1 10 23 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/03d3fe8d8f86c37c9afe6a5ab42ecfef.mp3 bb7c0714b7e5af203c62d2e213e015c5 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/baccb6ccab705edb3953a514873c4169.pdf 37df3b5c1bf07c833e78f5c5090bb241 PDF Text Text Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY “Bring Us Your History!” Project Interviewee: Jose Colon Interview Location: West Seneca, New York Interview Date: 7/23/13 Interview Conducted by: Stephanie Bucalo Length: 42:54 Executive Summary: This interview with Jose Colon took place on July 23, 2013 at his home in West Seneca, NY and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. The interview is very difficult to understand at times, but his daughter helped share some information about both of their lives. Jose came to the United States in 1952 to work on the farms. He was recruited through Operation Bootstrap which was a governmental initiative encouraging Puerto Ricans to fly north to find employment. The economy in Puerto Rico was very poor and there was a very large unemployment pool with very few available jobs. Once Jose established a home and steady employment in Buffalo, he became a trustworthy member of the community. Newly arriving Puerto Ricans looking for work on the farms would stay with him and his family until they could find their own homes. He would pick them up from the airport, take them to work and then bring them back to the airport so they could fly south. Growing up, Rose Mary struggled in school because of the language barrier and lack of resources in the educational system. Because of this, she became an ESL teacher and now works in the Public Schools. Resumen Ejecutivo: Esta entrevista con José Colón tomó lugar el 23 de julio del año 2013 a su casa en West Seneca, NY y fue conducida por Stephanie Bucalo. Es muy difíl de entender algunas partes de esta entrevista, pero su hija ayudó compartir un poco de información sobre ambas de sus vidas. José fino a los Estados Unidos en el año 1952 para trabajar en las granjas. Se reclutó por la Operación Mano a las Obras la cual era una iniciativa gubernamental animando a los puertorriqueños que volaban al norte para conseguir empleo. La economía en Puerto Rico era muy pobre y hubo una gran cantidad de desempleados con muy pocos puestos disponibles. Cuando José estableció un hogar y un empleo estable en Búfalo, él se puso un miembro confiable de la comunidad. Los puertorriqueños nuevamente llegando y buscando empleo �en las granjas se quedaban con él y su familia hasta cuando se encontraran sus propias casas. Él los recogieron al aeropuerto, les llevó al trabajo, y les llevó de nuevo al aeropuerto para que pudieran volar al sur. Durante su juventud, Rose Mary luchaba en la escuela por la culpa de la barrera lingüística y la falta de recursos en el sistema educativa. Por eso, ella se puso maestra de ESL y ahora trabaja en las Escuelas Públicas. Story Clips: 0:14 - The people and neighborhood are different now Jose explains that the people he first met when he came to Buffalo were good people, but that they are different now. The people before respected one another, they were considerate others and never fought. There were small Spanish family owned shops, but no Puerto Rican owned shops. José explica que la gente a quien conoció cuando primero llegó a Búfalo era buena gente. La gente anterior respetaba a cada uno, ellos consideraban a los demás y nunca peleaban entre si. Había las tiendas pequeñas de dueños españoles, pero ninguno de dueños puertorriqueños. 3:03 - Jose introduces himself He came to the United States in 1952 and came to work on the farms. He worked there for three years. He then worked at Penn Central. He worked there until he was in an accident. He was able to continue working after. He retired in 1961 from Penn Central. Jose did not go to school in Buffalo, but had some schooling in Puerto Rico. He came to the U.S. when he was 40 years old. Él vino a los Estados Unidos en el año 1952 y vino a trabajar en las granjas. Él trabajó ahí por 3 años. Luego él trabajó a Penn Central. Él trabajó ahí hasta cuando fue involucrado en un accidente. Él podía seguir trabajando después. Se jubiló en el año 1961 de Penn Central. José no asistió a la escuela en Búfalo, pero vino con un poco de educación de Puerto Rico. Él vino a los Estados Unidos a la edad de 40 años. 5:00 - The situation in Puerto Rico influenced Jose to come to Buffalo The economic situation in Puerto Rico influenced Jose to come to Buffalo. He heard commercials from the government advertising jobs on farms up north. He was contracted to work on the farms. The commercial said, “if you want to work, then sign up.” So he signed up. The government would cover the cost of �the plane tickets for anyone who couldn’t pay them. He worked on Mecca Farms. He would come and go between the seasons for three years. La situación económica en Puerto Rico influyó a José venir a Búfalo. Él escuchó a las promociones gubernamentales publicando los puestos en las granjas del norte. Se contrató a él trabajar en las granjas. La promoción dijo, “si se quiere trabajar, pues inscríbete.” Entonces, se inscribió. El gobierno había cubierto todos los gastos de los pasajes para cualquier persona no los podía pagar. Él trabajó a Mecca Farms. Él venía y iba entre las cosechas por tres años. 7:23 - Jose moved to another farm before finally establishing a home in Buffalo He first moved to Lakeview in Buffalo, then later moved to the East Side. He lived on Eagle Street first, then Myrtle Ave after. The neighborhood was made up of good people. There were many latinos living there and they were all good people. Él primero se mudó a Lakeview en Búfalo, y luego se mudó al East Side. Él vivió en la Calle Eagle primero, luego en la Avenida Myrtle después. El vecindario fue llena de buena gente. Hubo muchos latinos viviendo ahí y ellos todos eran de buena gente. 10:11 - Hispanics couldn’t go to the same places as whites During this time, Hispanics couldn’t go to the same places as whites. They couldn’t sit in the same places on the bus either. Many people feared there would be problems between different workers. They had to be very careful. The police was very powerful. Durante esta época, los hispanos no podían ir a los mismos lugares que los blancos. Ellos no podían tampoco sentarse en los mismos lugares en el camión. Mucha gente tenía miedo que hubiera problemas entre los trabajadores diferentes. Ellos tenían que tener mucho cuidado. La policía era muy poderosa. 12:40 - Pay rates began to rise There were many changes taking place on the farms. The wages started to go up little by little. The workers became a much more diverse group of people. �Había muchos cambios tomando lugar en las granjas. Los sueldos empezaron de subir poco a poco. Los trabajadores se pusieron un grupo mucho más diverso de gente. 14:14 - Participation in community activities Jose was a part of the Palo Encebao and the Pucho Olivencia Center. He participated in events with Isaías Gonzalez. José era parte del Palo Encebao y el Centro Pucho Olivencia. Él participaba en los eventos con Isaías González. 15:35 - Jose helped his fellow workers whenever he could Jose would help out his fellow workers as much as he could. He would drive them where they needed to go and would invite them to his house until they were able to find their own place to live. There were many Puerto Ricans coming to the area that didn’t know what to do when they first got to Buffalo. José ayudaba a sus compañeros de trabajo lo más posible. Él los manejaba a cualquier lugar que necesitaban y los invitaba a su casa hasta cuando se encontraran su propio lugar que vivir. Llegaban a muchos puertorriqueños al área que no sabían qué hacer en su llegada a Búfalo. 16:46 - Jose would go to the airport to pick people up Jose’s daughter explains that her father used to go to the airport to pick up people and would then bring them to the farm to start working. He would then take them back to the airport to fly down to Florida since it was seasonal work. They would stay with their family. He was very trustworthy. La hija de José explica que su padre iba al aeropuerto para buscar a la gente llegando de Puerto Rico y les llevaba a las granjas para empezar su nuevo trabajo. Él les llevaba al aeropuerto al final de la cosecha para que pudieran volar a Florida desde el trabajo era estacional. Ellos se quedaban con su familia. Se confiaba mucho a José. 18:15 - Jose would help families move from the country to the city Jose would get flatbed trucks to help families move from the country to the city. Jose made these families feel comfortable becoming a part of the community because he was so helpful to them. �José obtenía un camión de plataforma para ayudar a las familias mudarse del campo a la ciudad. José les hizo a las familias sentirse cómodas con la asimilación a la comunidad porque los ayudaba tanto. 20:08 - Children had to go translate for their parents Jose’s children had to translate for them because he didn’t speak English. They would go to Social Services with them and fill out all of the paperwork. Los hijos de José tuvieron que traducir para ellos porque no hablaron inglés. Ellos iban a los Servicios Sociales con ellos y llenaron todas las formas en inglés. 21:10 - Jose sold numbers after retirement Jose sold numbers after he retired. He had his own business and earned a lot from it. José vendió los números después de jubilarse. Él tuvo su propio negocio y ganó mucho dinero de ello. 28:48 - Rose Mary’s childhood experiences Rose Mary, Jose’s daughter, describes her childhood. Her father worked for the railroad and her mother worked for a furniture company. They were Latchkey kids because their parents worked so much. They lived in a predominantly African American neighborhood. They had darker skin than most Latinos. They went to School 33 which was all white. They went to St. Patrick’s School in South Buffalo. It was a predominantly white school until it closed down. They were amongst many poor whites too. They then moved to the Upper West Side which at that time was an all Italian neighborhood. They experienced cultural shock in each place. She realized she was different after all of these experiences. She went to Lafayette High School with one another Latina. Rose Mary, la hija de José, describe su juventud. Su padre trabajó para el ferrocarril y su madre trabajó para una compañía de muebles. Ellos eran niños de “Latchkey” porque sus padres trabajaron tanto. Ellos vivieron en un vecindario predominantemente americano africano. Ellos tuvieron la piel más oscura que muchos latinos. Ellos asistieron a la Escuela 33 la cual era muy blanca. Ellos asistieron a la Escuela de San Patricio en South Buffalo. Era una escuela predominantemente blanca también. Ellos se mudaron al Upper West Side lo cual al momento era un vecindario italiano. Ellos �experimentaron el choque cultural en cada lugar. Ella se dio cuenta que era diferente después de todas de estas experiencias. Ella asistió a Lafayette High School con una otra latina. 32:34 - Common ground with Italians Rose Mary found a common ground with the Italian community. By the time she got to high school she found a group of friends that fit her naturally. Lafayette was mainly Italian with a few African American families. Rose Mary encontró un vínculo en común con la comunidad italiana. Por el tiempo en que llegó a la secundaria ella ya encontró un grupo de amigos que le cupieron naturalmente. Lafayette era predominantemente italiana con unas familias americanas africano. 33:54 - Bilingual education Rose Mary studied ESL in the university. She experienced her own struggles while attending public school when she was a child. She and her siblings were retained in elementary school because of their language struggles. This experience motivated her to become an ESL teacher. Many Latinos were put into Special Education classes because there were no bilingual services. When Rose Mary was in school, there were ELL students but they were Polish, Vietnamese, and Laotian, for example. The linguistic needs in the public schools have changed over the years. She feels like they are still fighting the same same battles as they did when she was a students. Rose Mary estudió ESL en la universidad. Ella experimentaba sus propias luchas mientras asistía a la escuela pública cuando era niña. Se retuvieron a ella y sus hermanos en la primaria por la culpa de su lucha con el lenguaje. Esta experiencia la animó de ponerse maestra de ESL. Se pusieron a muchos latinos en las clases de la educación especial porque no hubo los servicios bilingües. Cuando Rose Mary estaba en la escuela, hubo estudiantes de ELL pero ellos eran polacos, vietnamitas, o laosiano, por ejemplo. Las necesidades lingüísticas en las escuelas públicas han cambiado sobre los años. Ella cree que ellos todavía están luchando las mismas batallas que cuando estaban estudiantes. 36:32 - Origins of the bilingual education program Rose Mary describes the origins of the bilingual education. Isaías Gonzalez and other community leaders helped form the program. Spanish speaking students were the first to need and want these services. Rose Mary was out �of school for the summer and applied for a summer position. Isaías Gonzalez and Confesor Cruz interviewed her. Universities such as D’Youville were receiving federal funding to train bilingual teachers to fill positions at the bilingual schools. Rose Mary received her degree through this funding. Rose Mary describe los orígenes de la educación bilingüe. Isaías González y otros líderes de la comunidad ayudaron a fundar el programa. Los estudiantes hispanohablantes eran los primeros que necesitaban y querían estos servicios. Rose Mary estaba de vacación de la universidad y se solicitó a un puesto bilingüe para el verano. Isaías González y Confesor Cruz entrevistaron a ella. Las universidades como D’Youville recibieron fondos federales para educar a los maestros bilingües para llenar los puestos en las escuelas bilingües. Rose Mary recibió su licenciatura por estos fondos. 41:03 - Jose came through funds provided by Operation Bootstrap Rose Mary explains Operation Bootstrap. Her father came to the U.S. through this program. She is very interested in Civil Rights and always asks her father how he felt during his early years especially since there was a lot of inequality. Rose Mary explica la Operación Manos a la Obra. Su padre vino a los Estados Unidos por este programa. A ella, le interesan muchos los derechos civiles y siempre le pregunta a su padre sobre sus experiencias durante esta época especialmente porque hubo mucho desigualdad. � 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 West Seneca, NY Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 0:42:54 Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview 0:14 - The people and neighborhood are different now Jose explains that the people he first met when he came to Buffalo were good people, but that they are different now. The people before respected one another, they were considerate others and never fought. There were small Spanish family owned shops, but no Puerto Rican owned shops. José explica que la gente a quien conoció cuando primero llegó a Búfalo era buena gente. La gente anterior respetaba a cada uno, ellos consideraban a los demás y nunca peleaban entre si. Había las tiendas pequeñas de dueños españoles, pero ninguno de dueños puertorriqueños. 3:03 - Jose introduces himself He came to the United States in 1952 and came to work on the farms. He worked there for three years. He then worked at Penn Central. He worked there until he was in an accident. He was able to continue working after. He retired in 1961 from Penn Central. Jose did not go to school in Buffalo, but had some schooling in Puerto Rico. He came to the U.S. when he was 40 years old. Él vino a los Estados Unidos en el año 1952 y vino a trabajar en las granjas. Él trabajó ahí por 3 años. Luego él trabajó a Penn Central. Él trabajó ahí hasta cuando fue involucrado en un accidente. Él podía seguir trabajando después. Se jubiló en el año 1961 de Penn Central. José no asistió a la escuela en Búfalo, pero vino con un poco de educación de Puerto Rico. Él vino a los Estados Unidos a la edad de 40 años. 5:00 - The situation in Puerto Rico influenced Jose to come to Buffalo The economic situation in Puerto Rico influenced Jose to come to Buffalo. He heard commercials from the government advertising jobs on farms up north. He was contracted to work on the farms. The commercial said, “if you want to work, then sign up.” So he signed up. The government would cover the cost of the plane tickets for anyone who couldn’t pay them. He worked on Mecca Farms. He would come and go between the seasons for three years. La situación económica en Puerto Rico influyó a José venir a Búfalo. Él escuchó a las promociones gubernamentales publicando los puestos en las granjas del norte. Se contrató a él trabajar en las granjas. La promoción dijo, “si se quiere trabajar, pues inscríbete.” Entonces, se inscribió. El gobierno había cubierto todos los gastos de los pasajes para cualquier persona no los podía pagar. Él trabajó a Mecca Farms. Él venía y iba entre las cosechas por tres años. 7:23 - Jose moved to another farm before finally establishing a home in Buffalo He first moved to Lakeview in Buffalo, then later moved to the East Side. He lived on Eagle Street first, then Myrtle Ave after. The neighborhood was made up of good people. There were many latinos living there and they were all good people. Él primero se mudó a Lakeview en Búfalo, y luego se mudó al East Side. Él vivió en la Calle Eagle primero, luego en la Avenida Myrtle después. El vecindario fue llena de buena gente. Hubo muchos latinos viviendo ahí y ellos todos eran de buena gente. 10:11 - Hispanics couldn’t go to the same places as whites During this time, Hispanics couldn’t go to the same places as whites. They couldn’t sit in the same places on the bus either. Many people feared there would be problems between different workers. They had to be very careful. The police was very powerful. Durante esta época, los hispanos no podían ir a los mismos lugares que los blancos. Ellos no podían tampoco sentarse en los mismos lugares en el camión. Mucha gente tenía miedo que hubiera problemas entre los trabajadores diferentes. Ellos tenían que tener mucho cuidado. La policía era muy poderosa. 12:40 - Pay rates began to rise There were many changes taking place on the farms. The wages started to go up little by little. The workers became a much more diverse group of people. Había muchos cambios tomando lugar en las granjas. Los sueldos empezaron de subir poco a poco. Los trabajadores se pusieron un grupo mucho más diverso de gente. 14:14 - Participation in community activities Jose was a part of the Palo Encebao and the Pucho Olivencia Center. He participated in events with Isaías Gonzalez. José era parte del Palo Encebao y el Centro Pucho Olivencia. Él participaba en los eventos con Isaías González. 15:35 - Jose helped his fellow workers whenever he could Jose would help out his fellow workers as much as he could. He would drive them where they needed to go and would invite them to his house until they were able to find their own place to live. There were many Puerto Ricans coming to the area that didn’t know what to do when they first got to Buffalo. José ayudaba a sus compañeros de trabajo lo más posible. Él los manejaba a cualquier lugar que necesitaban y los invitaba a su casa hasta cuando se encontraran su propio lugar que vivir. Llegaban a muchos puertorriqueños al área que no sabían qué hacer en su llegada a Búfalo. 16:46 - Jose would go to the airport to pick people up Jose’s daughter explains that her father used to go to the airport to pick up people and would then bring them to the farm to start working. He would then take them back to the airport to fly down to Florida since it was seasonal work. They would stay with their family. He was very trustworthy. La hija de José explica que su padre iba al aeropuerto para buscar a la gente llegando de Puerto Rico y les llevaba a las granjas para empezar su nuevo trabajo. Él les llevaba al aeropuerto al final de la cosecha para que pudieran volar a Florida desde el trabajo era estacional. Ellos se quedaban con su familia. Se confiaba mucho a José. 18:15 - Jose would help families move from the country to the city Jose would get flatbed trucks to help families move from the country to the city. Jose made these families feel comfortable becoming a part of the community because he was so helpful to them. José obtenía un camión de plataforma para ayudar a las familias mudarse del campo a la ciudad. José les hizo a las familias sentirse cómodas con la asimilación a la comunidad porque los ayudaba tanto. 20:08 - Children had to go translate for their parents Jose’s children had to translate for them because he didn’t speak English. They would go to Social Services with them and fill out all of the paperwork. Los hijos de José tuvieron que traducir para ellos porque no hablaron inglés. Ellos iban a los Servicios Sociales con ellos y llenaron todas las formas en inglés. 21:10 - Jose sold numbers after retirement Jose sold numbers after he retired. He had his own business and earned a lot from it. José vendió los números después de jubilarse. Él tuvo su propio negocio y ganó mucho dinero de ello. 28:48 - Rose Mary’s childhood experiences Rose Mary, Jose’s daughter, describes her childhood. Her father worked for the railroad and her mother worked for a furniture company. They were Latchkey kids because their parents worked so much. They lived in a predominantly African American neighborhood. They had darker skin than most Latinos. They went to School 33 which was all white. They went to St. Patrick’s School in South Buffalo. It was a predominantly white school until it closed down. They were amongst many poor whites too. They then moved to the Upper West Side which at that time was an all Italian neighborhood. They experienced cultural shock in each place. She realized she was different after all of these experiences. She went to Lafayette High School with one another Latina. Rose Mary, la hija de José, describe su juventud. Su padre trabajó para el ferrocarril y su madre trabajó para una compañía de muebles. Ellos eran niños de “Latchkey” porque sus padres trabajaron tanto. Ellos vivieron en un vecindario predominantemente americano africano. Ellos tuvieron la piel más oscura que muchos latinos. Ellos asistieron a la Escuela 33 la cual era muy blanca. Ellos asistieron a la Escuela de San Patricio en South Buffalo. Era una escuela predominantemente blanca también. Ellos se mudaron al Upper West Side lo cual al momento era un vecindario italiano. Ellos experimentaron el choque cultural en cada lugar. Ella se dio cuenta que era diferente después de todas de estas experiencias. Ella asistió a Lafayette High School con una otra latina. 32:34 - Common ground with Italians Rose Mary found a common ground with the Italian community. By the time she got to high school she found a group of friends that fit her naturally. Lafayette was mainly Italian with a few African American families. Rose Mary encontró un vínculo en común con la comunidad italiana. Por el tiempo en que llegó a la secundaria ella ya encontró un grupo de amigos que le cupieron naturalmente. Lafayette era predominantemente italiana con unas familias americanas africano. 33:54 - Bilingual education Rose Mary studied ESL in the university. She experienced her own struggles while attending public school when she was a child. She and her siblings were retained in elementary school because of their language struggles. This experience motivated her to become an ESL teacher. Many Latinos were put into Special Education classes because there were no bilingual services. When Rose Mary was in school, there were ELL students but they were Polish, Vietnamese, and Laotian, for example. The linguistic needs in the public schools have changed over the years. She feels like they are still fighting the same same battles as they did when she was a students. Rose Mary estudió ESL en la universidad. Ella experimentaba sus propias luchas mientras asistía a la escuela pública cuando era niña. Se retuvieron a ella y sus hermanos en la primaria por la culpa de su lucha con el lenguaje. Esta experiencia la animó de ponerse maestra de ESL. Se pusieron a muchos latinos en las clases de la educación especial porque no hubo los servicios bilingües. Cuando Rose Mary estaba en la escuela, hubo estudiantes de ELL pero ellos eran polacos, vietnamitas, o laosiano, por ejemplo. Las necesidades lingüísticas en las escuelas públicas han cambiado sobre los años. Ella cree que ellos todavía están luchando las mismas batallas que cuando estaban estudiantes. 36:32 - Origins of the bilingual education program Rose Mary describes the origins of the bilingual education. Isaías Gonzalez and other community leaders helped form the program. Spanish speaking students were the first to need and want these services. Rose Mary was out of school for the summer and applied for a summer position. Isaías Gonzalez and Confesor Cruz interviewed her. Universities such as D’Youville were receiving federal funding to train bilingual teachers to fill positions at the bilingual schools. Rose Mary received her degree through this funding. Rose Mary describe los orígenes de la educación bilingüe. Isaías González y otros líderes de la comunidad ayudaron a fundar el programa. Los estudiantes hispanohablantes eran los primeros que necesitaban y querían estos servicios. Rose Mary estaba de vacación de la universidad y se solicitó a un puesto bilingüe para el verano. Isaías González y Confesor Cruz entrevistaron a ella. Las universidades como D’Youville recibieron fondos federales para educar a los maestros bilingües para llenar los puestos en las escuelas bilingües. Rose Mary recibió su licenciatura por estos fondos. 41:03 - Jose came through funds provided by Operation Bootstrap Rose Mary explains Operation Bootstrap. Her father came to the U.S. through this program. She is very interested in Civil Rights and always asks her father how he felt during his early years especially since there was a lot of inequality. Rose Mary explica la Operación Manos a la Obra. Su padre vino a los Estados Unidos por este programa. A ella, le interesan muchos los derechos civiles y siempre le pregunta a su padre sobre sus experiencias durante esta época especialmente porque hubo mucho desigualdad. 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 Colon Complete Interview Description An account of the resource This interview with Jose Colon took place on July 23, 2013 at his home in West Seneca, NY and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. The interview is very difficult to understand at times, but his daughter helped share some information about both of their lives. Jose came to the United States in 1952 to work on the farms. He was recruited through Operation Bootstrap which was a governmental initiative encouraging Puerto Ricans to fly north to find employment. The economy in Puerto Rico was very poor and there was a very large unemployment pool with very few available jobs. Once Jose established a home and steady employment in Buffalo, he became a trustworthy member of the community. Newly arriving Puerto Ricans looking for work on the farms would stay with him and his family until they could find their own homes. He would pick them up from the airport, take them to work and then bring them back to the airport so they could fly south. Growing up, Rose Mary struggled in school because of the language barrier and lack of resources in the educational system. Because of this, she became an ESL teacher and now works in the Public Schools. Esta entrevista con José Colón tomó lugar el 23 de julio del año 2013 a su casa en West Seneca, NY y fue conducida por Stephanie Bucalo. Es muy difíl de entender algunas partes de esta entrevista, pero su hija ayudó compartir un poco de información sobre ambas de sus vidas. José fino a los Estados Unidos en el año 1952 para trabajar en las granjas. Se reclutó por la Operación Mano a las Obras la cual era una iniciativa gubernamental animando a los puertorriqueños que volaban al norte para conseguir empleo. La economía en Puerto Rico era muy pobre y hubo una gran cantidad de desempleados con muy pocos puestos disponibles. Cuando José estableció un hogar y un empleo estable en Búfalo, él se puso un miembro confiable de la comunidad. Los puertorriqueños nuevamente llegando y buscando empleo en las granjas se quedaban con él y su familia hasta cuando se encontraran sus propias casas. Él los recogieron al aeropuerto, les llevó al trabajo, y les llevó de nuevo al aeropuerto para que pudieran volar al sur. Durante su juventud, Rose Mary luchaba en la escuela por la culpa de la barrera lingüística y la falta de recursos en el sistema educativa. Por eso, ella se puso maestra de ESL y ahora trabaja en las Escuelas Públicas. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-07-23 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Hispanic Heritage "Bring Us Your History!" Project 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 Spanish Relation A related resource Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Digital Collections Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jose Colon (Interviewee) Stephanie Bucalo (Interviewer) 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes. Community Employment and Labor Migration https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/ff121667c24e5798231fb36d1a522cef.mp3 7d4080b55a81e09da001e1040c20ac16 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/aef2d7586ea49315c39f75c76ed74e37.pdf a786584064fc51bbb1d4ef8c4a73e81a PDF Text Text Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY “Bring Us Your History!” Project Interviewee: Vidal Rodriguez Interview conducted by: Alma Carrillo Interview location: Buffalo, NY Interview date: 7/27/2013 Length: 0:23:29 Executive Summary: This interview took place in Vidal’s home in Buffalo, NY. Alma Carrillo conducted the interview. Vidal was born September 22, 1931. He came to Buffalo originally from Puerto Rico looking for more opportunity. He arrived in Western New York in 1951, to Medina. He came to work on a farm originally, and ended up working various jobs. He ultimately worked at General Motors until retiring after 35 years. Vidal also mentions his wife, Carmita, who he has been married to for 55 years - he thinks. Vidal describes the difficult situation in Puerto Rico that brought him to Buffalo, and the fact that even after all these years, he has not learned much English. He admits this did make life more difficult. He says that most of his life has simply been spent working, not doing much else. He finally considers whether it was better for him to come to Buffalo. Resumen Ejecutivo: Esta entrevista tomó lugar en la casa de Vidal en Buffalo, NY. Alma Carrillo condujo la entrevista. Vidal nació el 22 de septiembre del año 1931. Llegó a Nueva York del Oeste en el año 1951, a Medina. Al principio, él vino para trabajar en una finca. Últimamente, trabajó en General Motors hasta se jubiló después de 35 años. Vidal también mencionó a su esposa, Carmita, con quién se ha estado casado por 55 años - él piensa. Vidal describe la situación difícil en Puerto Rico que lo llevó a Búfalo, y el hecho de que después de todos los años, él todavía no ha aprendido mucho inglés. Él admite que eso hizo más difícil su vida aquí. Él dice que por se ha pasado la mayoría de su vida trabajando, y no mucho más de eso. Finalmente, considera si valió la pena venir a Búfalo. Story Clips: 0:10 - Vidal introduces himself Vidal was born September 22, 1931. He arrived in Buffalo in 1951, a Medina. Vidal nació el 22 de septiembre del año 1931. Llegó a Búfalo en 1951, a Medina. 0:35 Vidal’s not so warm welcome in 1951 �He came to work on a farm, he didn’t know exactly what he would do. He says they were looking for people in factories, so he went to work in a factory for Heinz. He says you had to be very white to work there, he had to remove his sombrero. He didn’t make much money. Él vino para trabajar en una finca, no sabía exactamente lo que iba a hacer. Dice que estaban buscando a gente para trabajar en las fábricas, y por eso fue a trabajar en una fábrica de Heinz. Dice que hay que estar muy blanco para trabajar allá, y tuvo que quitarse de su sombrero. No ganó mucho dinero. 1:55 Vidal returns to Puerto Rico seeking options When the factory closed he went back to Puerto Rico to find work - in 1951. Cuando la fábrica cerró él volvió a Puerto Rico buscando trabajo en el año 1951. 2:20 His second arrival to Buffalo and the struggle to survive He returned again to Buffalo in 1953, and didn’t know where to go. He says he had nobody here. He doesn’t recall how, but he did find a friend who helped him to find work. He worked as a ‘bus boy’ in hotels, they didn’t pay him much so he went to find other work, in restaurants. Vidal still did not make much money, and barely was able to bring any home to his wife - Carmita. Because of this, he quit. Regresó otra vez a Búfalo en el año 1952, y no sabía a dónde ir. Dice que no tenía a nadie aquí. No recuerda cómo, pero encontró a un amigo que lo ayudó a Vidal encontrar trabajo. Vidal trabajó como un ‘bus boy’ en hoteles, no le pagaron mucho - y por eso buscó trabajo diferente en otros restaurantes. Todavía no ganó mucho, y apenas podía llevar dinero a casa para su esposa, Carmita. Por eso, dejó el trabajo otra vez. 4:15 Waiting for welfare He began to receive welfare money, but was told he had to wait 7 weeks. Thus, he kept looking for work. Él podía recibir ayuda del programa ‘welfare’, pero le dijeron que tenía que esperar 7 semanas. Entonces, tuvo que seguir buscando trabajo. 4:30 Working on the train He started to work again, on trains. He says it was very difficult work, and it was not unionized. When he did go to collect the welfare, (workers compensation) it was very little. �Empezó a trabajar otra vez, en los trenes. Dice que el trabajo era muy difícil, y no era sindicato. Cuando fue a recoger su ‘welfare’ (la compensación), era muy poco. 5:15 Dedicating himself to factory life He went to work in a Ford Assembly Plant, but they moved. Then, he went to work in a GM factory, in Tonawanda. It was hard work. He then went back to Buffalo working in a GM factory. He recalls that he didn’t understand English, and doesn’t know how he filled out the application. He continued working there, he retired with 35 years of work in 1997. He recalls that when he started, he wasn’t afraid although the work was intense - repairing machines etc. Vidal fue a trabajar en una fábrica de montaje de Ford, pero ellos se mudaron. Después, él fue a trabajar en una fábrica de GM en Tonawanda. Era mucho trabajo. Entonces fue otra vez a Búfalo para trabajar en una fábrica de GM. Recuerda que no entendió inglés, y por eso no sabe llenar la aplicación. siguió trabajando allá hasta que se retiró con 35 años de experiencia en el año 1997. Dice que cuando empezó allá, no tenía miedo aunque el trabajo era muy intenso - reparando las machinas etc. 8:10 Understanding little about the union He was a part of the United Auto Workers, and it was a good union. He did not know much English - “broken English” - and therefore did not understand much about the union. Vidal era parte del sindicato que se llamaba ‘United Auto Workers’, y era muy bueno. No sabía mucho de inglés - dice que era ‘broken English’ - y por eso no entendió mucho sobre el sindicato. 8:45 Too tired to dance His wife wanted him to go to dance school with her, but he was too tired from the difficult work at the plant. Su esposa quería que él fuera con ella a clases de baile, pero Vidal estaba demasiado cansado después de su trabajo en la planta. 9:10 Retirement gifts Vidal finally retired from the company. He talks about the other companies joining with General Motors afterwards and the different gifts he received from them after he retired. Vidal and Alma are looking at the watch he was gifted by them and examining the inscription on the back. �Finalmente, Vidal se jubiló de GM. Habla de las otras compañías que se juntaron con General Motors después y los regalos diferentes que recibió de ellas después de su jubilación. Vidal y Alma están mirando al reloj que le regalaron, y examinaron la inscripción en la parte posterior. 11:00 Following his uncle, Santiago He talks about his uncle, Santiago Lopez, who came first from Puerto Rico. Then Vidal came with a group in 1951. He again tells of arriving to Medina. He worked there before returning to Puerto Rico. He again came back to the United States in 1953 - he did not know what to do. Habla de su tío, Santiago López, quien llegó primero desde Puerto Rico. Después Vidal vino con un grupo en el año 1951. Habla otra vez de su llegada a Medina. Trabajó allí antes de regresar a Puerto Rico. Vino de nuevo a los Estados Unidos en el año 1953, no sabía qué hacer. 13:25 A lack of opportunity He came initially from Puerto Rico because he was young, and had no work. He didn’t like school, he was a ‘drop out’ and Puerto Rico was not in a good state at the time. It was difficult to find jobs. He worked in stores with his family when he was younger in Puerto Rico. He says that when he came to the United States, there was work, but it didn’t pay anything. If he would have worked in Puerto Rico, he would have had more money. He returned to the US the second time, because there was nothing to do in Puerto Rico. He describes that there was no way to heat the home in Puerto Rico, that you had to got to the basement and use carbon. Inicialmente, vino desde Puerto Rico porque era joven, y no tenía trabajo. A él no le gustaba la escuela, era un ‘drop out’ - y Puerto Rico no estaba en un buen estado durante esta época. Era difícil encontrar trabajo. Vidal trabajó en las tiendas con su familia cuando era más joven en Puerto Rico. Dice que cuando vino a los EEUU, había trabajo, pero no le pagó nada. Si hubiera trabajado en Puerto Rico, habría tenido más dinero. Regresó a los EEUU una segunda vez, porque no había trabajo en Puerto Rico. Describe que no había una buena manera para calentar la casa en Puerto Rico, que había que ir al sótano y usar el carbón. 15:40 A lack of support and motivation He describes that it was very difficult for him to come to the United States because he didn’t go to school to learn English. He had nobody inspiring him or pushing him, he was an orphan. In Puerto Rico he would do informal lessons for English, and he learned a bit. He also sold things to the soldiers, fetched water for the neighbors, etc. �Vidal dice que era muy difícil para él venir a los EEUU porque no fue a escuela para aprender inglés. No tenía a nadie para inspirarle ni animarlo, era huérfano. En Puerto Rico, tomó clases informales de inglés, y aprendió un poco. También vendió cosas a los soldados, trajo agua para los vecinos, etc. 17:45 Reflections at the ripe age of 82 He says he is 82 years old. He was introduced to Carmita and they have been married for 55 years. He says he has not done much with his life aside from work. He says it was different when he came. There was not much schooling, not many Puerto Ricans. It was more difficult. Dice que tiene 82 años. Se fue presentado a Carmita, y se han estado casados por 55 años. Declara que no ha hecho mucho con su vida aparte de trabajar. Dice que era diferente cuando llegó a Búfalo. No había mucha escuela, ni puertorriqueños. Era más difícil. 19:30 Relationships with coworkers He says his coworkers treated him well, and that they didn’t want him to retire. Dice que sus compañeros de trabajo le trataron bien, y no querían que él se jubilara. 19:40 Social life in Buffalo He doesn’t remember if he participated in many clubs or social groups. He does talk some about going out to drink with a couple friends, and that he was a heavy drinker. He recalls that he worked far too much and was too tired to have a social life. At his work, they did not really have breaks, just five minutes to drink water - until the unions came. No recuerda si participó en muchos clubes o grupos sociales. Dice que salieron a veces con unos amigos a tomar, y que a él le gustó tomar mucho. Recuerda que trabajó demasiado y estaba demasiado cansado para tener una vida social. En su trabajo, no había ‘breaks’, simplemente 5 minutos para tomar agua - hasta la llegada de los sindicatos. 21:55 Contemplating his decision to immigrate At the end of his interview, he discusses again his career with Cas Rodriguez. He concludes that the situation was worse in Buffalo than in Puerto Rico. He wonders what it would have been like for him if he would have stayed on the island instead. �Al final de la entrevista, discute otra vez su carrera con Cas Rodriguez. Concluye que la situación en Búfalo era peor que en Puerto Rico. Vidal se preguntó cómo habría estado si se hubiera quedado en Puerto Rico. � 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 His Home, Buffalo, NY Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 0:23:29 Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview 0:10 - Vidal introduces himself Vidal was born September 22, 1931. He arrived in Buffalo in 1951, a Medina. Vidal nació el 22 de septiembre del año 1931. Llegó a Búfalo en 1951, a Medina. 0:35 Vidal’s not so warm welcome in 1951 He came to work on a farm, he didn’t know exactly what he would do. He says they were looking for people in factories, so he went to work in a factory for Heinz. He says you had to be very white to work there, he had to remove his sombrero. He didn’t make much money. Él vino para trabajar en una finca, no sabía exactamente lo que iba a hacer. Dice que estaban buscando a gente para trabajar en las fábricas, y por eso fue a trabajar en una fábrica de Heinz. Dice que hay que estar muy blanco para trabajar allá, y tuvo que quitarse de su sombrero. No ganó mucho dinero. 1:55 Vidal returns to Puerto Rico seeking options When the factory closed he went back to Puerto Rico to find work - in 1951. Cuando la fábrica cerró él volvió a Puerto Rico buscando trabajo en el año 1951. 2:20 His second arrival to Buffalo and the struggle to survive He returned again to Buffalo in 1953, and didn’t know where to go. He says he had nobody here. He doesn’t recall how, but he did find a friend who helped him to find work. He worked as a ‘bus boy’ in hotels, they didn’t pay him much so he went to find other work, in restaurants. Vidal still did not make much money, and barely was able to bring any home to his wife - Carmita. Because of this, he quit. Regresó otra vez a Búfalo en el año 1952, y no sabía a dónde ir. Dice que no tenía a nadie aquí. No recuerda cómo, pero encontró a un amigo que lo ayudó a Vidal encontrar trabajo. Vidal trabajó como un ‘bus boy’ en hoteles, no le pagaron mucho - y por eso buscó trabajo diferente en otros restaurantes. Todavía no ganó mucho, y apenas podía llevar dinero a casa para su esposa, Carmita. Por eso, dejó el trabajo otra vez. 4:15 Waiting for welfare He began to receive welfare money, but was told he had to wait 7 weeks. Thus, he kept looking for work. Él podía recibir ayuda del programa ‘welfare’, pero le dijeron que tenía que esperar 7 semanas. Entonces, tuvo que seguir buscando trabajo. 4:30 Working on the train He started to work again, on trains. He says it was very difficult work, and it was not unionized. When he did go to collect the welfare, (workers compensation) it was very little. Empezó a trabajar otra vez, en los trenes. Dice que el trabajo era muy difícil, y no era sindicato. Cuando fue a recoger su ‘welfare’ (la compensación), era muy poco. 5:15 Dedicating himself to factory life He went to work in a Ford Assembly Plant, but they moved. Then, he went to work in a GM factory, in Tonawanda. It was hard work. He then went back to Buffalo working in a GM factory. He recalls that he didn’t understand English, and doesn’t know how he filled out the application. He continued working there, he retired with 35 years of work in 1997. He recalls that when he started, he wasn’t afraid although the work was intense - repairing machines etc. Vidal fue a trabajar en una fábrica de montaje de Ford, pero ellos se mudaron. Después, él fue a trabajar en una fábrica de GM en Tonawanda. Era mucho trabajo. Entonces fue otra vez a Búfalo para trabajar en una fábrica de GM. Recuerda que no entendió inglés, y por eso no sabe llenar la aplicación. siguió trabajando allá hasta que se retiró con 35 años de experiencia en el año 1997. Dice que cuando empezó allá, no tenía miedo aunque el trabajo era muy intenso - reparando las machinas etc. 8:10 Understanding little about the union He was a part of the United Auto Workers, and it was a good union. He did not know much English - “broken English” - and therefore did not understand much about the union. Vidal era parte del sindicato que se llamaba ‘United Auto Workers’, y era muy bueno. No sabía mucho de inglés - dice que era ‘broken English’ - y por eso no entendió mucho sobre el sindicato. 8:45 Too tired to dance His wife wanted him to go to dance school with her, but he was too tired from the difficult work at the plant. Su esposa quería que él fuera con ella a clases de baile, pero Vidal estaba demasiado cansado después de su trabajo en la planta. 9:10 Retirement gifts Vidal finally retired from the company. He talks about the other companies joining with General Motors afterwards and the different gifts he received from them after he retired. Vidal and Alma are looking at the watch he was gifted by them and examining the inscription on the back. Finalmente, Vidal se jubiló de GM. Habla de las otras compañías que se juntaron con General Motors después y los regalos diferentes que recibió de ellas después de su jubilación. Vidal y Alma están mirando al reloj que le regalaron, y examinaron la inscripción en la parte posterior. 11:00 Following his uncle, Santiago He talks about his uncle, Santiago Lopez, who came first from Puerto Rico. Then Vidal came with a group in 1951. He again tells of arriving to Medina. He worked there before returning to Puerto Rico. He again came back to the United States in 1953 - he did not know what to do. Habla de su tío, Santiago López, quien llegó primero desde Puerto Rico. Después Vidal vino con un grupo en el año 1951. Habla otra vez de su llegada a Medina. Trabajó allí antes de regresar a Puerto Rico. Vino de nuevo a los Estados Unidos en el año 1953, no sabía qué hacer. 13:25 A lack of opportunity He came initially from Puerto Rico because he was young, and had no work. He didn’t like school, he was a ‘drop out’ and Puerto Rico was not in a good state at the time. It was difficult to find jobs. He worked in stores with his family when he was younger in Puerto Rico. He says that when he came to the United States, there was work, but it didn’t pay anything. If he would have worked in Puerto Rico, he would have had more money. He returned to the US the second time, because there was nothing to do in Puerto Rico. He describes that there was no way to heat the home in Puerto Rico, that you had to got to the basement and use carbon. Inicialmente, vino desde Puerto Rico porque era joven, y no tenía trabajo. A él no le gustaba la escuela, era un ‘drop out’ - y Puerto Rico no estaba en un buen estado durante esta época. Era difícil encontrar trabajo. Vidal trabajó en las tiendas con su familia cuando era más joven en Puerto Rico. Dice que cuando vino a los EEUU, había trabajo, pero no le pagó nada. Si hubiera trabajado en Puerto Rico, habría tenido más dinero. Regresó a los EEUU una segunda vez, porque no había trabajo en Puerto Rico. Describe que no había una buena manera para calentar la casa en Puerto Rico, que había que ir al sótano y usar el carbón. 15:40 A lack of support and motivation He describes that it was very difficult for him to come to the United States because he didn’t go to school to learn English. He had nobody inspiring him or pushing him, he was an orphan. In Puerto Rico he would do informal lessons for English, and he learned a bit. He also sold things to the soldiers, fetched water for the neighbors, etc. Vidal dice que era muy difícil para él venir a los EEUU porque no fue a escuela para aprender inglés. No tenía a nadie para inspirarle ni animarlo, era huérfano. En Puerto Rico, tomó clases informales de inglés, y aprendió un poco. También vendió cosas a los soldados, trajo agua para los vecinos, etc. 17:45 Reflections at the ripe age of 82 He says he is 82 years old. He was introduced to Carmita and they have been married for 55 years. He says he has not done much with his life aside from work. He says it was different when he came. There was not much schooling, not many Puerto Ricans. It was more difficult. Dice que tiene 82 años. Se fue presentado a Carmita, y se han estado casados por 55 años. Declara que no ha hecho mucho con su vida aparte de trabajar. Dice que era diferente cuando llegó a Búfalo. No había mucha escuela, ni puertorriqueños. Era más difícil. 19:30 Relationships with coworkers He says his coworkers treated him well, and that they didn’t want him to retire. Dice que sus compañeros de trabajo le trataron bien, y no querían que él se jubilara. 19:40 Social life in Buffalo He doesn’t remember if he participated in many clubs or social groups. He does talk some about going out to drink with a couple friends, and that he was a heavy drinker. He recalls that he worked far too much and was too tired to have a social life. At his work, they did not really have breaks, just five minutes to drink water - until the unions came. No recuerda si participó en muchos clubes o grupos sociales. Dice que salieron a veces con unos amigos a tomar, y que a él le gustó tomar mucho. Recuerda que trabajó demasiado y estaba demasiado cansado para tener una vida social. En su trabajo, no había ‘breaks’, simplemente 5 minutos para tomar agua - hasta la llegada de los sindicatos. 21:55 Contemplating his decision to immigrate At the end of his interview, he discusses again his career with Cas Rodriguez. He concludes that the situation was worse in Buffalo than in Puerto Rico. He wonders what it would have been like for him if he would have stayed on the island instead. Al final de la entrevista, discute otra vez su carrera con Cas Rodriguez. Concluye que la situación en Búfalo era peor que en Puerto Rico. Vidal se preguntó cómo habría estado si se hubiera quedado en Puerto Rico. 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 Vidal Rodríguez Complete Interview Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Vidal Rodríguez (Interviewee) Alma Carrillo (Interviewer) Description An account of the resource This interview took place in Vidal’s home in Buffalo, NY. Alma Carrillo conducted the interview. Vidal was born September 22, 1931. He came to Buffalo originally from Puerto Rico looking for more opportunity. He arrived in Western New York in 1951, to Medina. He came to work on a farm originally, and ended up working various jobs. He ultimately worked at General Motors until retiring after 35 years. Vidal also mentions his wife, Carmita, who he has been married to for 55 years - he thinks. Vidal describes the difficult situation in Puerto Rico that brought him to Buffalo, and the fact that even after all these years, he has not learned much English. He admits this did make life more difficult. He says that most of his life has simply been spent working, not doing much else. He finally considers whether it was better for him to come to Buffalo. Esta entrevista tomó lugar en la casa de Vidal en Buffalo, NY. Alma Carrillo condujo la entrevista. Vidal nació el 22 de septiembre del año 1931. Llegó a Nueva York del Oeste en el año 1951, a Medina. Al principio, él vino para trabajar en una finca. Últimamente, trabajó en General Motors hasta se jubiló después de 35 años. Vidal también mencionó a su esposa, Carmita, con quién se ha estado casado por 55 años - él piensa. Vidal describe la situación difícil en Puerto Rico que lo llevó a Búfalo, y el hecho de que después de todos los años, él todavía no ha aprendido mucho inglés. Él admite que eso hizo más difícil su vida aquí. Él dice que por se ha pasado la mayoría de su vida trabajando, y no mucho más de eso. Finalmente, considera si valió la pena venir a Búfalo. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-07-27 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Hispanic Heritage "Bring Us Your History!" Project 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 Relation A related resource Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Digital Collections 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes. Employment and Labor Family Migration https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/4e65a8a15a2a16a329b1eb57d60f8729.mp3 b78e89eb9253d51f7665244fcae40b31 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/1c7af9a15c3b59bc5eaad14788efae25.pdf ea792d6a8f78c0158fbd743e3d682400 PDF Text Text Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY “Bring Us Your History!” Project Interviewee: Nivian Rodriguez Perez Interview Location: Buffalo, NY Interview Date: 10/24/2013 Interview Conducted by: Stephanie Bucalo Length: 49:57 Executive Summary: This interview with Nivian Rodriguez Perez took place on October 24, 2013 in Buffalo, NY and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. Nivian Rodriguez Perez was born in Puerto Rico but moved to Buffalo in 1952 when she was 9 years old. She was placed in a lower grade level because she struggled to learn English. She graduated high school at the age of 21, but finished. She worked at a restaurant downtown while going to school, but after graduating she never worked again. She met her husband while working at the restaurant and started a family with him. They have four children together. Nivian reflects on her life with her husband and many of her achievements. She also discusses her feelings about living on the West Side, going to church and raising her family. Nivian shares a lot of information in this interview, but it is fairly fragmented as she had a hard time remember finer details. Resumen Ejecutivo: Esta entrevista con Nivian Rodriguez Perez tomó lugar el 24 de octubre del año 2013 en Búfalo, NY y fue conducida por Stephanie Bucalo. Nivian Rodríguez Pérez nació en Puerto Rico pero se mudó a Búfalo cuando tuvo 9 años. Ella fue puesta en un grado más bajo para su edad porque luchaba con el idioma inglés. Ella se graduó a la edad de 21, pero terminó la secundaria. Ella trabajaba en un restaurante en el centro de la ciudad mientras asistía a la secundaria, pero justo después de graduarse ella nunca volvió a trabajar. Ella conoció a su esposo mientras trabajaba en el restaurante y empezó una familia con él. Ellos tienen cuatro hijos juntos. Nivian refleja en su vida con su esposo y muchos de sus éxitos. Ella también describe sus sentimientos sobre su vida en el West Side, asistiendo a la iglesia y creciendo a su familia. Nivian comparte mucha información en esta entrevista, pero es muy fragmentado porque ella no podía recordar todos los detalles más finos. � Story Clips: 0:03 - Nivian introduces herself Nivian Rodriguez Perez was born in Puerto Rico but moved to Buffalo in 1952 when she was 9 years old. She struggled to learn English and because of this struggle her school placed her three grades below her actual grade. She felt uncomfortable being so much older than the other students. She finished high school despite this challenge. She met her husband, married him and started a family. They have four children. Nivia Rodriguez Perez nació en Puerto Rico pero se mudó a Búfalo en el año 1952 cuando tuvo 9 años. Ella luchó con el lenguaje inglés y por esa lucha su escuela la puso en una clases al nivel mucho más bajo por tres años que su nivel verdadero. Elle se sentía incómoda siendo más vieja que los otros estudiantes. Ella terminó la secundaria a pesar de este desafío. Ella conoció a su esposo, se casó con él y empezó una familia. Ellos tienen cuatro hijos. 1:32 - Nivian’s husband was a man of all trades Nivian explains the many different activities her husband was a part of. He served in the military, he attended the university, he was active in the community, he helped begin the bilingual program with some of the other leaders from the community. Nivian explica las actividades diferentes en que su esposo participaba. Él sirvió en el ejército, asistió a la universidad, fue activo en la comunidad, ayudó a desarrollar el programa bilingüe con unos de los otros líderes de la comunidad. 3:18 - Reasons why the Perez family came to Buffalo Nivian’s family came to Buffalo to create a better life. She said this is what everyone wanted. La familia de Nivian vino a Búfalo para crear una vida mejor. Ella dice que eso es lo que todo el mundo quería. 4:15 - Nivian’s husband came to Buffalo in the 1950s Her husband had a scholarship to go to school in Puerto Rico but had to start over when he came to Buffalo. �Su esposo tuvo una beca para asistir a la escuela en Puerto Rico pero tuvo que empezar de nuevo cuando llegó a Búfalo. 9:36 - Nivian’s work Nivian worked as a cook in various restaurants. She also worked in Syracuse as an ESL teacher. She never got her degree but she received an assistant teaching certificate. She said it was very tough to go back to school. She would substitute teach when the teacher was absent. They lived in Syracuse for a some time while her husband was the director of a Hispanic organization. Nivian trabajaba como cocinera en varios restaurantes. Ella también trabajó en Syracuse como maestra de inglés para los estudiantes de otras lenguas. Ella nunca terminó su licenciatura pero recibió su certificación para ser asistente al maestro. Ella dice que para regresar a la escuela era difícil. Ella era maestra suplente cuando el maestro estaba ausente. Ellos vivieron en Syracuse por algún tiempo mientras su esposo era director de una organización hispana. 18:07 - Thoughts on the West Side Nivian never had any problems walking around the West Side. She felt like she was a part of the West Side. She didn’t feel as comfortable in South Buffalo as she does on the West Side. She said she can be happy wherever she is. Nivian nunca tuvo problemas caminando por el West Side. Ella se siente parte de la comunidad. Ella no se sentía tan cómoda en South Buffalo como al West Side. Dice que ella puede ser feliz en cualquier lugar que esté. 19:03 - Nivian attends Holy Cross Church Nivian attends Holy Cross. Before she went to Holy Angels. She goes to whichever church is closest. She was always near a church. Holy Cross and Holy Angels both have Spanish language masses. Nivian asiste a la iglesia de Holy Cross. Antes asistía a la iglesia de Holy Angels. Ella asiste a cualquiera iglesia que esté la más cercana. Ella siempre está cerca de una iglesia. Ambas Holy Cross y Holy Angels tienen misas en español. 20:00 - Where Nivian’s kids went to school �Nivian explains where her children went to school. They started in Buffalo but then went to a school in Syracuse. They moved to Puerto Rico after they lost one of their sons from a car accident. Nivian explica a donde sus hijos asistían a la escuela. Ellos empezaron en Búfalo pero luego asistieron a una escuela en Syracuse. Ellos se mudaron a Puerto Rico después de perder uno de sus hijos en un accidente de choque. 20:53 - Difficulties for kids to transition between English and Spanish language schools Nivian and her husband would speak in both English and Spanish in the home to try and maintain both languages. Their kids would always respond in English. They did well in Puerto Rico because they were excellent students and could speak Spanish well. They were timid to speak in Spanish because they thought their classmates would make fun of them. Nivian y su esposo hablarían ambos español y inglés con sus hijos en la casa para mantener ambas lenguas. Sus hijos siempre responderían en inglés. Ellos sacaron buenas notas en la escuela en Puerto Rico porque ya sabían español y ya eran buenos estudiantes. Ellos eran tímidos hablando en español porque pensaron que sus compañeros de clase burlarían de ellos y su accento. 24:00 - Nivian only worked during high school Nivian never worked after leaving high school. She worked at a restaurant by the Buffalo Convention Center. She met her husband there. She was 21 when she graduated high school. Her husband used to work at the Statler Hilton and would eat at the restaurant where she worked after his shift. They got married after he came back from serving in the military. Nivian nunca trabajó después de graduarse de la secundaria. Ella trabajaba en un restaurante cerca del Buffalo Convention Center. Ella conoció a su esposo ahí. Ella tuvo 21 años cuando se graduó de la secundaria. Su esposo trabajaba al Statler Hilton. 24:54 - Experiences finding employment It wasn’t difficult for Nivian to find employment while she was in high school but transportation was challenging because she would work so late. She worked through the summer. Her father didn’t want them to work because �he wanted them to at least finish high school. There were 11 kids in the family, 3 boys and 8 girls. Nivian was the oldest daughter. No era difícil de encontrar trabajo para Nivian mientras asistía a la secundaria pero el transporte se puso complicado porque ella trabajaría hasta muy tarde. Su padre no quería que sus hijos trabajaran porque quería que estudiaran y terminaran por lo menos la secundaria. Hubo 11 hijos en la familia, 2 eran chicos y 8 eran chicas. 27:03 - Nivian’s mother never had a church wedding Nivian’s mother always dreamed of having a church wedding but couldn’t because they lived in the country. Her mother finally had a church wedding on her 50th anniversary. All of the family members were a part of the wedding. Her mother was so happy. Nivian describes her mother’s wedding. La madre de Nivian siempre soñaba de una boda en la iglesia pero no la podía tener porque vivía en el campo. Finalmente, su madre tuvo su boda en la iglesia en su aniversario de 50 años. Toda de la familia fue parte de la boda. Su madre era muy feliz. Nivian describe la boda de su madre. 32:12 - The first family they met was Casimiro’s The Perez family met Casimiro’s family first when they arrived to Buffalo. They spent a lot of their childhood together. La familia Perez conoció a la familia de Casimiro justo cuando llegó a Búfalo. Ellos pasaon mucho tiempo juntos durante su juventud. � 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 Her Home, Buffalo, NY Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 0:49:57 Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview 0:03 - Nivian introduces herself Nivian Rodriguez Perez was born in Puerto Rico but moved to Buffalo in 1952 when she was 9 years old. She struggled to learn English and because of this struggle her school placed her three grades below her actual grade. She felt uncomfortable being so much older than the other students. She finished high school despite this challenge. She met her husband, married him and started a family. They have four children. Nivia Rodriguez Perez nació en Puerto Rico pero se mudó a Búfalo en el año 1952 cuando tuvo 9 años. Ella luchó con el lenguaje inglés y por esa lucha su escuela la puso en una clases al nivel mucho más bajo por tres años que su nivel verdadero. Elle se sentía incómoda siendo más vieja que los otros estudiantes. Ella terminó la secundaria a pesar de este desafío. Ella conoció a su esposo, se casó con él y empezó una familia. Ellos tienen cuatro hijos. 1:32 - Nivian’s husband was a man of all trades Nivian explains the many different activities her husband was a part of. He served in the military, he attended the university, he was active in the community, he helped begin the bilingual program with some of the other leaders from the community. Nivian explica las actividades diferentes en que su esposo participaba. Él sirvió en el ejército, asistió a la universidad, fue activo en la comunidad, ayudó a desarrollar el programa bilingüe con unos de los otros líderes de la comunidad. 3:18 - Reasons why the Perez family came to Buffalo Nivian’s family came to Buffalo to create a better life. She said this is what everyone wanted. La familia de Nivian vino a Búfalo para crear una vida mejor. Ella dice que eso es lo que todo el mundo quería. 4:15 - Nivian’s husband came to Buffalo in the 1950s Her husband had a scholarship to go to school in Puerto Rico but had to start over when he came to Buffalo. Su esposo tuvo una beca para asistir a la escuela en Puerto Rico pero tuvo que empezar de nuevo cuando llegó a Búfalo. 9:36 - Nivian’s work Nivian worked as a cook in various restaurants. She also worked in Syracuse as an ESL teacher. She never got her degree but she received an assistant teaching certificate. She said it was very tough to go back to school. She would substitute teach when the teacher was absent. They lived in Syracuse for a some time while her husband was the director of a Hispanic organization. Nivian trabajaba como cocinera en varios restaurantes. Ella también trabajó en Syracuse como maestra de inglés para los estudiantes de otras lenguas. Ella nunca terminó su licenciatura pero recibió su certificación para ser asistente al maestro. Ella dice que para regresar a la escuela era difícil. Ella era maestra suplente cuando el maestro estaba ausente. Ellos vivieron en Syracuse por algún tiempo mientras su esposo era director de una organización hispana. 18:07 - Thoughts on the West Side Nivian never had any problems walking around the West Side. She felt like she was a part of the West Side. She didn’t feel as comfortable in South Buffalo as she does on the West Side. She said she can be happy wherever she is. Nivian nunca tuvo problemas caminando por el West Side. Ella se siente parte de la comunidad. Ella no se sentía tan cómoda en South Buffalo como al West Side. Dice que ella puede ser feliz en cualquier lugar que esté. 19:03 - Nivian attends Holy Cross Church Nivian attends Holy Cross. Before she went to Holy Angels. She goes to whichever church is closest. She was always near a church. Holy Cross and Holy Angels both have Spanish language masses. Nivian asiste a la iglesia de Holy Cross. Antes asistía a la iglesia de Holy Angels. Ella asiste a cualquiera iglesia que esté la más cercana. Ella siempre está cerca de una iglesia. Ambas Holy Cross y Holy Angels tienen misas en español. 20:00 - Where Nivian’s kids went to school Nivian explains where her children went to school. They started in Buffalo but then went to a school in Syracuse. They moved to Puerto Rico after they lost one of their sons from a car accident. Nivian explica a donde sus hijos asistían a la escuela. Ellos empezaron en Búfalo pero luego asistieron a una escuela en Syracuse. Ellos se mudaron a Puerto Rico después de perder uno de sus hijos en un accidente de choque. 20:53 - Difficulties for kids to transition between English and Spanish language schools Nivian and her husband would speak in both English and Spanish in the home to try and maintain both languages. Their kids would always respond in English. They did well in Puerto Rico because they were excellent students and could speak Spanish well. They were timid to speak in Spanish because they thought their classmates would make fun of them. Nivian y su esposo hablarían ambos español y inglés con sus hijos en la casa para mantener ambas lenguas. Sus hijos siempre responderían en inglés. Ellos sacaron buenas notas en la escuela en Puerto Rico porque ya sabían español y ya eran buenos estudiantes. Ellos eran tímidos hablando en español porque pensaron que sus compañeros de clase burlarían de ellos y su accento. 24:00 - Nivian only worked during high school Nivian never worked after leaving high school. She worked at a restaurant by the Buffalo Convention Center. She met her husband there. She was 21 when she graduated high school. Her husband used to work at the Statler Hilton and would eat at the restaurant where she worked after his shift. They got married after he came back from serving in the military. Nivian nunca trabajó después de graduarse de la secundaria. Ella trabajaba en un restaurante cerca del Buffalo Convention Center. Ella conoció a su esposo ahí. Ella tuvo 21 años cuando se graduó de la secundaria. Su esposo trabajaba al Statler Hilton. 24:54 - Experiences finding employment It wasn’t difficult for Nivian to find employment while she was in high school but transportation was challenging because she would work so late. She worked through the summer. Her father didn’t want them to work because he wanted them to at least finish high school. There were 11 kids in the family, 3 boys and 8 girls. Nivian was the oldest daughter. No era difícil de encontrar trabajo para Nivian mientras asistía a la secundaria pero el transporte se puso complicado porque ella trabajaría hasta muy tarde. Su padre no quería que sus hijos trabajaran porque quería que estudiaran y terminaran por lo menos la secundaria. Hubo 11 hijos en la familia, 2 eran chicos y 8 eran chicas. 27:03 - Nivian’s mother never had a church wedding Nivian’s mother always dreamed of having a church wedding but couldn’t because they lived in the country. Her mother finally had a church wedding on her 50th anniversary. All of the family members were a part of the wedding. Her mother was so happy. Nivian describes her mother’s wedding. La madre de Nivian siempre soñaba de una boda en la iglesia pero no la podía tener porque vivía en el campo. Finalmente, su madre tuvo su boda en la iglesia en su aniversario de 50 años. Toda de la familia fue parte de la boda. Su madre era muy feliz. Nivian describe la boda de su madre. 32:12 - The first family they met was Casimiro’s The Perez family met Casimiro’s family first when they arrived to Buffalo. They spent a lot of their childhood together. La familia Perez conoció a la familia de Casimiro justo cuando llegó a Búfalo. Ellos pasaon mucho tiempo juntos durante su juventud. 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 Nivian Rodríguez Perez Complete Interview Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Nivian Rodríguez Perez (Interviewee) Stephanie Bucalo (Interviewer) Description An account of the resource This interview with Nivian Rodriguez Perez took place on October 24, 2013 in Buffalo, NY and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. Nivian Rodriguez Perez was born in Puerto Rico but moved to Buffalo in 1952 when she was 9 years old. She was placed in a lower grade level because she struggled to learn English. She graduated high school at the age of 21, but finished. She worked at a restaurant downtown while going to school, but after graduating she never worked again. She met her husband while working at the restaurant and started a family with him. They have four children together. Nivian reflects on her life with her husband and many of her achievements. She also discusses her feelings about living on the West Side, going to church and raising her family. Nivian shares a lot of information in this interview, but it is fairly fragmented as she had a hard time remember finer details. Esta entrevista con Nivian Rodriguez Perez tomó lugar el 24 de octubre del año 2013 en Búfalo, NY y fue conducida por Stephanie Bucalo. Nivian Rodríguez Pérez nació en Puerto Rico pero se mudó a Búfalo cuando tuvo 9 años. Ella fue puesta en un grado más bajo para su edad porque luchaba con el idioma inglés. Ella se graduó a la edad de 21, pero terminó la secundaria. Ella trabajaba en un restaurante en el centro de la ciudad mientras asistía a la secundaria, pero justo después de graduarse ella nunca volvió a trabajar. Ella conoció a su esposo mientras trabajaba en el restaurante y empezó una familia con él. Ellos tienen cuatro hijos juntos. Nivian refleja en su vida con su esposo y muchos de sus éxitos. Ella también describe sus sentimientos sobre su vida en el West Side, asistiendo a la iglesia y creciendo a su familia. Nivian comparte mucha información en esta entrevista, pero es muy fragmentado porque ella no podía recordar todos los detalles más finos. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-10-24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Hispanic Heritage "Bring Us Your History!" Project 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 Relation A related resource Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Digital Collections 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes. Employment and Labor Migration Religion https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/cb894d496ba2908e66637af9e8b6035a.mp3 a3dfd79db19b4937fa7254620534c2fa https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/62c8004d95571bb618c3f8aa808a82df.pdf e82de469d1c96309a937e46af2c339ec PDF Text Text Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY “Bring Us Your History!” Project Interviewee: Marcelina Rodriguez Rondon Interview Location: Amherst, New York Interview Date: 9/16/13 Interview Conducted by: Stephanie Bucalo Length: 49:43 Executive Summary: This interview with Marcelina Rodriguez Rondon took place on September 16, 2013 in Amherst, New York and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. Marcelina was born in Puerto Rico but came to Lackawanna with her parents in search of better employment opportunities. She grew up in a large family and was a middle child. Both of her parents worked when she was kid and instilled a strong work ethic into her and her siblings. Marcelina went to both public and private school and was the first in her family to graduate from high school and college. She went on to become a bilingual counselor and later an EOP Counselor at the University at Buffalo. Marcelina shares stories of her childhood beginning with her experiences in school and later on her experiences in the university and the work force. She was part of the first group of latino students to be a part of the Upward Bound Program at the University at Buffalo and carried a strong female presence in the university. She took on roles that most women were not allowed to do at that time and did it with respect and dignity. She was a part of a local bilingual radio program, helped recruit other latino students to the university and helped start the Puerto Rican Chicano Committee. Additionally, as a young girl, she played sports and was a female pioneer for the many women who were still not allowed to participate in male dominated activities such as sports and higher education. She has fond memories from her life and is very proud of everything she was a part of. Marcelina also discusses family values, the religious community and what it meant to be a latina in the university. Resumen Ejecutivo: Esta entrevista con Marcelina Rodriguez Rondon tomó lugar el 13 de septiembre del año 2013 en Amherst, New York y fue conducida por Stephanie Bucalo. Marcelina nació en Puerto Rico pero vino a Lackawanna con sus padres en búsqueda de oportunidades mejores de empleo. Ella se creció en una familia grande y era una hija al medio. Ambos de sus padres trabajaron por toda su niñez y les instalaron una ética laboral muy fuerte a ella �y a sus hermanos. Marcelina asistió a la escuela pública y privada y era la primera en su familia a graduarse de la secundaria y la universidad. Ella se puso consejera bilingüe y más tarde consejera de EOP a la Universidad de Búfalo. Marcelina comparte una historias sobre su juventud empezando con sus experiencias en la escuela y más tarde sobre sus experiencias en la universidad y entrando a la fuerza laboral. Ella era parte del primer grupo de estudiantes latinos para entrar en la universidad bajo del programa de Upward Bound a la Universidad de Búfalo y llevaba una presencia femenina fuerte a la universidad. Ella asumió roles que la mayoría de mujeres no se permitían a tomar las mujeres en este momento con mucho respeto y dignidad. Ella era parte del programa bilingüe de la radio, ayudó reclutar a los nuevos estudiantes a la universidad y ayudó de establecer el Puerto Rican Chicano Committee. Adicionalmente, como una jovencita, ella jugaba a los deportes y era pionera para muchas mujeres quienes todavía no participaban en las actividades dominadas por los hombres tanto como los de los deportes y los estudios al nivel universitario. Ella tiene buenos recuerdos de su vida y es muy orgullosa de todo en que participaba. Marcelina también habla de los valores familiares, la comunidad religiosa, y lo que quería decir ser una latina en la universidad. Story Clips: 0:00 - Marcelina introduces herself and her family Marcelina grew up with a diverse group of individuals. She was just a child when when her family came to Lackawanna. Both of her parents worked. Her mother worked at the first restaurant that was owned by a Puerto Rican man. Both had strong work ethics. Marcelina has a strong work ethic. She graduated from the University at Buffalo and found her first job as a bilingual counselor. Marcelina se creció con un grupo diverso de individuos. Ella era justo una niña cuando su familia vino a Lackawanna. Ambos de sus padres trabajaron. Su madre trabajaba al primer restaurante en la región de dueño puertorriqueño. Ambos tuvieron la ética laboral fuerte. Ella se graduó de la Universidad de Búfalo y encontró su primer puesto de consejera bilingüe. 1:55 - The family moves to Maryner in 1965 Marcelina remembers when her father purchased a house on Maryner Street on the Lower West Side of Buffalo. They first lived in Lackawanna and then moved to Buffalo. This happened when she first started high school. She went to Grover Cleveland High School. �Marcelina recuerda de cuando su padre compró su primera casa en Maryner Street en el Lower West Side de Búfalo. Ellos primero vivieron en Lackawanna y luego se mudaron a Búfalo. La mudanza sucedió cuando ella empezó la escuela secundaria. Ella asistió a Grover Cleveland High School. 2:31 - Early schooling She went to Queen of All Saints Grammar School prior to this moment. They were only in public school for 2 years. They didn’t have enough money to pay for private education so the children went to public school. Ella asistió a Queen of All Saints Grammar School antes de este momento. Ellos asistieron a la escuela pública por solamente 2 años. Ellos no podían cobrar los gastos de la escuela privada y por eso tuvieron que asistir a la escuela pública. 3:11 - Marcelina did not choose to come to this area Marcelina shares that she didn’t choose to come to this area, her father did. He worked in the fields in Michigan, Dunkirk and Eden. Her father used to work for the sugar cane company but decided to come to the area from the southern part of Puerto Rico--Padillas, Puerto Rico. Marcelina dice que ella no eligió a vivir en esta área, su padre tomó la decisión. Él trabajaba en los campos de Michigan, Dunkirk y Eden. Su padre trabajaba para una compañía azucarera pero decidió de venir a la área de la parte del sur de Puerto Rico--Padillas, Puerto Rico. 4:58 - Father moved around until he heard about Lackawanna Marcelina’s father moved around looking for work until he found out about Lackawanna. Bethlehem Steel was very big in the region. Marcelina tells the history of the area around Bethlehem Steel. She remembers different places that were located right around the factory. They lived in the Baker Homes-the projects. They bonded with other Hispanics living in their neighborhood. They also bonded with people from other ethnic groups that lived in the same neighborhood. This influenced Marcelina to have respect for all people regardless of their ethnicity, language, religion, etc. El padre de Marcelina se mudó buscando trabajo hasta cuando descubrió Lackawanna. Bethlehem Steel era una parte muy influencial en la región. Marcelina cuenta la historia de la área alrededor de la factoría de Bethlehem Steel. Ella recuerda los lugares diferentes que estaban ubicados justo �alrededor de la factoría. Ellos viveron en los Baker Homes--el barrio. Ellos se pusieron amigos con los otros hispanos viviendo en el vecindario. Ellos también se pusieron amigos con la gente de las otros grupos étnicos del mismo vecindario. Esta experiences la influyó a Marcelina y le enseñó que ella tiene que respetar a los demás independientemente de su etnicidad, lenguaje, religión, etc. 7:18 - Buffalo was the big city Marcelina thought Buffalo was the big city but she adjusted. She was a part of las Hijas de Maria (Daughters of Mary). The church was very big in the community. It kept her away from other social events. She was very shy and at times, Buffalo seemed very overwhelming to her. The schools were very different and she missed her friends from Lackawanna. Marcelina pensó que Búfalo era la ciudad grande pero se acostumbró. Ella era parte de las Hijas de Maria. La iglesia era muy importante dentro de la comunidad. La iglesia la guardó lejos de otros eventos sociales. Ella era muy tímida y a veces, Búfalo le pareció muy abrumador a ella. Las escuelas eran muy diferentes y ella extrañaba mucho a sus amigos de Lackawanna. 8:11 - Marcelina was recruited to attend the university Marcelina was recruited to attend the university by Pedro Maurás and other people who were recruiting Hispanics. Marcelina knows that she wouldn’t be where she is today without their help. She was the first generation to graduate from high school and the first person in her family to go to college. She chose UB even though she was also accepted to Buffalo State. She attended through the Upward Bound Program. She took college preparatory classes with other classmates. They were able to spend 3 months in Spain during their first year in the program. Se reclutó a Marcelina a asistir a la universidad por Medro Maurás y otra gente que reclutaba a los estudiantes hispanos. Marcelina sabe que le debe mucho crédito para dónde ella ha llegado a este grupo porque le dio esta buena oportunidad. Ella era la primera generación de graduados secundarios en su familia y la primera de asistir a la universidad de su familia. Ella eligió la Universidad de Búfalo aunque ella fue aceptada a Buffalo State. Ella asistió a la universidad por el programa de Upward Bound. Ella tomó clases universitarias preparatorias con otros compañeros de la clase. Ellos tuvieron la oportunidad de pasar 3 meses en España durante su primer año del programa. �10:13 - The ladies organized an organization on campus Gloria, Marcelina and Carmen Gonzalez organized their own student organization on campus. She explains the organizations that existed while she was in school. They founded the organization PODER. They felt that Hispanics needed representation on campus. They worked with the school to get the university to recruit more Hispanic students to attend medical school at UB. They turned to NYU for inspiration. The organization still exists today. It has existed since 1969. Gloria, Marcelina y Carmen González organizaron su propia organización estudiantil mientras Marcelina asistía a la universidad. Ellas fundaron la organización PODER. Ellos pensaron que los hispanos necesitaban representación en el campus. Ellos trabajaron con la universidad para que reclutaron a más estudiantes hispanos para asistir a las facultades de medicina a UB. Ellos miraron a NYU para inspiración. La organización existe desde el año 1969. 12:21 - Marcelina took advantage of every available opportunities. Marcelina took advantage of every available option while she was in school. She was in commercials, she recruited students, she did whatever she could for the experience. She also worked a radio station. She was a part of the radio station for a few years. She describes how the radio station evolved. Marcelina aprovechó de cada opción disponible mientras asistía a la universidad. Ella participaba en las promociones, ella reclutó a nuevos estudiantes, ella hacía cualquier cosa que podía para ganar la experiencia. Ella también trabajó a un canal de radio. Ella era parte del canal por unos años. Ella describe como el canal evolucionó. 13:28 - The Latinas revolutionize the community Marcelina hosted a conversation on the air about Latinas. The men didn’t like it because they thought the women were going to revolutionize other women. They connected the community with the university by inviting community members to visit so they could experience the education. Many men didn’t like this because these women were defying gender norms. The women also helped establish the Latino studies program under Dr. Pabón from the Spanish department. Marcelina acogió una conversación sobre el aire del tema de las latinas. A los hombres, no les gustó el programa porque ellos pensaron que las mujeres �revolucionarían a las otras mujeres de la comunidad. Ellas vincularon la comunidad con la universidad por invitarla a visitar para que pudiera experimentar la educación. A muchos hombres, no les gustó este evento porque las mujeres desafiaban las normas de género. Las mujeres ayudaron a establecer el programa de los estudios latinos bajo del Dr. Pabón de la Facultad de Lenguas. 14:47 - Recruitment efforts, university personnel and Marcelina’s new job Marcelina explains the different recruitment efforts made by professors, students and other university personnel to get more minorities into the university. She also explains how she obtained her job in the EOC office and her responsibilities. The EOC (Educational Opportunity Center) was set up to assist students who are educationally and economically disadvantaged. They support people who have been underserved. She then became a senior counselor which gave her the opportunity to supervise other counselors. Marcelina explica los esfuerzos diferentes de la reclutación hechos por los profesores, los estudiantes, y otra gente de la universidad para llevar más minoritarios a la universidad. Ella también explica cómo ella obtuvo su puesto en la oficina de EOC y sus responsabilidades. El EOC (Educational Opportunity Center) fue establecido para atender a los estudiantes que eran desaventajado educacionalmente o económicamente. Luego, ella se puso una consejera mayor lo cual le dio la oportunidad de supervisar a los otros consejeros. 17:12 - Marcelina recalls the early stages of EOP Marcelina recalls the early stages of EOP when it was called EPIS. She now is a supervisor for EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) because she wants to help students like she was helped when she was a student. Marcela recuerda de las etapas tempranas de EOP cuando se llamó EPIS. Ahora, ella es una supervisora para EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) porque ella quiere ayudar a los estudiantes como los consejeros la ayudaron cuando era estudiante. 18:11 - The Maryner experience was all about the arts There were art shows every summer. There were a lot of Puerto Ricans and Italians in the school. She felt the neighborhood was very diverse. She started playing sports to try and overcome her shyness. She played softball, �volleyball and bowling. That helped her meet other girls. She would walk to and from school. Hubo exposiciones de arte cada verano. Hubo muchos puertorriqueños y italianos asistiendo a las escuelas. Ella sintió que el vecindario era muy diverso. Ella empezó a jugar los deportes y trató de superar su timidez. Ella jugaba al softball, volibol y los bolos. Estos deportes la ayudó hacer amistades con otras muchachas. Ella camianaría a y de la escuela. 19:24 - Marcelina goes to her junior prom During her junior year she went to the junior prom. She could only go with someone the family knew. Her parents protected her very well. Her sisters married very young. Her parents didn’t want the remaining two daughters to get married too young. Her father took her to buy a dress for the prom. She describes her dress. Her father was very supportive. Durante su tercer año en la escuela ella fue a su baile formal. Ella solo podía asistir con alguien conocido bien por sus padres. Sus hermanas mayores se casaron muy joven. Sus padres no querían que sus últimas hermanas se casaran demasiado joven. Su padre la llevó a la tienda para comprar su vestido. Ella describe el vestido. Su padre la apoyó mucho. 20:56 - Faltering family values change Marcelina’s perspective on marriage Marcelina shares how the separation of her parents really deflated her perspective on marriage because she believes “the family that prays together stays together”. Despite this feeling, she found her soulmate and had three sons with him. Marcelina comparte cómo la separación de sus padres verdaderamente desinfló su perspectiva sobre el casamiento porque ella cree que “la familia que ora junta se queda junta”. A pesar de este sentimiento, ella encontró su compañero de alma y tuvo tres hijos con él. 23:37 - Discrimination existed in the neighborhood People in the neighborhood would discriminate against her family because they couldn’t understand what they were saying. They would open the front door every evening and pray the rosary together. Her father would design rosaries as his craft. People in the neighborhood would make fun of them whenever they spoke Spanish. There was a stereotype about Puerto Ricans in �the public schools in Buffalo. Marcelina would always wear a bow and they made fun of her about that. La gente en el vecindario discriminaría contra de su familia porque no podía entender lo que decían. Este era un estereotipo sobre los puertorriqueños en la escuelas públicas en Búfalo. Marcelina siempre llevaba un lazo para su pelo y los maestros burlaban de ella. 25:12 - More discrimination as an adult than as a child Marcelina experienced more discrimination as an adult than she did as a child. She recalls experiencing some challenges when she became a supervisor. Some of her colleagues did not take a woman in a supervising position too well. She didn’t let it bother her. She did everything she could to treat everybody equally and to respect their diversity. Marcelina experimentó más discriminación como un adulto que experimentó como una niña. Ella recuerda experimentando algunos desafíos cuando se puso supervisora. Algunos de sus colegas no la recibieron bien en este puesto porque era mujer. Este no le molestó a Marcelina. Ella hizo lo más para tratarle bien y igualmente a todo el mundo y respetar su diversidad. 27:22 - Women’s softball league The women’s softball league gave them a sense of camaraderie. Marcelina shares a little insight on the women’s league. La liga de softball para las mujeres les dio un sentido de camaradería. Marcelina compare un poco de la visión de la liga para las mujeres. 29:12 - Marcelina raised three respectful young men Marcelina raised three respectful sons. She raised them to respect women and for themselves. Her husband was raised by a single mother and he really helped to instill this value into his children. They believe in equal opportunity. Marcelina creció a tres hijos respectables. Ella les enseñó que deben mostrar el respeto para las mujeres y a sí mismos. Su esposo fue crecido por una madre soltera y él ayudó instalar este mismo valor a sus hijos. Ellos creen en la oportunidad igual. 30:15 - Experience working at the radio station �Marcelina describes her experience working for the radio station. They worked under a grant through WBFO to get the voice of the community on the air waves. They would share community news. Each person involved had a different talent. The program was called Serenata Latina. Inmates in the prisons would listen to the station. There were a lot of latinos in the prisons. Marcelina describe su experiencia trabajando para el canal de radio. Ellos trabajaron bajo de una beca por WBPO para transmitir la voz de la comunidad por las olas del aire. Ellos compartirían las noticias de la comunidad. Cada persona involucrada tuvo un talento distinto. Se llamó el programa Serenata Latina. Los encarcelados en las cárceles escucharían al canal. Hubo muchos encarcelados latinos en las cárceles. 32:11 - Trip to Spain during the summer Marcelina reflects on her summer trip to Spain. The Spanish department gave her a scholarship to travel abroad during the summer. This was her first time away from home. She loved it. There was also a trip to Puerto Rico. She didn’t go. She wanted to travel forever but decided to start a family instead. Marcelina refleja en su viaje del verano a España. La facultad de español le dio una beca para viajar a España durante el verano. Este era su primera vez lejos de su casa. A ella, le encantó. Hubo también un viaje a Puerto Rico. Ella no fue. Ella quería viajar siempre pero decidió que quiso empezar una familia. 36:45 - HUB has a senior service program Marcelina explains that HUB has services specifically dedicated to senior citizens. She explains the different services. Lucy Candelario is a leader in this organization. Marcelina explica que HUB tiene servicios específicamente dedicados a los mayores. Ella explica los servicios diferentes. Lucy Candelario es un líder de esta organización. 40:38 - Different religious institutions on the Lower West Side Marcelina describes the different religious institutions on the Lower West Side. The religious community is both ethnically and linguistically diverse. There is a service for everybody. �Marcelina describe las instituciones diferentes religiosas al Lower West Side. La comunidad religiosa es ambas diversas étnicamente y lingüísticamente. Hay una misa para todo el mundo. 40:42 - Why churches are popping up all over the city Younger people are turning to non-catholic churches so they are starting them up all over the city. Los jóvenes giran a las iglesias no católicas entonces ellos establecen las nuevas iglesias por todas partes de la ciudad. 41:46 - Involvement with the scholarship committee Marcelina is involved in the scholarship committee with the Hispanic Women’s League. She doesn’t attend the meetings but she is a part of the scholarship committee. Se involucra a Marcelina en el comité de las becas para la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas. Ella no asiste a las reuniones pero ella es parte del comité de becas. 41:53 - Involvement in other community based activities Marcelina was also involved in many community task forces. She helped build the Puerto Rican Chicano Committee. Father Antonio Rodriguez was instrumental in creating the organization. He also was the leader of the ethnic parades starting at Immaculate Conception Church. Marcelina también está involucrada en muchos grupos comunitarios. Ella ayudó de establecer el Puerto Rican Chicano Committee. El Padre Antonio Rodriguez era instrumental en la creación de la organización. Él también era el líder de los desfiles étnicos empezando a la Iglesia de la Concepción Inmaculata. 5:36 - Marcelina and her husband chose to stay on the West Side Marcelina and her husband wanted their children to be exposed to diversity and their culture so they stayed on the Lower West Side. They have seen a lot of changes in the community. Marcelina y su esposo quería que se expusieron a sus hijos la diversidad y su cultura pues, se quedaron viviendo por el Lower West Side. Ellos han visto muchos cambios en la comunidad. � 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 Amherst, NY Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 49:43 Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview 0:00 - Marcelina introduces herself and her family Marcelina grew up with a diverse group of individuals. She was just a child when when her family came to Lackawanna. Both of her parents worked. Her mother worked at the first restaurant that was owned by a Puerto Rican man. Both had strong work ethics. Marcelina has a strong work ethic. She graduated from the University at Buffalo and found her first job as a bilingual counselor. Marcelina se creció con un grupo diverso de individuos. Ella era justo una niña cuando su familia vino a Lackawanna. Ambos de sus padres trabajaron. Su madre trabajaba al primer restaurante en la región de dueño puertorriqueño. Ambos tuvieron la ética laboral fuerte. Ella se graduó de la Universidad de Búfalo y encontró su primer puesto de consejera bilingüe. 1:55 - The family moves to Maryner in 1965 Marcelina remembers when her father purchased a house on Maryner Street on the Lower West Side of Buffalo. They first lived in Lackawanna and then moved to Buffalo. This happened when she first started high school. She went to Grover Cleveland High School. Marcelina recuerda de cuando su padre compró su primera casa en Maryner Street en el Lower West Side de Búfalo. Ellos primero vivieron en Lackawanna y luego se mudaron a Búfalo. La mudanza sucedió cuando ella empezó la escuela secundaria. Ella asistió a Grover Cleveland High School. 2:31 - Early schooling She went to Queen of All Saints Grammar School prior to this moment. They were only in public school for 2 years. They didn’t have enough money to pay for private education so the children went to public school. Ella asistió a Queen of All Saints Grammar School antes de este momento. Ellos asistieron a la escuela pública por solamente 2 años. Ellos no podían cobrar los gastos de la escuela privada y por eso tuvieron que asistir a la escuela pública. 3:11 - Marcelina did not choose to come to this area Marcelina shares that she didn’t choose to come to this area, her father did. He worked in the fields in Michigan, Dunkirk and Eden. Her father used to work for the sugar cane company but decided to come to the area from the southern part of Puerto Rico--Padillas, Puerto Rico. Marcelina dice que ella no eligió a vivir en esta área, su padre tomó la decisión. Él trabajaba en los campos de Michigan, Dunkirk y Eden. Su padre trabajaba para una compañía azucarera pero decidió de venir a la área de la parte del sur de Puerto Rico--Padillas, Puerto Rico. 4:58 - Father moved around until he heard about Lackawanna Marcelina’s father moved around looking for work until he found out about Lackawanna. Bethlehem Steel was very big in the region. Marcelina tells the history of the area around Bethlehem Steel. She remembers different places that were located right around the factory. They lived in the Baker Homes--the projects. They bonded with other Hispanics living in their neighborhood. They also bonded with people from other ethnic groups that lived in the same neighborhood. This influenced Marcelina to have respect for all people regardless of their ethnicity, language, religion, etc. El padre de Marcelina se mudó buscando trabajo hasta cuando descubrió Lackawanna. Bethlehem Steel era una parte muy influencial en la región. Marcelina cuenta la historia de la área alrededor de la factoría de Bethlehem Steel. Ella recuerda los lugares diferentes que estaban ubicados justo alrededor de la factoría. Ellos viveron en los Baker Homes--el barrio. Ellos se pusieron amigos con los otros hispanos viviendo en el vecindario. Ellos también se pusieron amigos con la gente de las otros grupos étnicos del mismo vecindario. Esta experiences la influyó a Marcelina y le enseñó que ella tiene que respetar a los demás independientemente de su etnicidad, lenguaje, religión, etc. 7:18 - Buffalo was the big city Marcelina thought Buffalo was the big city but she adjusted. She was a part of las Hijas de Maria (Daughters of Mary). The church was very big in the community. It kept her away from other social events. She was very shy and at times, Buffalo seemed very overwhelming to her. The schools were very different and she missed her friends from Lackawanna. Marcelina pensó que Búfalo era la ciudad grande pero se acostumbró. Ella era parte de las Hijas de Maria. La iglesia era muy importante dentro de la comunidad. La iglesia la guardó lejos de otros eventos sociales. Ella era muy tímida y a veces, Búfalo le pareció muy abrumador a ella. Las escuelas eran muy diferentes y ella extrañaba mucho a sus amigos de Lackawanna. 8:11 - Marcelina was recruited to attend the university Marcelina was recruited to attend the university by Pedro Maurás and other people who were recruiting Hispanics. Marcelina knows that she wouldn’t be where she is today without their help. She was the first generation to graduate from high school and the first person in her family to go to college. She chose UB even though she was also accepted to Buffalo State. She attended through the Upward Bound Program. She took college preparatory classes with other classmates. They were able to spend 3 months in Spain during their first year in the program. Se reclutó a Marcelina a asistir a la universidad por Medro Maurás y otra gente que reclutaba a los estudiantes hispanos. Marcelina sabe que le debe mucho crédito para dónde ella ha llegado a este grupo porque le dio esta buena oportunidad. Ella era la primera generación de graduados secundarios en su familia y la primera de asistir a la universidad de su familia. Ella eligió la Universidad de Búfalo aunque ella fue aceptada a Buffalo State. Ella asistió a la universidad por el programa de Upward Bound. Ella tomó clases universitarias preparatorias con otros compañeros de la clase. Ellos tuvieron la oportunidad de pasar 3 meses en España durante su primer año del programa. 10:13 - The ladies organized an organization on campus Gloria, Marcelina and Carmen Gonzalez organized their own student organization on campus. She explains the organizations that existed while she was in school. They founded the organization PODER. They felt that Hispanics needed representation on campus. They worked with the school to get the university to recruit more Hispanic students to attend medical school at UB. They turned to NYU for inspiration. The organization still exists today. It has existed since 1969. Gloria, Marcelina y Carmen González organizaron su propia organización estudiantil mientras Marcelina asistía a la universidad. Ellas fundaron la organización PODER. Ellos pensaron que los hispanos necesitaban representación en el campus. Ellos trabajaron con la universidad para que reclutaron a más estudiantes hispanos para asistir a las facultades de medicina a UB. Ellos miraron a NYU para inspiración. La organización existe desde el año 1969. 12:21 - Marcelina took advantage of every available opportunities. Marcelina took advantage of every available option while she was in school. She was in commercials, she recruited students, she did whatever she could for the experience. She also worked a radio station. She was a part of the radio station for a few years. She describes how the radio station evolved. Marcelina aprovechó de cada opción disponible mientras asistía a la universidad. Ella participaba en las promociones, ella reclutó a nuevos estudiantes, ella hacía cualquier cosa que podía para ganar la experiencia. Ella también trabajó a un canal de radio. Ella era parte del canal por unos años. Ella describe como el canal evolucionó. 13:28 - The Latinas revolutionize the community Marcelina hosted a conversation on the air about Latinas. The men didn’t like it because they thought the women were going to revolutionize other women. They connected the community with the university by inviting community members to visit so they could experience the education. Many men didn’t like this because these women were defying gender norms. The women also helped establish the Latino studies program under Dr. Pabón from the Spanish department. Marcelina acogió una conversación sobre el aire del tema de las latinas. A los hombres, no les gustó el programa porque ellos pensaron que las mujeres revolucionarían a las otras mujeres de la comunidad. Ellas vincularon la comunidad con la universidad por invitarla a visitar para que pudiera experimentar la educación. A muchos hombres, no les gustó este evento porque las mujeres desafiaban las normas de género. Las mujeres ayudaron a establecer el programa de los estudios latinos bajo del Dr. Pabón de la Facultad de Lenguas. 14:47 - Recruitment efforts, university personnel and Marcelina’s new job Marcelina explains the different recruitment efforts made by professors, students and other university personnel to get more minorities into the university. She also explains how she obtained her job in the EOC office and her responsibilities. The EOC (Educational Opportunity Center) was set up to assist students who are educationally and economically disadvantaged. They support people who have been underserved. She then became a senior counselor which gave her the opportunity to supervise other counselors. Marcelina explica los esfuerzos diferentes de la reclutación hechos por los profesores, los estudiantes, y otra gente de la universidad para llevar más minoritarios a la universidad. Ella también explica cómo ella obtuvo su puesto en la oficina de EOC y sus responsabilidades. El EOC (Educational Opportunity Center) fue establecido para atender a los estudiantes que eran desaventajado educacionalmente o económicamente. Luego, ella se puso una consejera mayor lo cual le dio la oportunidad de supervisar a los otros consejeros. 17:12 - Marcelina recalls the early stages of EOP Marcelina recalls the early stages of EOP when it was called EPIS. She now is a supervisor for EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) because she wants to help students like she was helped when she was a student. Marcela recuerda de las etapas tempranas de EOP cuando se llamó EPIS. Ahora, ella es una supervisora para EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) porque ella quiere ayudar a los estudiantes como los consejeros la ayudaron cuando era estudiante. 18:11 - The Maryner experience was all about the arts There were art shows every summer. There were a lot of Puerto Ricans and Italians in the school. She felt the neighborhood was very diverse. She started playing sports to try and overcome her shyness. She played softball, volleyball and bowling. That helped her meet other girls. She would walk to and from school. Hubo exposiciones de arte cada verano. Hubo muchos puertorriqueños y italianos asistiendo a las escuelas. Ella sintió que el vecindario era muy diverso. Ella empezó a jugar los deportes y trató de superar su timidez. Ella jugaba al softball, volibol y los bolos. Estos deportes la ayudó hacer amistades con otras muchachas. Ella camianaría a y de la escuela. 19:24 - Marcelina goes to her junior prom During her junior year she went to the junior prom. She could only go with someone the family knew. Her parents protected her very well. Her sisters married very young. Her parents didn’t want the remaining two daughters to get married too young. Her father took her to buy a dress for the prom. She describes her dress. Her father was very supportive. Durante su tercer año en la escuela ella fue a su baile formal. Ella solo podía asistir con alguien conocido bien por sus padres. Sus hermanas mayores se casaron muy joven. Sus padres no querían que sus últimas hermanas se casaran demasiado joven. Su padre la llevó a la tienda para comprar su vestido. Ella describe el vestido. Su padre la apoyó mucho. 20:56 - Faltering family values change Marcelina’s perspective on marriage Marcelina shares how the separation of her parents really deflated her perspective on marriage because she believes “the family that prays together stays together”. Despite this feeling, she found her soulmate and had three sons with him. Marcelina comparte cómo la separación de sus padres verdaderamente desinfló su perspectiva sobre el casamiento porque ella cree que “la familia que ora junta se queda junta”. A pesar de este sentimiento, ella encontró su compañero de alma y tuvo tres hijos con él. 23:37 - Discrimination existed in the neighborhood People in the neighborhood would discriminate against her family because they couldn’t understand what they were saying. They would open the front door every evening and pray the rosary together. Her father would design rosaries as his craft. People in the neighborhood would make fun of them whenever they spoke Spanish. There was a stereotype about Puerto Ricans in the public schools in Buffalo. Marcelina would always wear a bow and they made fun of her about that. La gente en el vecindario discriminaría contra de su familia porque no podía entender lo que decían. Este era un estereotipo sobre los puertorriqueños en la escuelas públicas en Búfalo. Marcelina siempre llevaba un lazo para su pelo y los maestros burlaban de ella. 25:12 - More discrimination as an adult than as a child Marcelina experienced more discrimination as an adult than she did as a child. She recalls experiencing some challenges when she became a supervisor. Some of her colleagues did not take a woman in a supervising position too well. She didn’t let it bother her. She did everything she could to treat everybody equally and to respect their diversity. Marcelina experimentó más discriminación como un adulto que experimentó como una niña. Ella recuerda experimentando algunos desafíos cuando se puso supervisora. Algunos de sus colegas no la recibieron bien en este puesto porque era mujer. Este no le molestó a Marcelina. Ella hizo lo más para tratarle bien y igualmente a todo el mundo y respetar su diversidad. 27:22 - Women’s softball league The women’s softball league gave them a sense of camaraderie. Marcelina shares a little insight on the women’s league. La liga de softball para las mujeres les dio un sentido de camaradería. Marcelina compare un poco de la visión de la liga para las mujeres. 29:12 - Marcelina raised three respectful young men Marcelina raised three respectful sons. She raised them to respect women and for themselves. Her husband was raised by a single mother and he really helped to instill this value into his children. They believe in equal opportunity. Marcelina creció a tres hijos respectables. Ella les enseñó que deben mostrar el respeto para las mujeres y a sí mismos. Su esposo fue crecido por una madre soltera y él ayudó instalar este mismo valor a sus hijos. Ellos creen en la oportunidad igual. 30:15 - Experience working at the radio station Marcelina describes her experience working for the radio station. They worked under a grant through WBFO to get the voice of the community on the air waves. They would share community news. Each person involved had a different talent. The program was called Serenata Latina. Inmates in the prisons would listen to the station. There were a lot of latinos in the prisons. Marcelina describe su experiencia trabajando para el canal de radio. Ellos trabajaron bajo de una beca por WBPO para transmitir la voz de la comunidad por las olas del aire. Ellos compartirían las noticias de la comunidad. Cada persona involucrada tuvo un talento distinto. Se llamó el programa Serenata Latina. Los encarcelados en las cárceles escucharían al canal. Hubo muchos encarcelados latinos en las cárceles. 32:11 - Trip to Spain during the summer Marcelina reflects on her summer trip to Spain. The Spanish department gave her a scholarship to travel abroad during the summer. This was her first time away from home. She loved it. There was also a trip to Puerto Rico. She didn’t go. She wanted to travel forever but decided to start a family instead. Marcelina refleja en su viaje del verano a España. La facultad de español le dio una beca para viajar a España durante el verano. Este era su primera vez lejos de su casa. A ella, le encantó. Hubo también un viaje a Puerto Rico. Ella no fue. Ella quería viajar siempre pero decidió que quiso empezar una familia. 36:45 - HUB has a senior service program Marcelina explains that HUB has services specifically dedicated to senior citizens. She explains the different services. Lucy Candelario is a leader in this organization. Marcelina explica que HUB tiene servicios específicamente dedicados a los mayores. Ella explica los servicios diferentes. Lucy Candelario es un líder de esta organización. 40:38 - Different religious institutions on the Lower West Side Marcelina describes the different religious institutions on the Lower West Side. The religious community is both ethnically and linguistically diverse. There is a service for everybody. Marcelina describe las instituciones diferentes religiosas al Lower West Side. La comunidad religiosa es ambas diversas étnicamente y lingüísticamente. Hay una misa para todo el mundo. 40:42 - Why churches are popping up all over the city Younger people are turning to non-catholic churches so they are starting them up all over the city. Los jóvenes giran a las iglesias no católicas entonces ellos establecen las nuevas iglesias por todas partes de la ciudad. 41:46 - Involvement with the scholarship committee Marcelina is involved in the scholarship committee with the Hispanic Women’s League. She doesn’t attend the meetings but she is a part of the scholarship committee. Se involucra a Marcelina en el comité de las becas para la Liga de Mujeres Hispanas. Ella no asiste a las reuniones pero ella es parte del comité de becas. 41:53 - Involvement in other community based activities Marcelina was also involved in many community task forces. She helped build the Puerto Rican Chicano Committee. Father Antonio Rodriguez was instrumental in creating the organization. He also was the leader of the ethnic parades starting at Immaculate Conception Church. Marcelina también está involucrada en muchos grupos comunitarios. Ella ayudó de establecer el Puerto Rican Chicano Committee. El Padre Antonio Rodriguez era instrumental en la creación de la organización. Él también era el líder de los desfiles étnicos empezando a la Iglesia de la Concepción Inmaculata. 5:36 - Marcelina and her husband chose to stay on the West Side Marcelina and her husband wanted their children to be exposed to diversity and their culture so they stayed on the Lower West Side. They have seen a lot of changes in the community. Marcelina y su esposo quería que se expusieron a sus hijos la diversidad y su cultura pues, se quedaron viviendo por el Lower West Side. Ellos han visto muchos cambios en la comunidad. 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 Marcelina Rodriguez Rondon Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marcelina Rodriguez Rondon (Interviewee) Stephanie Bucalo (Interviewer) Description An account of the resource This interview with Marcelina Rodriguez Rondon took place on September 16, 2013 in Amherst, New York and was conducted by Stephanie Bucalo. Marcelina was born in Puerto Rico but came to Lackawanna with her parents in search of better employment opportunities. She grew up in a large family and was a middle child. Both of her parents worked when she was kid and instilled a strong work ethic into her and her siblings. Marcelina went to both public and private school and was the first in her family to graduate from high school and college. She went on to become a bilingual counselor and later an EOP Counselor at the University at Buffalo. Marcelina shares stories of her childhood beginning with her experiences in school and later on her experiences in the university and the work force. She was part of the first group of latino students to be a part of the Upward Bound Program at the University at Buffalo and carried a strong female presence in the university. She took on roles that most women were not allowed to do at that time and did it with respect and dignity. She was a part of a local bilingual radio program, helped recruit other latino students to the university and helped start the Puerto Rican Chicano Committee. Additionally, as a young girl, she played sports and was a female pioneer for the many women who were still not allowed to participate in male dominated activities such as sports and higher education. She has fond memories from her life and is very proud of everything she was a part of. Marcelina also discusses family values, the religious community and what it meant to be a latina in the university. Esta entrevista con Marcelina Rodriguez Rondon tomó lugar el 13 de septiembre del año 2013 en Amherst, New York y fue conducida por Stephanie Bucalo. Marcelina nació en Puerto Rico pero vino a Lackawanna con sus padres en búsqueda de oportunidades mejores de empleo. Ella se creció en una familia grande y era una hija al medio. Ambos de sus padres trabajaron por toda su niñez y les instalaron una ética laboral muy fuerte a ella y a sus hermanos. Marcelina asistió a la escuela pública y privada y era la primera en su familia a graduarse de la secundaria y la universidad. Ella se puso consejera bilingüe y más tarde consejera de EOP a la Universidad de Búfalo. Marcelina comparte una historias sobre su juventud empezando con sus experiencias en la escuela y más tarde sobre sus experiencias en la universidad y entrando a la fuerza laboral. Ella era parte del primer grupo de estudiantes latinos para entrar en la universidad bajo del programa de Upward Bound a la Universidad de Búfalo y llevaba una presencia femenina fuerte a la universidad. Ella asumió roles que la mayoría de mujeres no se permitían a tomar las mujeres en este momento con mucho respeto y dignidad. Ella era parte del programa bilingüe de la radio, ayudó reclutar a los nuevos estudiantes a la universidad y ayudó de establecer el Puerto Rican Chicano Committee. Adicionalmente, como una jovencita, ella jugaba a los deportes y era pionera para muchas mujeres quienes todavía no participaban en las actividades dominadas por los hombres tanto como los de los deportes y los estudios al nivel universitario. Ella tiene buenos recuerdos de su vida y es muy orgullosa de todo en que participaba. Marcelina también habla de los valores familiares, la comunidad religiosa, y lo que quería decir ser una latina en la universidad. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-09-16 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Hispanic Heritage "Bring Us Your History!" Project 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 Relation A related resource Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Digital Collections 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes. Community Involvement Education Employment and Labor https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/b6be27d18c7f60b654f7424a503a744f.jpg 576c1663c230d6ea1ed128b5c06eb6d8 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 Hispanic Heritage History Project Photographs Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY, INC 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 Photograph 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 Little Spain Restaurant Description An account of the resource Little Spain Restaurant – Owned by Jose and Carmen Perez of the Spanish American Welfare Association – This restaurant was located on Wilkesbarre Street, Lackawanna, NY 14218 Circa 1950s – and was one of the first Spanish Restaurants/Bars in Western New York Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1950s 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 image/jpg 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 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes. Employment and Labor Hispanic Businesses Lackawanna Spanish Community https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/d2977bdb27246de1aa4ab9f99a63f2fa.jpg e12166ddd69bee89ace9b8d7af8748ee 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 Hispanic Heritage History Project Photographs Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY, INC 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 Photograph 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 Mayagüesana Delicatessen Description An account of the resource La Mayagüesana Delicatessen, Jose Rullan – Proprietor – Circa 1965 – one of the first Latin American grocery stores to bring Spanish products to the early Puerto Rican/Migrant community. This business was located at 173 Ridge Road Lackawanna, NY. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1963 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 image/jpg 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 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes. Employment and Labor Hispanic Businesses https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/9d1ae05ef986d18a849b1273a1fde2fa.jpg 69d1296f8b4c25e724bdeccfb3b6311a https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/a80a1b4e55fd02316b37c88ae1d2fdd8.jpg 67c0ef7f71af0b687c4c926511504084 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/75f4801460805308a4dbef6d56b0d18c.jpg c8ab92647edcc288735923eb5f019a92 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/30270ec7649ba9b5c41705590d6f5a47.jpg c99b4c2466b3a45af46ad6420b471c92 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/0c842438045123c79d4a77fe5ccb3008.jpg 57912ea159989527887886c66fd811e6 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/ca4b7408aebfefc13c76c28ddc2b0912.jpg b356c5bd329fcd0e33b5d895298e76ea https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/94ef9c0a7c74e3175efe61e7b3a1fd5a.jpg 73cf835c097156603cdb13aab4f0f19f 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 Hispanic Heritage History Project Photographs Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY, INC 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 Photograph 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 Mercedes “Bessie” Mendez & the Bethlehem Steel Pant : Photo Album Description An account of the resource During World War II, women occupied the jobs that men who were fighting in the war once took. Mercedes "Bessie" Mendez was one of the women in the community who worked at Bethlehem Steel during the war. Once the war ended, the men returned to the steel plant and the women returned home. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1940s 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 image/jpg 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 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes. Bethlehem Steel Employment and Labor Photo album https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/37b345c9dcfc38a33e7555dce63a873c.jpg abdb0cb8adffb5058af99ec55bfc6332 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/a4f0f7b24e79f72e38c44cb6db69034b.jpg 56db563b3937c90f93000c6bd896fd31 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/8cf2c229ee4c48d954c11391aa95faae.jpg 99fa825bff80bbb07b6e43ed8089601d 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 Hispanic Heritage History Project Photographs Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY, INC 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 Photograph 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 Rodriguez's Barbershop : Photo Album Description An account of the resource This barbershop was one of the first Hispanic owned businesses in the community. Felix Magui Rodriguez to this day still has the chair from his barber shop. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1969 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 image/jpg 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 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes. Employment and Labor Hispanic Businesses Photo album https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/120691e490ef6703b3f98923f0214e46.jpg 5ccd7ea7f1a74163808a8478ba821a1f https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/4230f644318fe543e3c71fb23295413e.jpg 6031ac04a5b5cada93aeef578fd99f02 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/04e6b54ab104dcfe4825e31c5ca15c8d.jpg 5b2d129e6ea8674ed8d4e0aa8ff8bdbd 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 Hispanic Heritage History Project Photographs Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY, INC 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 Photograph 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 Raul Russi : Photo Album Description An account of the resource Raul Russi was the first Puerto Rican police officer in the City of Buffalo. He became a political activist and helped elect the first Hispanic judge in the City's history. He served as the Assistant Superintendent of the Erie County Correctional Facility and was later promoted to Superintendent. He then became the chairman of the Parole Board and the first Latino sheriff in New York City. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani nominated Raul to become the Commissioner of the Probation Board for New York City. He was then appointed as the CEO of Acacia in New York City. He then became a part of BASIC and Promesa, two New York City based non-profit organizations that focus on services in the area of health, housing, and economic development. He ran for State Assembly of the 146th District in 1983. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Buffalo & Erie County Public Library 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 image/jpg 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 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes. Employment and Labor Opportunities Photo album https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/e72cb7aaaaf543d6eb85c007a7cf424d.mp3 d6d3eeafb73a1dee1bbae54b02282029 https://omeka.buffalolib.org/files/original/3f8cc085e65b718e27469fe6b5d90a25.pdf 806cc737459290f1817d286c71b28868 PDF Text Text Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY “Bring Us Your History!” Project Interviewee: Pedro Maurás Interview Location: His Home Interview Date: 8/4/2012 Interview Conducted by: Stephanie Bucalo Length: 1:43:00 Executive Summary: 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 farm south of Buffalo and later in education. Pedro remembers living in a neighborhood where he felt a lot of discrimination and knew the police and other people in the community were trying to send Puerto Ricans back to Puerto Rico. Pedro decided to meet with the police to try and resolve the problem. Later, Pedro was invited to work in City Hall to help establish a bilingual program in the Buffalo Public Schools. Since then, Pedro was actively involved in bringing bilingual and higher education to the Hispanic community. Pedro was responsible for creating a Spanish speaking baseball team and he himself played. Pedro really emphasizes the need to maintain and promote culture and language in the Hispanic community. He feels these are key components to a rich culture. Resumen Ejecutivo: Pedro Maurás nació en Puerto Rico y trabajó en una plantación de caña de azúcar hasta cuando recibió noticias de su hermano que había puestos de bueno salario en Búfalo. Pedro migró a Búfalo sin una educación formal pero eventualmente encontró empleo en una granja al sur de Búfalo y más tarde en la educación. Pedro recuerda del tiempo cuando vivía en un vecindario donde existía mucha discriminación y sabía que la policía y otra gente en la comunidad trataban de devolver los puertorriqueños a Puerto Rico. Pedro decidió de reunirse con la policía y tratar de resolver el problema. Más tarde, Pedro fue invitado al ayuntamiento para ayudar establecer un programa bilingüe y en las Buffalo Public Schools. Desde entonces, Pedro estaba involucrado activamente en llevar el conocimiento a la �comunidad hispana sobre la importancia de la educación bilingüe en la escuelas públicas y la necesidad de la educación universitaria. Pedro fue responsable para la creación del equipo hispano hablante de béisbol y él también jugaba. Pedro enfatiza la necesidad de mantener y promover la cultura y la lengua en la comunidad hispana. Él siente que son componentes claves para una cultura rica. Story Clips: 5:54 - Pedro has a brother in Buffalo Pedro's brother wrote to him while he was working on the sugar cane plantations and told him about the jobs in Buffalo. Pedro's brother was already living in the region and wanted to give Pedro the same opportunity. El hermano de Pedro le escribió mientras Pedro trabajaba en la plantación de caña de azúcar y le dijo que hubo trabajo en Búfalo. El hermano de Pedro ya vivía en la región y quería la misma oportunidad para Pedro. 6:27 - Pedro had no schooling "One thing that I probably should mention is that I had no schooling whatsoever. When I moved to the country when I was about 7 years of age I was taken out of a one room classroom" - he was taken out of school and never put back into school. “Una cosa que debo mencionar es que yo no tuve ninguna educación formal. Cuando me mudó a este país cuando tuve 7 años de edad, se me sacó de una escuela de un aula.” – se sacó Pedro de la escuela y él nunca volvió. 10:09 - Sharpen up, get learned "Sharpen up, kid. Learn" is what Pedro was told ... he never forgot that. “¡Agúcese! Aprenda” es lo que le fue dicho a Pedro…él nunca se lo olvidó. 10:45 - South Division Street in 1955 �Some people on South Division St. were friendly and some were reluctant of the newly arrived Maurás family. He says some may have actually petitioned to have Puerto Ricans sent back to Puerto Rico. He says the police collaborated with this. In 1956 he saw a gathering of people, police included, that he believed were meeting to send the Puerto Ricans home. Alguna gente en la Calle South Division fue simpática y alguna gente fue mal dispuesta a la nuevamente llegada familia Maurás. Él dice que mucho se ha firmado una petición para haber mandado los puertorriqueños a Puerto Rico. Él dice que la policía colaboró con esto. En el año 1956, él vio un grupo de personas, incluyendo la policía que, él pensó, se juntaron para mandar los puertorriqueños a Puerto Rico. 11:14 - Rumors of petitions Pedro heard rumors that someone in the neighbor was passing around petitions to get the Puerto Ricans sent back to their country because the people in the neighborhood didn't like that there was a new and different ethnic group coming in. Pedro approached Father Carl J. Fenice of St. Lucy's Parish asking for permission to invite the police officers who were collaborating with the petitioners to try and speak with them about not taking action against the Hispanic community. Pedro escuchó rumores que alguien en el barrio pasaba una petición para mandar a los puertorriqueños a su país porque a la gente en el barrio no le gustó la llegada de un nuevo grupo étnico. Pedro se acercó al Padre Carl J. Fenice de la Iglesia Santa Lucia pidiendo permiso para invitar a la policía que estaban colaborando con los peticionarios para intentar de hablar con ellos y pedirles que no tomasen acción contra de la comunidad hispana. 16:04 - Living at the Farm Pedro says the Militelli Brothers Farm treated him well. He says they were "good people." During the workweek he lived at the farm in a "shanty," which wasn't good but wasn't bad. �Pedro dice que la Granja de los Hermanos Militelli le trató bien. Él dice que ellos fueron “buena gente”. Durante la semana laboral él vivía a la granja en “una chabola”, la cual no era buena pero no era mala. 20:09 - Organizing the Latin American Democratic Club In 1960, the leaders of the Hispanic Community founded the Latin American Democratic Club (Later changed to the Puerto Rican American Community Association - PRACA) to work together to support the Hispanic community. At the time, other ethnic groups in the community were petitioning to have the Puerto Ricans sent back to the island because of racism and discrimination. En el año 1960, los líderes de la comunidad hispana fundaron el Latin American Democratic Club (Más tarde se cambió al Puerto Rican American Community Association – PRACA) para trabajar juntos a apoyar a la comunidad hispana. En ese momento, los otros grupos étnicos en la comunidad peticionaron que los puertorriqueños se volvieran a la isla por la culpa del racismo y la discriminación. 26:32 - Discrimination against Hispanic dances The Puerto Rican community wanted to build a center for themselves to promote their culture and heritage, because they would have to pay rent at halls and many times the halls were reluctant to rent to the Hispanic community. La comunidad puertorriqueña quería construir un centro para sí misma para promover su cultura y herencia, porque ellos habrían pagado la renta en otros sitios de banquetas y muchas veces estos sitios fueron mal dispuestos a rentarlos a la comunidad hispana. 31:00 - The bilingual program begins Pedro was working with the State Commission of Human Rights in 1965 ... around 1970 Pedro received a call from an administrator of the programs of education - Eugene Reville (spelling?). Reville wanted Pedro to go to the Board of Education at City Hall to select someone to direct the bilingual project. Pedro trabajaba con el State Commission of Human Rights en el año 1965…alrededor del año 1970 Pedro recibió una llamada del administrador de los programas de la educación – Eugene Reville �(ortografía?). Reville quería que Pedro fuera a la Junta de Educación en el ayuntamiento para elegir a alguien del puesto de director del programa de la educación bilingüe. 46:59 - Pedro fights for scholarship funding for Hispanics Pedro was upset because the Upward Bound Program at the University at Buffalo was set up to give scholarships to minority students. Up until this point, only African Americans received the scholarship so Pedro confronted the University and asked them to extend the program to Hispanic students as well. This effort helped increase the number of Hispanic students attending UB. Pedro se enojó porque fue fundado el programa de Upward Bound a la Universidad a Búfalo para darles becas a los estudiantes americanos africanos para que asistan a la universidad. La beca fue fundada para todos los estudiantes minoritarias. Se enfrentó a la administración y la pidió que abriera la beca a los hispanos también. Esta acción ayudó a aumentar el número de estudiantes hispanos a UB. 50:16 - Pedro creates a baseball team Pedro gathered a meeting of players and founded “The Puerto Ricans” in 1957. Pedro juntó una reunión de jugadores y fundó el equipo “los Puertorriqueños” en el año 1957. 1:02:02 - Discrimination in the Hall of Fame A group from Blasdell had a dinner for Hall of Fame baseball groups. There were no Puerto Ricans represented so Pedro had a meeting in his apartment to protest the perceived discrimination. Un grupo de Blasdell tuvo una recepción para los grupos de béisbol del Hall of Fame. No hubo ningunos puertorriqueños, pues Pedro juntó una reunión en su departamento para protestar la discriminación percibida. 1:04:06 - A gathering place Pedro describes the atmosphere of the baseball games. Pedro describe el ambiente de los partidos de béisbol. �1:20:19 - Don't put your culture aside "Culture is you...you forget your culture, you forget your roots...you're hanging by a thread." “Tú eres la cultura…se olvida la cultura, se pierden las raíces…se cuelga por un hilo.” 1:27:53 - The first Hispanic conference in any county In 1971 Pedro organized the first Hispanic conference in Lackawanna, NY. En el año 1971 Pedro organizó la primera conferencia hispana en Lackawanna, NY. � 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 West Seneca, NY Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 1:43:00 Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview 5:54 - Pedro has a brother in Buffalo Pedro's brother wrote to him while he was working on the sugar cane plantations and told him about the jobs in Buffalo. Pedro's brother was already living in the region and wanted to give Pedro the same opportunity. El hermano de Pedro le escribió mientras Pedro trabajaba en la plantación de caña de azúcar y le dijo que hubo trabajo en Búfalo. El hermano de Pedro ya vivía en la región y quería la misma oportunidad para Pedro. 6:27 - Pedro had no schooling "One thing that I probably should mention is that I had no schooling whatsoever. When I moved to the country when I was about 7 years of age I was taken out of a one room classroom" - he was taken out of school and never put back into school. “Una cosa que debo mencionar es que yo no tuve ninguna educación formal. Cuando me mudó a este país cuando tuve 7 años de edad, se me sacó de una escuela de un aula.” – se sacó Pedro de la escuela y él nunca volvió. 10:09 - Sharpen up, get learned "Sharpen up, kid. Learn" is what Pedro was told ... he never forgot that. “¡Agúcese! Aprenda” es lo que le fue dicho a Pedro…él nunca se lo olvidó. 10:45 - South Division Street in 1955 Some people on South Division St. were friendly and some were reluctant of the newly arrived Maurás family. He says some may have actually petitioned to have Puerto Ricans sent back to Puerto Rico. He says the police collaborated with this. In 1956 he saw a gathering of people, police included, that he believed were meeting to send the Puerto Ricans home. Alguna gente en la Calle South Division fue simpática y alguna gente fue mal dispuesta a la nuevamente llegada familia Maurás. Él dice que mucho se ha firmado una petición para haber mandado los puertorriqueños a Puerto Rico. Él dice que la policía colaboró con esto. En el año 1956, él vio un grupo de personas, incluyendo la policía que, él pensó, se juntaron para mandar los puertorriqueños a Puerto Rico. 11:14 - Rumors of petitions Pedro heard rumors that someone in the neighbor was passing around petitions to get the Puerto Ricans sent back to their country because the people in the neighborhood didn't like that there was a new and different ethnic group coming in. Pedro approached Father Carl J. Fenice of St. Lucy's Parish asking for permission to invite the police officers who were collaborating with the petitioners to try and speak with them about not taking action against the Hispanic community. Pedro escuchó rumores que alguien en el barrio pasaba una petición para mandar a los puertorriqueños a su país porque a la gente en el barrio no le gustó la llegada de un nuevo grupo étnico. Pedro se acercó al Padre Carl J. Fenice de la Iglesia Santa Lucia pidiendo permiso para invitar a la policía que estaban colaborando con los peticionarios para intentar de hablar con ellos y pedirles que no tomasen acción contra de la comunidad hispana. 16:04 - Living at the Farm Pedro says the Militelli Brothers Farm treated him well. He says they were "good people." During the workweek he lived at the farm in a "shanty," which wasn't good but wasn't bad. Pedro dice que la Granja de los Hermanos Militelli le trató bien. Él dice que ellos fueron “buena gente”. Durante la semana laboral él vivía a la granja en “una chabola”, la cual no era buena pero no era mala. 20:09 - Organizing the Latin American Democratic Club In 1960, the leaders of the Hispanic Community founded the Latin American Democratic Club (Later changed to the Puerto Rican American Community Association - PRACA) to work together to support the Hispanic community. At the time, other ethnic groups in the community were petitioning to have the Puerto Ricans sent back to the island because of racism and discrimination. En el año 1960, los líderes de la comunidad hispana fundaron el Latin American Democratic Club (Más tarde se cambió al Puerto Rican American Community Association – PRACA) para trabajar juntos a apoyar a la comunidad hispana. En ese momento, los otros grupos étnicos en la comunidad peticionaron que los puertorriqueños se volvieran a la isla por la culpa del racismo y la discriminación. 26:32 - Discrimination against Hispanic dances The Puerto Rican community wanted to build a center for themselves to promote their culture and heritage, because they would have to pay rent at halls and many times the halls were reluctant to rent to the Hispanic community. La comunidad puertorriqueña quería construir un centro para sí misma para promover su cultura y herencia, porque ellos habrían pagado la renta en otros sitios de banquetas y muchas veces estos sitios fueron mal dispuestos a rentarlos a la comunidad hispana. 31:00 - The bilingual program begins Pedro was working with the State Commission of Human Rights in 1965 ... around 1970 Pedro received a call from an administrator of the programs of education - Eugene Reville (spelling?). Reville wanted Pedro to go to the Board of Education at City Hall to select someone to direct the bilingual project. Pedro trabajaba con el State Commission of Human Rights en el año 1965…alrededor del año 1970 Pedro recibió una llamada del administrador de los programas de la educación – Eugene Reville (ortografía?). Reville quería que Pedro fuera a la Junta de Educación en el ayuntamiento para elegir a alguien del puesto de director del programa de la educación bilingüe. 46:59 - Pedro fights for scholarship funding for Hispanics Pedro was upset because the Upward Bound Program at the University at Buffalo was set up to give scholarships to minority students. Up until this point, only African Americans received the scholarship so Pedro confronted the University and asked them to extend the program to Hispanic students as well. This effort helped increase the number of Hispanic students attending UB. Pedro se enojó porque fue fundado el programa de Upward Bound a la Universidad a Búfalo para darles becas a los estudiantes americanos africanos para que asistan a la universidad. La beca fue fundada para todos los estudiantes minoritarias. Se enfrentó a la administración y la pidió que abriera la beca a los hispanos también. Esta acción ayudó a aumentar el número de estudiantes hispanos a UB. 50:16 - Pedro creates a baseball team Pedro gathered a meeting of players and founded “The Puerto Ricans” in 1957. Pedro juntó una reunión de jugadores y fundó el equipo “los Puertorriqueños” en el año 1957. 1:02:02 - Discrimination in the Hall of Fame A group from Blasdell had a dinner for Hall of Fame baseball groups. There were no Puerto Ricans represented so Pedro had a meeting in his apartment to protest the perceived discrimination. Un grupo de Blasdell tuvo una recepción para los grupos de béisbol del Hall of Fame. No hubo ningunos puertorriqueños, pues Pedro juntó una reunión en su departamento para protestar la discriminación percibida. 1:04:06 - A gathering place Pedro describes the atmosphere of the baseball games. Pedro describe el ambiente de los partidos de béisbol. 1:20:19 - Don't put your culture aside "Culture is you...you forget your culture, you forget your roots...you're hanging by a thread." “Tú eres la cultura…se olvida la cultura, se pierden las raíces…se cuelga por un hilo.” 1:27:53 - The first Hispanic conference in any county In 1971 Pedro organized the first Hispanic conference in Lackawanna, NY. En el año 1971 Pedro organizó la primera conferencia hispana en Lackawanna, NY. 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 Pedro Maurás Complete Interview Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Pedro Maurás (Interviewee) Stephanie Bucalo (Interviewer) Description An account of the resource 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 farm south of Buffalo and later in education. Pedro remembers living in a neighborhood where he felt a lot of discrimination and knew the police and other people in the community were trying to send Puerto Ricans back to Puerto Rico. Pedro decided to meet with the police to try and resolve the problem. Later, Pedro was invited to work in City Hall to help establish a bilingual program in the Buffalo Public Schools. Since then, Pedro was actively involved in bringing bilingual and higher education to the Hispanic community. Pedro was responsible for creating a Spanish speaking baseball team and he himself played. Pedro really emphasizes the need to maintain and promote culture and language in the Hispanic community. He feels these are key components to a rich culture. Pedro Maurás nació en Puerto Rico y trabajó en una plantación de caña de azúcar hasta cuando recibió noticias de su hermano que había puestos de bueno salario en Búfalo. Pedro migró a Búfalo sin una educación formal pero eventualmente encontró empleo en una granja al sur de Búfalo y más tarde en la educación. Pedro recuerda del tiempo cuando vivía en un vecindario donde existía mucha discriminación y sabía que la policía y otra gente en la comunidad trataban de devolver los puertorriqueños a Puerto Rico. Pedro decidió de reunirse con la policía y tratar de resolver el problema. Más tarde, Pedro fue invitado al ayuntamiento para ayudar establecer un programa bilingüe y en las Buffalo Public Schools. Desde entonces, Pedro estaba involucrado activamente en llevar el conocimiento a la comunidad hispana sobre la importancia de la educación bilingüe en la escuelas públicas y la necesidad de la educación universitaria. Pedro fue responsable para la creación del equipo hispano hablante de béisbol y él también jugaba. Pedro enfatiza la necesidad de mantener y promover la cultura y la lengua en la comunidad hispana. Él siente que son componentes claves para una cultura rica. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-07-31 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Hispanic Heritage "Bring Us Your History!" Project 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 Relation A related resource Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Digital Collections Language A language of the resource English 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes. Community Involvement Education Employment and Labor Family Hispanic Culture Language Migration Social Conditions Sports