Browse Items (54 total)

Araceli Islas moved to the US from the Distrito Federal in Mexico 15 years ago and lives in Pikeville, NC. She has daughters who live in Mexico and sons who were born and live in the US, and has worked both in Mexico and the US as a seamstress. Her life in Pikeville is much different from the life she had in the D.F., particularly with regard to…

Vianey Lemus Martinez is a fourth year undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying Spanish. She grew up in Tulancingo, Hidalgo in Mexico until age nine when she and her family moved to Durham, North Carolina where they have lived ever since. Lemus Martinez was hesitant to apply for a legal status under the Deferred…

In this conversation with Lazaro Cardenas, he explains his roots in Morelos, Mexico, his past work positions, and career passions. He talks about how he came to the United States twenty years ago and found a way to continue the same career that he had in Mexico, with his wife. He discusses how he chose to sell the items that he has at the Bright…

Elaine Townsend talks about the cultural differences that exist between her mother’s Peruvian family and father’s American family. She discusses her childhood and what it was like to live in an extremely conservative religious community. Townsend was homeschooled for much of her life. Making the transition into the public school system and…

Vidal discusses his immigration experience as a native of Oaxaca, Mexico coming to the United States with his family in 2001. He talks about his father’s experience and how he became legalized through the immigration reform under President Reagan. He discusses some of the racial, cultural, and linguistic barriers he encountered during the first…

Enrique Chaupiz discusses his roots in the context of Peruvian food. He talks about the traditions his mother has passed on and how he has tried to conserve the Peruvian cuisine in his household ever since he moved to the United States. He narrates some of his childhood memories and explains how his passion for cooking was born. Mr. Chaupiz talks…

Maria Ruiz discusses her life growing up, and her family’s migratory experience from El Salvador to the United States. Maria talks about her parents’ motives for migrating and how their reasons resemble current motives from Latin American immigrants, the primary factor being economic self-improvement. She says that her parents never talk about…

Pedro J. Carreño describes his values towards food in relation to some of his childhood memories. He talks about some of the traditional dishes from his hometown, La Uvita, Boyacá, Colombia and the family members that played an immense role in his life, teaching him the fundamentals of the culinary arts. In the interview he mentions the…

Erick Sanchez discusses being a first-generation Mexican in the United States. Sanchez describes the obstacles his parents had to face in order to migrate. Some of these obstacles include crossing a physical border and others involve crossing the language and cultural barriers in order to adapt to the new environment. He makes clear distinctions…

Yanexy Cardona mentions her family’s immigration experience as Hondurans crossing the Mexican-American border. In addition, she defines her Honduran identity and how it is different from other Latin American countries. Yanexy discusses what influenced her family to move to North Carolina and how they have integrated with the community. She…