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Herman Badillo Community School was the location of the first bilingual education program in Western New York and began in 1971. It was named after the first Puerto Rican to be elected as New York City Borough President of the Bronx and as a United…

The Hispanic Women's League was formed in 1979 by a group of professional Latinas who wanted to provided financial assistance to younger Latinas to be "more than just housewives". At this time women were becoming more involved in professional careers…

This interview with Dora Esplugas and her sister Rosa (last name unknown) was conducted on August 21, 2013 in Orchard Park, NY and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. Dora and Rosa were born in Havana, Cuba and we exiled by the Castro regime for…

Pedro Maurás was born in Puerto Rico and worked on a sugar plantation until he received notice from his brother that there were well paying jobs in Buffalo. Pedro migrated to Buffalo without a formal education but eventually found employment on a…

The interview took place in Olga’s home in Buffalo, NY on August 13, 2003 and was conducted by Alma Carrillo. Olga was born in Cuba and came to the US in 1960. She then moved to Buffalo in 1966 when she graduated and got a PhD from Harvard in Latin…

This interview with Lucy Candelario took place on May 8, 2014 at the Father Belle Center in Buffalo, NY and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. Lucy was born in Buffalo, NY to a Puerto Rican migrant family. Lucy’s father and grandfather both worked…

This interview with Eleanor Paterson took place at Erie Community College (ECC) in Downtown Buffalo, NY. Eleanor is the director of the Bilingual Program at ECC and has been a part of the Hispanic Women’s League since 1983. Eleanor comes from a…

This interview with Miguel Santos took place on March 1, 2012 in Buffalo, NY and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. Miguel arrived in Buffalo to find that there was a growing Hispanic population and became actively involved in supporting it. Miguel…

This interview with Ventura Colon was conducted by Maritza Vega on August 3, 2014. Ventura Colon arrived in Buffalo as a child in 1956. He grew up on the East Side in a predominantly Italian and Puerto Rican community. At the time, the East Side was…

This interview with Ana Velazquez took place on September 6, 2013 in Orchard Park, NY and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. Ana Velazquez grew up in Texas with her family until they later moved to Bay City, Michigan where her parents found new…