Collection Items

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  ItemOral Historyamnestychildhood...16 more

  Interview of Gina Heredea

  This interview between Ryan Goldberg and Gina Heredea details Heredea's migration from Romania to the United States, life in a communist state, and education in both nations.
  
  This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428N (Spring 2014). This course was led by Professor Thomas Castillo of the History Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies (formerly the Center for the History of the New America).
  
  Note: This interview was part of the original series of oral histories the Center gathered. Therefore, the transcript appears different than that of later interviews. Additionally, this interview was also filmed. Please contact us for access to the video file.
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  ItemOral HistoryPeruSouth America

  Interview of Juvanel Valeriano

  This interview is of Juvenal Valeriano, an immigrant from Peru. James Lastarria, Juvenal's son, conducted the interview and wrote the following description:
  
  "After looking back at the interview, I see some themes that could probably be explored more on a follow up interview. Mr. Lastarria places a lot of importance on education. He did not succumbed to the ideas of the senderistas or corrupt officers and politicians because he was well educated. It is demonstrated during the first couple of minutes in the interview when he spoke about his mother and the importance and sacrifices she did in order for her children to get an education. My uncle became an attorney, my dad an undercover agent, and my other uncles and aunts obtained blue collar jobs. Another major theme in this interview is family. The decisions that Mr. Lastarria made were for the sake of his family. He may have taken his job to heart, which is noted during his long absence from his family, but there is also a sense of regret on his part. As he stated during the last minutes of the interview, he wished that he would’ve enjoyed his family more. Who knows, maybe if he had, the problems that are now facing my family would have gone away. My own personal view of his may have been different from what it is today. After this interview it did change a little; however, it is going to take a lot more time to mend the gap that 17 years of absence has caused. Corruption in the government is another theme that could definitely be explored further on another interview. Due to our limitations to an hour and a half, I could not fully explore the corruption within the Peruvian government. I realize that the goal of this interview was to get a narrative of the interviewee’s journey to the US, but events like corruption and distrust in the government play key role for certain individuals to come to the US."
  
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  ItemOral HistoryCatholicCentral America...6 more

  Interview of Violeta Rivas.

  In this oral history interview, Violeta Rivas discusses her experience as an American immigrant. Born in Nicaragua in 1960, Violeta and her husband came to the U.S. in 1984 to escape the Sandinista regime and to build a new life. Thirty years later, they are still here. Although Violeta had originally intended to return to Nicaragua, she and her family stayed, and throughout the course of the interview, she displays an acute awareness of her life in retrospect. Leaving her home was a sacrifice, but she did it for her family; every obstacle she faced and every cultural barrier she had to overcome was for her family. That is the essence of the interview, and throughout the course of this oral history, Violeta guides her listeners through the things that matter the most to her: religion, tradition, and moral values. Violeta’s story is not just one of many Central American immigrant narratives; it is a part of a whole, and without it, the picture is not complete.
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  ItemOral HistoryCanadaCentral America...9 more

  Interview of Carlos Morales

  This oral history interview is of Carlos Morales, the father of the interviewer, Monica Morales. Carlos immigrated to the United States in the 1980s from El Salvador.