1 10 1 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/34476fc540712d8ffb222234a2f5285d.mp3 f924da4aac53993554d293c96cabde9b https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/ca758298d53cb189112ea5dfe910a4ce.pdf 6d90eb076c6e4174623bec96e2437ada PDF Text Text Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY “Bring Us Your History!” Project Interviewee: Alicia Granto Interview Location: Buffalo, NY Interview Date: 8/26/2013 Interview Conducted by: Stephanie Bucalo Length: 1:45:44 Executive Summary: This interview with Alicia Granto took place on August 26, 2013 in Buffalo, NY and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. Alicia was born in Cuba but later migrated with her family to Niagara Falls, NY. Alicia was fifteen years old when she first arrived and admitted that the transition from Cuba to the United States was challenging. At the time there were only two Cuban families living in Niagara Falls so many people didn’t really know about her culture. Alicia describes her time living in Niagara Falls where she met her first husband and raised her family. She explains that having a strong work ethic really helped her succeed especially considering she faced so many challenges. Eventually, Alicia moved to Buffalo where she became involved in the Hispanic community and she took a job at Buffalo State College where she helped develop a program to encourage Hispanic students to attend the university. It was called the Latino Extravaganza. In addition to recruiting students at Buffalo State College, she became a part of the Hispanic Women’s League which is a non-profit organization that awards scholarships to Hispanic women and encourages them to attend local universities. Alicia explains how women apply for the scholarship and that the organization really wants to encourage Hispanic women to be more than just homemakers. Alicia also discusses various aspects of the Hispanic community in Buffalo and different community events that still take place today. Alicia is very proud of her roots and feels it is important to maintain them. Resumen Ejecutivo: Esta entrevista con Alicia Granto tomó lugar el 26 de agosto de 2013 en Búfalo, NY y fue conducida por Stephanie Bucalo. Alicia nació en Cuba pero más tarde migró con su familia a Niagara Falls, NY. Alicia tuvo quince años cuando ella llegó ahí y admitió que la transición de Cuba a los Estados Unidos fue difícil. Al momento hubo �solamente dos familias cubanas viviendo en Niagara Falls entonces mucha gente no conocía la cultura. Alicia describe su vida viviendo en Niagara Falls donde primero conoció a su esposo y creció a su familia. Ella explica que su ético de trabajo la ayudó fuertemente a lograr sus metas especialmente porque ella se encontró enfrente de muchos desafíos. Eventualmente, Alicia se mudó a Búfalo donde ella se involucró en la comunidad hispana y tomó un puesto a Buffalo State College donde ella ayudó a desarrollar un programa para animar a los estudiantes hispanos que asisten a la universidad. Se nombró el Latin Extravaganza. En adición al reclutar a los estudiantes a Buffalo State College, ella se puso miembro de la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas, la cual es una organización sin ganas de lucro que les regala becas a mujeres hispanas y les anima asistir a una universidad local. Alicia explica cómo las mujeres se solicitan a la beca que sean más que amos de casa. Alicia también los varios aspectos de la comunidad hispana en Búfalo y los eventos diferentes de la comunidad que todavía toman lugar hoy en día. Alicia es muy orgullosa de sus raíces y siente que es importante mantenerlas. Story Clips: 0:15 - Introduction of Alicia Granto Alicia tells us she is from Cuba and tells us that she lived in Niagara Falls. Alicia nos cuenta que es de Cuba y que vivió en Niagara Falls. 1:00 - The Transition to Niagara Falls Alicia moved here when she was 15 and found the transition to be challenging. She did not think that her and her family would be living here for very long, but due to political unrest, they stayed in the United States. She was the only hispanic student at Niagara Falls High School at the time. Alicia se mudó aquí cuando tuvo 15 años y pensó que la transición fue muy difícil. Pensaba que su familia no iba a estar en Niagara Falls por tanto tiempo, pero por causa de la inquietud política, se quedaron en los Estados Unidos. En este tiempo, ella fue la única estudiante hispana en Niagara Falls High School. 2:23 - Alicia Granto's Siblings �Alicia says that she has a brother that lives in New York City and an older sister that was mentally handicapped that always lived with her parents. Alicia dice que tiene un hermano que vive en la Ciudad de Nueva York y una hermana mayor que siempre vivía con necesidades especiales. 3:08 - Life at Niagara Falls High School Alicia had some nice friends in high school that were curious about her background and they were a great help to her because being one of only two Cuban families in Niagara Falls was not easy. Alicia tuvo unos amigos simpáticos en la escuela secundaria que también estaban curiosos sobre su origen y la ayudaban mucho porque su familia estaba una de las dos familias cubanas en Niagara Falls y no era tan fácil. 4:36 - How Work Ethic Can Make You Successful Alicia says that neither of her parents had a lot of money, but they had a great work ethic. Her father was the first one in his family to go to college and in Cuba, he had a job working in the law department at the University of Santiago, but after Castro took over, things began to change. Alicia dice que ninguno de sus padres tuvieron mucho dinero, pero sí tuvieron una buena ética laboral. Su padre fue la primera persona en su familia que estudió en la universidad y luego, en Cuba, tuvo un trabajo en el departamento de derechos en la Universidad de Santiago, pero después de cuando Castro tomó el poder, todo empezó a cambiar. 7:09 - Alicia Establishes Her Family in Niagara Falls Alicia tells us how she fell in love with her ex-husband in Niagara Falls and that they had 5 children and lived on Pine Ave. She tells us that her mother got a teaching job at Gaskill and her father, who spoke little English, could not find a job, so he was a stay at home dad. After some time, her parents moved to New York City, and she stayed in Niagara Falls. Alicia nos cuenta que se enamoró de su ex esposo en Niagara Falls, tuvieron cinco hijos y vivieron en la avenida de Pine. Ella nos cuenta �que su madre fue una maestra en Gaskill Prep y su padre, que habló muy poco inglés, no podía conseguir un trabajo, entonces se quedaba en casa con los hijos. Después de un rato, sus padres se mudaron a la Ciudad de Nueva York, y ella se quedó en Niagara Falls. 9:14 - More Cuban Than Italian Alicia explains that her husband owned Granto's Restaurant and that he wanted to try to fit in with her family, so he learned Spanish. Alicia explica que su esposo fue el dueño del restaurante Granto's y que quiso encajar con la familia de ella, entonces aprendió español. 10:07 - Alicia Granto's Introduction to the Hispanic Women's League Alicia talks about how she first got involved with the Hispanic Women's League. Alicia habla de cómo comenzó a participar en la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas. 12:35 - Working for Ecos Borincanos Alicia tells us that she used to work for Ecos Borincanos for five years, a radio program based in Niagara Falls. Alicia nos cuenta que trabajaba para Ecos Borincanos por cinco años, un programa de radio basada en Niagara Falls. 14:42 - The Lack of Media Like Ecos Borincanos Alicia explains that there are no programs that exist today that have the same following as Ecos Borincanos did. Alicia explica que no hay ningún programa que existe hoy en día que tiene el mismo número de seguidores que tenía Ecos Borincanos. 15:27 - Granto's Latino Extravaganza at Buffalo State College Alicia talks about how she got a position as an academic advisor at Buffalo State College and how she felt very supported by the faculty and staff. She created an event called the Latino Extravaganza that was like an open house specifically geared towards Latino students. �Alicia habla de cómo consiguió su trabajo con Buffalo State College como una consejera y que se sintió muy apoyada por algunos de los empleados y la facultad. Ella creó un evento que se llama el Latino Extravaganza que fue como una jornada de puertas abiertas específicamente por estudiantes latinoamericanos. 17:40 - How the Latino Extravaganza Recruited Students Alicia explains in what ways the Latino Extravaganza was helpful in recruiting students to come to college. Alicia explica en cuáles maneras el Latino Extravaganza ayudó a reclutar a los estudiantes para venir a la universidad. 19:41- Problems With Latino Student Motivation Alicia describes the problem that she has faced with Latino students not feeling motivated to excel in their studies or to go to college. She talks about how some guidance counselors can be contributors to the problem. Alicia describe el problema que ha enfrentado con estudiantes latinos que no están motivados a tener éxito en la escuela ni asistir a la universidad. Ella dice que algunos consejeros pueden contribuir al problema. 23:13 - Latino Parents as a Contributor to Lack of Latino Student Motivation Alicia thinks that parents are a contributing factor to the lack of motivation in Latino students. Alicia cree que en las familias latinas, los padres contribuyen a la falta de motivación en sus hijos. 24:50 - Going from College to High School Alicia talks about her job at Buffalo State College and how it lead her to teach at the high school level instead. She found her niche after a bit of exploring. Alicia habla de su trabajo en la Universidad del Estado de Búfalo y cómo empieza a enseñar en un colegio. Ella encontró su nicho después de un poco de exploración. �26:16 - Motivating Parents to be More Involved Alicia explains the attitude that she had towards her teaching experience at Bennett High School. She tried to get parents motivated to be more active in their childrens' lives and acted as a liaison between the parents and guidance counselors. Alicia explica la actitud que tuvo hacia su experiencia en Bennett High School. Ella intentó a motivar a los padres a ser más involucrados en las vidas de sus hijos y también fue un intermediario entre los padres y los consejeros. 30:12 - A Motivated Hispanic Mother Receives Negative Criticism Alicia shares a positive example of a mother being involved in her child's life and the negative reaction that some of her colleagues had towards this mother. Alicia comparte un ejemplo positivo de una madre y su involucración en la vida de su hijo y la reacción que tuvieron algunos de sus colegas a esta madre. 31:42 - The Bias Against Latin Americans Alicia weighs in on why she thinks there is a bias towards Latin Americans and where it came from. She shares some personal experiences with this bias. Alicia da su opinión sobre porque hay un sesgo hacia los latinoamericanos y de donde viene. Ella comparte algunas experiencias personales con este sesgo. 33:40 - D. Bruce Johnstone - A Pioneer Alicia talks about how the president of Buffalo State, D. Bruce Johnstone, was a pioneer in opening the option of higher education to minority populations. She found him to be a great ally in her life and talks about the progression of the campus over the years. Alicia habla del presidente de Buffalo State y como él fue un pionero porque se presenta la opción de estudiar en un nivel universitario a las minorías. Ella piensa que él fue un aliado en su vida y habla de la progresión del campus a través de los años. �36:29 - Why Was Johnstone So Successful? Alicia says that Johnstone, Buffalo State College's president, was a confident person who felt comfortable in welcoming any and everyone who wanted to gain higher education. Alicia dice que Johnstone, el presidente de Buffalo State College, tenía mucha confianza y estaba cómodo dándole la bienvenida a cualquier persona que quería un alto nivel de educación. 38:28 - Alicia Granto's Involvement With The Hispanic Women's League Alicia has had a few mentors in her life that provided her with many opportunities to be involved with the Hispanic community, such as Juan Texidor and Blanca Rodriguez. She talks about the Hispanic Women's League, how she got involved with the organization, and what her involvement is today. Alicia ha tenido mentores en su vida, como Juan Texidor y Blanca Rodríguez, que le ha proveído muchas oportunidades de involucrarse con la comunidad hispana. Habla de la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas, cómo se involucró con la organización y como está involucrada hoy en día. 41:40 - Dissatisfaction With Hispanic Politicians Alicia has had many experiences with politicians, both hispanic and non-hispanic, trying to gain support from the Hispanic Women's League. She expressed that she is dissatisfied with the lack of progression with hispanic politicians. Alicia ha tenido muchas experiencias con unos políticos, hispanos y no hispanos, que intentan a ganar el apoyo de la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas. Ella expresa que está descontenta con la falta de progreso de los políticos hispanos en la comunidad. 44:07 - The Hispanic Women's League's Scholarships Alicia goes into detail about the amount of money and scholarships the Hispanic Women's League gives away each year. She says that she likes to read the applications because she likes to learn about the young women in the community. She also explains that the league used to give away another type of scholarship to men called the �incentive award, but due to lack of funds, they had to discontinue this scholarship. Alicia habla en detalle sobre la cantidad de dinero y becas que la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas asigna cada año. Dice que, a ella, le gusta leer las solicitudes porque le gusta aprender sobre las mujeres jóvenes en la comunidad. Ella también explica que la Liga asignaba un otro tipo de beca a los hombres que se llama el premio de incentivo, pero debido a la falta de fondos, tuvo que descontinuar esta beca. 47:15 - Providing Opportunities to Women of the Buffalo Metro Area Alicia says that the Hispanic Women's League focuses on providing opportunities and resources to the young women from the Buffalo metro area. Alicia dice que la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas enfoca en proveer las oportunidades y los recursos a las mujeres jóvenes del área metropolitana de Búfalo. 48:03 - Qualifications for a Scholarship In order to be qualified for a scholarship from the Hispanic Women's League, the student must show financial need, provide an academic record and two (2) letters of recommendation. Alicia explains why all these things are necessary. Para recibir una beca de la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas, el estudiante tiene que demostrar la necesidad financiera, proveer un certificado de estudios y dos (2) cartas de recomendación. Alicia explica por qué todas de estas cosas son necesarios. 50:14 - "A Lack of Cohesion" There is one fault that the Hispanic Women's League has that Alicia addresses, which is that they do not track their scholarship recipients very diligently to find out if they have graduated and what types of jobs they are receiving. She thinks there is a lack of cohesion. Alicia also talks about the process that the scholarship committee goes through when choosing scholarship recipients. Una falla que tiene la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas es que ellas no monitorizan diligentemente los receptores de sus becas para �investigar si ellas se han graduado o cuales tipos de trabajos han encontrado. Ella piensa que hay una falta de cohesión. Alicia también habla del proceso de escoger los recipientes de becas. 52:24 - Where are the Scholarship Recipients Today Unofficially, Alicia has heard that some women have found jobs in the science field, as teachers and as social workers. Extraoficialmente, Alicia ha oído que algunas de las mujeres han encontrado trabajos en ramos como las ciencias, la educación y la asistencia social. 53:48 - Why Is Social Work Such a Popular Job for Latinos? There seems to be a high number of Latinos working in the social work field. Alicia says that many people see the need within the community and decide to go for these types of jobs in order to help people. Parece que hay muchos latinos que trabajan en el ramo de trabajo social. Alicia dice que muchas personas ven la necesidad dentro de la comunidad y deciden a buscar estos trabajos para que ayuden a la gente. 55:58 - Welcoming Women of All Ages The Hispanic Women's League welcomes women of all ages to apply for scholarships and attend college. Alicia says that they have had an increase in applicants that are non-traditional college student age. La Liga de Mujeres Hispanas animan a las mujeres de cualquier edad que se soliciten a las becas y asistir a la universidad. Alicia dice que han tenido un aumento en candidatos que no tienen la edad típica de un estudiante de la universidad. 57:36 - A Non-Traditional Latina Scholarship Recipient Alicia talks about one scholarship recipient in particular that wanted to get her interpreters license and she was in her late forties. Alicia habla de un recipiente de una beca que quería su licencia de intérprete. Ella estaba en sus últimos años cuarenta. 58:44 - A Decline in Donations �The Hispanic Women's League has seen a decline in donations due to the financial situation of our economy, but they still have plenty of motivation to continue to exist. La Liga de Mujeres Hispanas ha visto un disminución en donaciones debido a la situación económica de nuestra sociedad, pero todavía ellas tienen bastante motivación para existir. 59:49 - How Has the Hispanic Women's League Fundraised? Alicia talks about how the Hispanic Women's League has fundraised in the past, but that what they used to do does not seem to work well anymore. They need to come up with events that interest the younger population. Alicia habla de la manera en que la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas había recaudado fondos en el pasado, pero lo que hacían en el pasado no funciona ahora. Tienen que acoger eventos que apelan a la generación más joven. 1:07:03 -Not Appreciating Your Roots Alicia thinks that the younger generation does not always appreciate where their family comes from. She talks about how her parents made their living here and how they lived in Miami for some time. It was a challenge for them to come to Niagara Falls because it was a culture shock, especially for her father who only spoke spanish. Alicia piensa que la generación joven no siempre aprecia de donde vienen sus familias. Ella cuenta cómo sus padres se ganaban la vida aquí y que vivían en Miami por un rato. Fue un reto a irse a Niagara Falls porque la familia experimentaba un choque cultural, especialmente su padre que no habla inglés. 1:10:08 - Hardworking Families Are Humbling Alicia found the families that came here and worked factory jobs or farm jobs to be humbling. She explains that older Puerto Ricans were feeling offended that the younger Puerto Ricans were not as hardworking and did not have the same values as they did. This is the time when many misconceptions and stereotypes were formed because some of the younger hispanics would come to the United �States and immediately sign up for welfare instead of working hard to provide for their families. Alicia cree que las familias que venían aquí y trabajaban en fábricas o granjas son llenas de humildad. Explica que los puertorriqueños jóvenes ofendían a los viejos porque no trabajaron con la misma diligencia y no tuvieron los mismos valores que sus antepasados. En este tiempo, muchas ideas equivocadas y estereotipos estaban formados porque algunas de las personas hispanas venían a los Estados Unidos y inmediatamente se pidieron beneficios sociales en lugar de trabajar muy duro para proveer para sus familias. 1:12:21 - Buffalo: A Grease Pole Society The difference between the old and new generations of hispanics can be attributed to many things. For example, many groups of people do not want to see people outside of their nationality be successful. Alicia says that there is a very strong grease pole society in Buffalo, but not in other cities. La diferencia entre las dos generaciones de hispanos puede ser atribuida por muchas cosas. Por ejemplo, muchos grupos de personas no quieren ver personas exitosas fuera de su nacionalidad. Alicia dice que hay un sociedad de grease pole muy fuerte en Búfalo, pero no es así en otras ciudades. 1:17:46 - Lacking in Leadership In the Buffalo hispanic community there is a lack of leadership. According to Alicia, there needs to be someone that has integrity and the courage to confront challenges and speak up to get what latinos need. En la comunidad hispana de Búfalo hay una falta de liderazgo. Según Alicia, debe ser alguien que tenga honradez, el coraje de enfrentar retos y diga lo que piensa que los latinos necesitan para ser exitoso. 1:30:34 - How Alicia Granto Maintained Obedience in her Classroom Alicia explains how she used to maintain obedience in her classroom. Alicia explica cómo mantenía la obediencia en su aula. �1:33:10 - Parents Today Alicia talks about how she sees many parents acting today. Alicia habla de cómo se parece el comportamiento de algunos padres hoy en día. 1:36:42 - Take What You Can Get Alicia feels that if she can impact at least one student each year, she is content. She understands that it is nearly impossible to motivate an entire class and that the results of what she has taught may not be instantaneous. Alicia cree que si por lo menos pudiera impactar a uno estudiante cada año, estaría feliz. Ella entiende que es casi imposible motivar una clase entera y que el resultado de lo que ha enseñado no será instantáneo. 1:42:35 - A Motivational Scholarship Recipient There are people who received scholarships from the Hispanic Women's League that are still around today. Alicia mentions one student in particular that was an inspiration and that proved to people that she could do whatever she put her mind to. Hay personas que ganaron becas de la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas que todavía están en Búfalo. Alicia menciona a un estudiante en particular que fue una inspiración y prueba que es posible lograr lo que quiere. � 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 <a href="http://omeka.buffalolib.org/items/browse?collection=3">Hispanic Heritage History Project Oral History Interviews</a> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY, INC Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Location The location of the interview Buffalo, NY Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 1:45:44 Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview 0:15 - Introduction of Alicia Granto Alicia tells us she is from Cuba and tells us that she lived in Niagara Falls. 1:00 - The Transition to Niagara Falls Alicia moved here when she was 15 and found the transition to be challenging. She did not think that her and her family would be living here for very long, but due to political unrest, they stayed in the United States. She was the only hispanic student at Niagara Falls High School at the time. 2:23 - Alicia Granto's Siblings Alicia says that she has a brother that lives in New York City and an older sister that was mentally handicapped that always lived with her parents. 3:08 - Life at Niagara Falls High School Alicia had some nice friends in high school that were curious about her background and they were a great help to her because being one of only two Cuban families in Niagara Falls was not easy. 4:36 - How Work Ethic Can Make You Successful Alicia says that neither of her parents had a lot of money, but they had a great work ethic. Her father was the first one in his family to go to college and in Cuba, he had a job working in the law department at the University of Santiago, but after Castro took over, things began to change. 7:09 - Alicia Establishes Her Family in Niagara Falls Alicia tells us how she fell in love with her ex-husband in Niagara Falls and that they had 5 children and lived on Pine Ave. She tells us that her mother got a teaching job at Gaskill and her father, who spoke little English, could not find a job, so he was a stay at home dad. After some time, her parents moved to New York City, and she stayed in Niagara Falls. 9:14 - More Cuban Than Italian Alicia explains that her husband owned Granto's Restaurant and that he wanted to try to fit in with her family, so he learned Spanish. 10:07 - Alicia Granto's Introduction to the Hispanic Women's League Alicia talks about how she first got involved with the Hispanic Women's League. 12:35 - Working for Ecos Borincanos Alicia tells us that she used to work for Ecos Borincanos for five years, a radio program based in Niagara Falls. 14:42 - The Lack of Media Like Ecos Borincanos Alicia explains that there are no programs that exist today that have the same following as Ecos Borincanos did. 15:27 - Granto's Latino Extravaganza at Buffalo State College Alicia talks about how she got a position as an academic advisor at Buffalo State College and how she felt very supported by the faculty and staff. She created an event called the Latino Extravaganza that was like an open house specifically geared towards Latino students. 17:40 - How the Latino Extravaganza Recruited Students Alicia explains in what ways the Latino Extravaganza was helpful in recruiting students to come to college. 19:41- Problems With Latino Student Motivation Alicia describes the problem that she has faced with Latino students not feeling motivated to excel in their studies or to go to college. She talks about how some guidance counselors can be contributors to the problem. 23:13 - Latino Parents as a Contributor to Lack of Latino Student Motivation Alicia thinks that parents are a contributing factor to the lack of motivation in Latino students. 24:50 - Going from College to High School Alicia talks about her job at Buffalo State College and how it lead her to teach at the high school level instead. She found her niche after a bit of exploring. 26:16 - Motivating Parents to be More Involved Alicia explains the attitude that she had towards her teaching experience at Bennett High School. She tried to get parents motivated to be more active in their childrens' lives and acted as a liaison between the parents and guidance counselors. 30:12 - A Motivated Hispanic Mother Receives Negative Criticism Alicia shares a positive example of a mother being involved in her child's life and the negative reaction that some of her colleagues had towards this mother. 31:42 - The Bias Against Latin Americans Alicia weighs in on why she thinks there is a bias towards Latin Americans and where it came from. She shares some personal experiences with this bias. 33:40 - D. Bruce Johnstone - A Pioneer Alicia talks about how the president of Buffalo State, D. Bruce Johnstone, was a pioneer in opening the option of higher education to minority populations. She found him to be a great ally in her life and talks about the progression of the campus over the years. 36:29 - Why Was Johnstone So Successful? Alicia says that Johnstone, Buffalo State College's president, was a confident person who felt comfortable in welcoming any and everyone who wanted to gain higher education. 38:28 - Alicia Granto's Involvement With The Hispanic Women's League Alicia has had a few mentors in her life that provided her with many opportunities to be involved with the Hispanic community, such as Juan Texidor and Blanca Rodriguez. She talks about the Hispanic Women's League, how she got involved with the organization, and what her involvement is today. 41:40 - Dissatisfaction With Hispanic Politicians Alicia has had many experiences with politicians, both hispanic and non-hispanic, trying to gain support from the Hispanic Women's League. She expressed that she is dissatisfied with the lack of progression with hispanic politicians. 44:07 - The Hispanic Women's League's Scholarships Alicia goes into detail about the amount of money and scholarships the Hispanic Women's League gives away each year. She says that she likes to read the applications because she likes to learn about the young women in the community. She also explains that the league used to give away another type of scholarship to men called the incentive award, but due to lack of funds, they had to discontinue this scholarship. 47:15 - Providing Opportunities to Women of the Buffalo Metro Area Alicia says that the Hispanic Women's League focuses on providing opportunities and resources to the young women from the Buffalo metro area. 48:03 - Qualifications for a Scholarship In order to be qualified for a scholarship from the Hispanic Women's League, the student must show financial need, provide an academic record and two (2) letters of recommendation. Alicia explains why all these things are necessary. 50:14 - "A Lack of Cohesion" There is one fault that the Hispanic Women's League has that Alicia addresses, which is that they do not track their scholarship recipients very diligently to find out if they have graduated and what types of jobs they are receiving. She thinks there is a lack of cohesion. Alicia also talks about the process that the scholarship committee goes through when choosing scholarship recipients. 52:24 - Where are the Scholarship Recipients Today Unofficially, Alicia has heard that some women have found jobs in the science field, as teachers and as social workers. 53:48 - Why Is Social Work Such a Popular Job for Latinos? There seems to be a high number of Latinos working in the social work field. Alicia says that many people see the need within the community and decide to go for these types of jobs in order to help people. 55:58 - Welcoming Women of All Ages The Hispanic Women's League welcomes women of all ages to apply for scholarships and attend college. Alicia says that they have had an increase in applicants that are non-traditional college student age. 57:36 - A Non-Traditional Latina Scholarship Recipient Alicia talks about one scholarship recipient in particular that wanted to get her interpreters license and she was in her late forties. 58:44 - A Decline in Donations The Hispanic Women's League has seen a decline in donations due to the financial situation of our economy, but they still have plenty of motivation to continue to exist. 59:49 - How Has the Hispanic Women's League Fundraised? Alicia talks about how the Hispanic Women's League has fundraised in the past, but that what they used to do does not seem to work well anymore. They need to come up with events that interest the younger population. 1:07:03 -Not Appreciating Your Roots Alicia thinks that the younger generation does not always appreciate where their family comes from. She talks about how her parents made their living here and how they lived in Miami for some time. It was a challenge for them to come to Niagara Falls because it was a culture shock, especially for her father who only spoke spanish. 1:10:08 - Hardworking Families Are Humbling Alicia found the families that came here and worked factory jobs or farm jobs to be humbling. She explains that older Puerto Ricans were feeling offended that the younger Puerto Ricans were not as hardworking and did not have the same values as they did. This is the time when many misconceptions and stereotypes were formed because some of the younger hispanics would come to the United States and immediately sign up for welfare instead of working hard to provide for their families. 1:12:21 - Buffalo: A Grease Pole Society The difference between the old and new generations of hispanics can be attributed to many things. For example, many groups of people do not want to see people outside of their nationality be successful. Alicia says that there is a very strong grease pole society in Buffalo, but not in other cities. 1:17:46 - Lacking in Leadership In the Buffalo hispanic community there is a lack of leadership. According to Alicia, there needs to be someone that has integrity and the courage to confront challenges and speak up to get what latinos need. 1:30:34 - How Alicia Granto Maintained Obedience in her Classroom Alicia explains how she used to maintain obedience in her classroom. 1:33:10 - Parents Today Alicia talks about how she sees many parents acting today. 1:36:42 - Take What You Can Get Alicia feels that if she can impact at least one student each year, she is content. She understands that it is nearly impossible to motivate an entire class and that the results of what she has taught may not be instantaneous. 1:42:35 - A Motivational Scholarship Recipient There are people who received scholarships from the Hispanic Women's League that are still around today. Alicia mentions one student in particular that was an inspiration and that proved to people that she could do whatever she put her mind to. 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 Alicia Granto Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alicia Granto (Interviewee) Stephanie Bucalo (Interviewer) Description An account of the resource This interview with Alicia Granto took place on August 26, 2013 in Buffalo, NY and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. Alicia was born in Cuba but later migrated with her family to Niagara Falls, NY. Alicia was fifteen years old when she first arrived and admitted that the transition from Cuba to the United States was challenging. At the time there were only two Cuban families living in Niagara Falls so many people didn’t really know about her culture. Alicia describes her time living in Niagara Falls where she met her first husband and raised her family. She explains that having a strong work ethic really helped her succeed especially considering she faced so many challenges. Eventually, Alicia moved to Buffalo where she became involved in the Hispanic community and she took a job at Buffalo State College where she helped develop a program to encourage Hispanic students to attend the university. It was called the Latino Extravaganza. In addition to recruiting students at Buffalo State College, she became a part of the Hispanic Women’s League which is a non-profit organization that awards scholarships to Hispanic women and encourages them to attend local universities. Alicia explains how women apply for the scholarship and that the organization really wants to encourage Hispanic women to be more than just homemakers. Alicia also discusses various aspects of the Hispanic community in Buffalo and different community events that still take place today. Alicia is very proud of her roots and feels it is important to maintain them. Esta entrevista con Alicia Granto tomó lugar el 26 de agosto de 2013 en Búfalo, NY y fue conducida por Stephanie Bucalo. Alicia nació en Cuba pero más tarde migró con su familia a Niagara Falls, NY. Alicia tuvo quince años cuando ella llegó ahí y admitió que la transición de Cuba a los Estados Unidos fue difícil. Al momento hubo solamente dos familias cubanas viviendo en Niagara Falls entonces mucha gente no conocía la cultura. Alicia describe su vida viviendo en Niagara Falls donde primero conoció a su esposo y creció a su familia. Ella explica que su ético de trabajo la ayudó fuertemente a lograr sus metas especialmente porque ella se encontró enfrente de muchos desafíos. Eventualmente, Alicia se mudó a Búfalo donde ella se involucró en la comunidad hispana y tomó un puesto a Buffalo State College donde ella ayudó a desarrollar un programa para animar a los estudiantes hispanos que asisten a la universidad. Se nombró el Latin Extravaganza. En adición al reclutar a los estudiantes a Buffalo State College, ella se puso miembro de la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas, la cual es una organización sin ganas de lucro que les regala becas a mujeres hispanas y les anima asistir a una universidad local. Alicia explica cómo las mujeres se solicitan a la beca que sean más que amos de casa. Alicia también los varios aspectos de la comunidad hispana en Búfalo y los eventos diferentes de la comunidad que todavía toman lugar hoy en día. Alicia es muy orgullosa de sus raíces y siente que es importante mantenerlas. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-08-26 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY, INC Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Hispanic Heritage "Bring Us Your History!" Project Relation A related resource Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Digital Collections Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Digital collection copyright 2016 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. This collection or portions thereof are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. 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