: “we switched schools every year, year-and-a-half maybe.” Ferrer stated that his schools in New York were predominantly African-American. He stated that in reference to his childhood in New York City: “you never think you’re having a bad childhood when you have so many crumpled buildings to play in.”&#13 ; Manhattan, New York ; Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico ; childhood ; Lorain. 0 79 Childhood in Lorain, Ohio We came to Lorain for a very strange reason. The family moved out of New York City after one of his brothers started robbing department stores and was eventually caught by police. His mother, determined to not have another one of her children descend into crime, decided to move the family to Lorain, Ohio, where his grandmother lived.&#13 ; &#13 ; Ferrer explained that his upbringing living in South Lorain was “docile” compared to the streets of New York. Ferrer recalls being amazed by the grassy lawns that dotted the sidewalks in his neighborhood, and his perception of less crime. His mother remarried while they were in Ohio, and Ferrer started working for his Uncle who owned a bakery.&#13 ; &#13 ; Ferrer added that more broadly during his childhood, his family tended to avoid discussing difficult or uncomfortable topics ; “we never dealt with issues, we never discussed problems,” he stated. The general expectation was to toughen up and face the circumstances you were given, he reiterated.&#13 ; &#13 ; He stated that during high school, although he had trouble with tardiness, he was able to immerse himself in theater and take classes on Shakespeare and Greek.&#13 ; Migration ; crime ; family ; theater ; friends ; high school ; Shakespeare 0 153 Race in his Early Life How was race talked about in your early life? He mentions that he never remembers being subject to racism in New York: “I do not ever remember being subjected to racism. It was always ‘punk kid,’ but never ‘punk, Puerto Rican kid.’&#13 ; race ; racism ; New York City ; African-Americans 0 222 Life in College What was your experience in College? Ferrer says that he did not consider applying to college, and he envisioned himself staying near his home and playing basketball post-high school. However, his mother and his English teacher worked together and applied to Bowling Green State University for him. Ferrer recalled receiving a letter in the mail with his acceptance.&#13 ; &#13 ; During his time at Bowling Green, Ferrer became involved in the Latino Student Union at Bowling Green, where he wrote speeches and other literature for their activities.&#13 ; &#13 ; He noted that he became more distant from his Puerto Rican identity in College, stating that he struggled to reconcile the version of obedience that his mother and relatives taught him when speaking to authority figures (teachers and cops): “they always looked down at the ground,” which Ferrer assumed meant “they were either afraid or they were ashamed to be Hispanic.” Ferrer explained that his perception of hispanic subservience troubled him during college, and that as a result, his Puerto Rican identity became a source of shame. “I don’t wanna be Hispanic in college because I’m not subservient to anybody.” Ferrer clarified that his name gained a variety of ethnic connotations as a result: “so Ferrer was either French or Italian. . . but never Puerto Rican.” He says that the only people that knew he was Hispanic were his fellow classmates in the Latino Student Union.&#13 ; College ; Bowling Green State University ; Latino Student Union ; Hispanic identity 0 282 Military Service It was my last semester, and we were partyin. Ferrer said that he struggled during his final semester in college ; he was failing his courses and hanging out with friends who would party late into the night. One day during his final semester, he stumbled upon a military recruiter stationed on his college campus, and recalled addressing the recruiter: “yo man, if you can get me out of this semester in a week, I will join the military.” Ferrer said that his decision to join the military was not motivated by a patriotic duty ; rather, he saw it as an opportunity to escape his current circumstances. He traveled to Ft. Jackson in North Carolina to prepare for Basic Training, which he described as quite comfortable relative to what came next.&#13 ; &#13 ; After his time in North Carolina, Ferrer traveled to Ft. Campbell Kentucky for Basic Training for six weeks. He recalls being roused from his barracks early in the morning and whisked onto a bus to Fort Campbell. Upon arriving at Fort Campbell Kentucky, he recalled encountering drill sergeants for the first time, who rushed on the bus and started yelling. This experience was emblematic of what the next six weeks became for him. According to Ferrer, this time, “was the scariest time of my life, but it was also the first time I understood what discipline was.”&#13 ; &#13 ; Later, Ferrer recalled how his time in Basic Training helped him clarify the difference between obedience through fear, which his mother instilled in him, and obedience through discipline, which he began to internalize during basic training.&#13 ; 0 329 Joining the Commander and Chief's Guard When I get back to the barracks, there is this guy standing by the shower. During his time in advanced individual training, which came after basic training, Ferrer was recruited to join the Commander and Chief’s Guard, which is the personal escort of the United States President. Ferrer recalled receiving a top-secret White House Clearance for this job.&#13 ; &#13 ; Ferrer said there were a number of different roles he was expected to carry out on a daily basis. He took part in ceremonies and events involving the president. He saluted the president if, for example, the president was entering or leaving a specific area. He was also expected to march by the presidential motorcade.&#13 ; &#13 ; If a U.S. soldier was killed in action, his unit was expected to carry the casket of the deceased. Ferrer participated in Arlington National Cemetery Memorials and remembers standing by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Once a year, he took part in putting flags in front of every single gravestone in Arlington National Cemetery, which he remembered being an especially tedious task.&#13 ; &#13 ; In addition to his roles in Washington D.C, Ferrer remembered participating in ceremonies in Virginia to welcome foreign dignitaries to the United States, who arrived at different Virginia military bases. He remembered the tremendous amount of preparation and attention-to-detail he had to practice to be prepared.&#13 ; &#13 ; Beyond his ceremonial roles, Ferrer participated in a traveling show called the “Spirit of America.” as part of the Commander and Chief’s Guard. They would travel the country and perform military reenactments of the Revolutionary War—dressing up as colonial and British soldiers and firing their prop muskets at one another. Ferrer recalled the elaborate choreography and presentation skills that these shows involved.&#13 ; &#13 ; Serving in the Commander and Chief’s Guard was a sought-after position, and Ferrer said that if soldiers dropped their rifle, then they were transferred out of the unit Korea. This was a common occurrence for many soldiers, Ferrer stated, because they could easily pass out if they locked their knees while standing.&#13 ; &#13 ; Ferrer eventually left the Commander and Chief’s Guard after his daughter was born. &#13 ; Commander and Chief’s Guard ; Arlington National Cemetery ; Washington D.C. 0 396 Leaving the Military When I got out, I decided I’m gonna go back to college. Ferrer explained that after being discharged from the military, he was more mature ; he received straight A’s in his final semester and graduated. He said that his experience in the military was transformative because of the lessons it taught him about discipline. He started grant-writing for local organizations, but initially struggled to find his calling. Fortunately however, he was offered a job as director of the youth center in Lorain. Even though he took a significant pay cut, he quickly fell in love with his job. Most notably, he started a theater program that ran successfully for fifteen years.&#13 ; 0 442 Lessons from the Military Can you describe how your time in the military informed your work? “In the military, you cannot fail,” Ferrer declared, “You assume that every mission you were given, you were going to do.” The rigid nature of the military command structure, where failure was not an option, motivated his later desire to work with underprivileged kids in Lorain who were vulnerable to joining organized crime. Ferrer inserted this sense of order into his teaching practice. Additionally, he incorporated the physicality of military instruction into his positions as a community organizer in Lorain.&#13 ; &#13 ; Ferrer described that on a psychological level, his ability to distance himself from negative and destructive thoughts that would previously feel overwhelming were another critical lesson from the military. His ability to dissociate from feelings of anger is a key psychological practice that he has passed on to his mentees.&#13 ; Military discipline ; theater ; workforce development agency ; mentorship. 0 503 Perception of Military I think any experience can be good or bad, it depends on who your mentors are ; who your associates are ; who you hang out with, how easily it is for people to get on your head. Ferrer emphasized that the military was not a cure-all for society ills, but it was an opportunity for building character and responsibility. It helped develop young people’s sense of pride, but crucially, only if those buy into the structure that it provides: “It’s what you make of it,” Ferrer said. Ferrer added that from his perception, the military played a crucial role in removing kids he knew from toxic home lives, where they were especially vulnerable: "In my book, the military has saved 27 kids.” Ferrer summarized that he doesn’t attach a value-judgment to the military, rather, it gives people an opportunity, and they can choose what they want to make with that.&#13 ; Family ; military and character building ; opportunity 0 572 On Himself as a Latino and a Veteran Now everywhere I go and everything I do, there is not a person I know who doesn’t know that I’m Puerto Rican. Ferrer said that his views on race have changed as compared to when he was younger. He says he had a better understanding of how unconscious bias impacts treatment of Latinos in the United States, and said he was frustrated by how people lack a recognition of their own bias. He stated that he does not experience racism in his life. On the topic of military in politics, Ferrer said he tries to remain neutral ; he said that on a personal level, he carries his own beliefs on the military.&#13 ; Race ; racism ; unconscious bias 0 623 Closing Thoughts No one teaches me as much as these young people. Ferrer described the kinds of lessons he had learned throughout his life in service, as well as the values he seeks to uphold. He said that he sees himself “as a life-long learner,” and the enduring relevance that young people hold in shaping his own life. He said that his life-long dedication to service has only energized him to continue working with kids as long as he can.&#13 ; LCCC (Lorain County Community College) ; senior citizens ; service. 0 659 Message to Future Generations What’s your message for future generations? Ferrer emphasized the importance of listening to your heart and finding friends that care about you. Ferrer said it is crucial to be able to distinguish between acquaintances, or people you just know, to real friends, who can aid you during a difficult time. He described showing his mentees optical illusions that challenge their decision-making abilities ; it takes time for the viewer to see the various pictures within the illusions, and through this process, Ferrer said he helps them realize the downside in jumping to conclusions: “Let things filter in,” Ferrer emphasized, “Don’t trust family for everything. Friendship ; mentorship ; family 0 Oral History In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Ferrer_Mike.xml LL_Ferrer_Mike.xml Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2023-10-28 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/f1b4362936da310d4a85101ef9655fa7.jpg 4625b8eff6d747ba4a3b26af30e467cf https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/d5442d69c5eaf6608f259f7fc5c837ba.jpg 3f3e59a5b7690aff8366bdada7a4c075 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer at Fort Drum Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource (New York) February 1984 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/21f2c4ddf3003b0e1070a9616ffd1d27.jpg 369a7fa7021880a4925b4d3436ef618d https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/7329056de03dc3d3851402f0ca9c1c49.jpg af4365202642109e37b2459ea88950fd Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer at Fort Totten Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource (Queens, New York) February 1984 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/2f99afb1be020449df0c617ea44bab14.jpg e6defaf3c47c1a0d3caab8fba6b29ced Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer Description An account of the resource Test description Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer Portrait 1 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/0638c3a054a083739e6d126c80aa6aab.jpg 6115e25d0cef15eaef09b8e40c1a1789 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer Description An account of the resource Test description Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mike Ferrer Portrait 2 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/1447c837e593b235e02038e48d130998.png df9e8b3e2bd05b4e54d2d761069b0f91 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Morell Collage 1 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/b3b3b2a53a0b5385c824b53693a85c31.png 57c26e9eaa2326d341228242c416198f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Morell Collage 2 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/b0b1f8e6e51ac7f7e7762e21d14c8899.png 337a1b7ce50ca920370bc99123000fa6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Morell Collage 3 https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/8d58c652feac4b498d041f55e5a2f92b.pdf cd79d6f36e07bb25dfc8a0a3fbecc41d Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Morning Journal Newspaper Article on Victor Leandry Description An account of the resource Newspaper article about the work Victor Leandry and El Centro do in Lorain to help the Hispanic community. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kaylee Remington Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Victor Leandry Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Morning Journal Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource newspaper https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/940a068370650014c33716484ca5b01d.pdf bc8053a07c85f7f6598101c6a8521edd Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Text Any textual data included in the document "BOOM TOWN. Overcrowding and substandard housing are symptoms of Lorain's rapid postwar boom. Top left: Two National Tube Co. 'in-migrants,' Leon Lake, jr., (on bed) and Carlos Gower, in the room they have shared with as many as five other men. Top right: Lake points to a rotting fire hose on a floor housing 40 men. The valve was on, but no water came. Below right: White barracks house Puerto Rican laborers on steel company property." Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource National Tube Co. Housing Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cleveland Plain Dealer Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 27, 1948 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper article Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Pearl Puzak https://latinolorain.oberlincollegelibrary.org/files/original/d53a1effc6ff0b58cb7f152b6ee249a3.JPG 6c705349a675e9e9b2058d1904cb7a98 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data photo Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New York Puerto Rican Parade Description An account of the resource Photo of Victor Leandry alongside his daughter at the New York Puerto Rican Parade. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Victor Leandry Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Victor Leandry Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource photo