1 10 15 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/d3924d8607873d26e337ca2175ce215e.png?Expires=1781740800&Signature=mEzrBz2aFFIKrLpYKCQZwwuj2LVOw50Gq9zYggbg2D8rd9xkCa11YIkkUIv%7ENEXJCfH0JVOZD50H6NkmUpF0iqALWOWhhngaYHgutr6z2mxcNDgaUBzIzbf3Q62qa-b6ndne2I4wXx8miVAI6vMZSPGcCD0x7X-ndV4FXIXNeQ7owqY2rOIb1lldBKDRK0yF0QfRKHpPUAQx9cDZ0JwVuiMVbVMnEsK5SbmIoB-4URzq77qlP8%7EuvdFMrN5TALTY1N%7Euw1YdVrn2vp4wPeH%7ECith9084P7yyQsHLvWhj5cjED-ZkC5NXeIi5oBmUvUOzUu0jGPGYuQ8R7zJ4KgL%7EiA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 7c1eeaf73a7efd1528441acae023166e 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 Spring 2024 Interviews Description An account of the resource Spring 2024 Interviews from Prof. Colleen Woods (IMMR400) and Prof. Anne Rush (HIST 465) at the University of Maryland. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Sydney Black Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Samuel Price (pseudonym) Location The location of the interview College Park, Maryland, Prince George’s County, U.S.A. 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 Interview with Samuel Price (pseudonym) Description An account of the resource This interview between Sydney Black and Samuel Price (pseudonym) explores Price’s path of immigration from Dominica to the United States. Samuel is a graduate student in his mid-30s. In this interview, he shares his experiences living in Dominica, Florida, Trinidad, and Maryland. Price’s interview covers experiences with racism, shifts in identity, racial and ethnic presentation, and open-mindedness. ***This interview (transcript only) is restricted to the University of Maryland College Park's campus. For more information, contact the Center for Global Migration Studies (globalmigration@umd.edu).*** This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST465 (Spring 2024). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sydney Black Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 8, 2024 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Marjorie Antonio Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The full rights of this oral history interview were given by the interviewee to the University of Maryland, College Park. This interview may be quoted from, published, or broadcast in any medium that the University of Maryland, College Park shall deem appropriate. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Caribbean Dominica friends music race school https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/3ee4c9af88da9fa80aec53e102fa6ecf.jpg?Expires=1781740800&Signature=A-fW-i72vN4kw%7E7JchkiLtJKZp2czTxFQR0phZuJQBeEVRizzQlYQHQrBLWdtIUtf7oWaT5%7ELO6-a1tEDwyVhjZJsNy6Hk-EPxbWx27pRY3pRut%7Ee0dVQ9jxxIW6fk-OYMHY0oC1Khqbuf9%7Exo6fFbTXOAqCN66B2AyIK8u1Lw0XBpjCKD5SDHWi9vWj1Mzhvv3c1eLNUdx1GLhOq8xp1MidY1zDjDjYZtlRgpVGYlVE8WmNL1V8KO4R4IGnTBH2CXPrrThTh4bxq9UbiOIS634ug6LHOdBjMwcfGmm%7Ehl6YH7gMam12CnPzknOyJDgeVX66sF5G1oNCG6EDhvXT-w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM e98666e6979aaa1d79475efd3d4bcc1c https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/f73df764ec52e32c06cfcde3181ab0ed.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=luZOUnNH64RafOrY1AHxQ5s1YSqIJvYfUIWp6-088Tgj-weobVvtpg0Tr4xwlRCaqsPyQEwqyJJ0qpun2PqjVSPe%7E7xUzZRcsE%7EcD5jK8Hk3dk3hD1G9eLyoPj1t1wPraIj2qpbw0oXYIMlHKPCPzxdwIcPap-V1yM5fK80WmcAkor4z90cg5p5rdOKQYBzIOSN2rzf7oa8rSfcoZvlplNtXdzpw1cuN9E%7Ejh3tKxj8bpX%7EUFAxDgLRuWFTucfNheSBtAXESVyk5YRixRWrOtfEA9Fr6RMDvSNjbIZJJg2cn6vT1kfFYU5jXqggDnZIam-M6M4kSCkCgcndIWKK%7EhA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 40c1e7812fbb7cbd39e595e5ded52233 PDF Text Text Transcript for Oral History Interview Conducted for University of Maryland Course HIST465– Spring 2023 Instructor: Dr. Anne S. Rush Interviewer’s name: Maggie Welsh Interviewee’s name: Marta Woodward Interviewee’s Country of Origin: Ethiopia Date of Interview: March 6, 2023 Place of Interview: Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland, U.S.A. Introduction: This interview between Maggie Welsh and Marta Woodward looks at why she came to the United States and her thoughts of the United States when she got here. Marta immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia, but there were other stops on the way. Marta talks about the other places she has lived in between Ethiopia and the United States. She recaps living in Ethiopia, moving to Kenya when she was four years old, going to college in London, and then moving to the United States. She speaks about growing up in the revolution in Ethiopia, getting denied a student visa application, reuniting with family in the United States, passport issues, and race issues in the United States. She also talks about being the minority in the United States after coming from being in the majority. Keywords: Ethiopia, Kenya, United Kingdom, revolution, family, race, minority Welsh: My name is Maggie Welsh and I am interviewing Marta Woodward on March 6th, 2023 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Um, so can you tell me your date of birth and place of birth? Woodward: I was born January 5th, 1972, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Welsh: Um, can you tell me about the environment you grew up in in Ethiopia? Woodward: Family environment or political environment or— Welsh: Um, family environment. Woodward: Okay, um, I grew up, um, with two educated parents, college educated parents. They were educated in the United States, um, so they were you know fairly well to do I guess you could say and um both my grandparents, both sets of grandparents were fairly well educated too, so education was a big deal in our household, but so was religion. Um, my uhhh grandfather had converted from Orthodox Christianity to Protestant Christianity because of missions that had been active in Ethiopia, so we were also, um, it was, I grew up in a, basically in a Christian household and faith was just a big part of all of our social gatherings and, um, and my both parents’ families, my mom’s family and my dad’s family were very, very close, so family gatherings were always just big intergenerational massive things and um as I recall, it was just a very safe and loving and warm and comfortable early childhood I’d say. Welsh: Got it. Um, and how old were you when you moved, um, to Kenya from Ethiopia? Woodward: I was four. I was about four, I think nearly five years old. Welsh: Um, and do you remember anything about like the moving from Kenya to Ethiopia or from yeah from [laughs] it’s from Ethiopia to Kenya �Woodward: Yeah. Um, I do. Not much, um, I don’t remember for example that my dad had already moved to Kenya a year in advance of us, so I don’t remember his being gone, but I do remember arriving in Kenya and being very happy to see him, um, with my two brothers and my mom. And I remember we didn’t have, you know, in those days when you got on a plane, this was in the ‘70s, um, in those days you still got dressed up, so we were all dressed up really well in our traveling clothes and when we got to Kenya, um, somebody gave us some flip flops to wear, so we could get more casual. So, I just remember getting flip flops, I don’t know why that was significant. [Welsh laughs] Um, I remember lots of pictures being taken. I remember just a lot of joy that my parents were reunited. Um, but I don’t remember much other than that. Um, I guess bits and pieces, and fragments of memories come from the years directly after that, like moving into our first house and just what Nairobi felt like initially, but yeah no I don’t remember the circumstances, you know, I don’t remember the anxiety and the political turmoil that drove us from Ethiopia, but yeah. Welsh: Um, and can you say why your dad went before everyone else? Woodward: That’s a great question. He went because his family, his immediate family, our nuclear family was kind of compromised and a little bit in danger because the government in Ethiopia was hostile towards my uncle, my father’s eldest brother, because this was a regime change in Ethiopia that occurred in 1974. There was a revolution and the emperor was deposed in military coup. And the new regime had it in for all of the peoples, all the people that were high ranking members of any part of the emperor's political apparatus and that included my uncle, who was a police chief. And so he had been imprisoned and had been on trial and my dad had been trying to support him and, you know, help with the law case, the legal case against him and so on. And it became more and more dangerous for my dad because in those days, the new military government was taking in anyone and everyone they suspected of being directly connected with the old regime, but then also peripheral people to that regime. So it wasn’t just the people who were in the government, but people connected to those people, so my dad counted. So, he left and went to Nairobi because, um, before, um, you know a few years before that he had lived in New York and worked for the United Nations there and there was a big United Nations headquarters in Nairobi, in Kenya. So he figured he’d go ahead of my mom to see if he could get a new job in the UN system and establish himself financially and you know um and then send for us when the, when the time was right. Welsh: Got it. Um, and how was life different in Ethiopia versus Kenya? Woodward: Oh, my goodness. Um, [laughs] you know it’s funny when you ask that. What comes to mind are all the photographs because that’s really what I remember. I think I have this sort of vicarious memory from the photographs, so in the pictures of Ethiopia, I see huge family gatherings. I see my great grandparents. I see my grandparents. I see cousins, extended family members, uncles, aunts and through the years my parents have pointed out well that was uncle so and so, that was uncle so and so, oh that was at the annual picnic where we went here, oh that was at the church gathering here. And so I think suddenly our family went from being this huge multigenerational, um, family to being a family of us five and the other members of the community that had fled Ethiopia and Eritrea. So it became very important for us to build other family in Kenya because suddenly we were just, you know, and there was no sign that we would ever go back to Ethiopia because you know they that’s just the way it was, you left Ethiopia, you don’t go back in those days, so, um I again I don’t remember that feeling of being, I don’t associate that time with loss or sadness, I think I was just too young, um, but I do remember �there were, you know, there was just a different way of socializing, it was just much smaller, much more intimate, um. But I do remember that we were, still, you know, most of the socializing we did was still with Ethiopians and still with Eritreans, there’s still sort of built a new family is how I’d describe it. Other than that, we were still, you know, very comfortable, my dad did have a job with the United Nations and we still, you know, went to good schools, and we didn’t, we were very comfortable, so yeah. Welsh: And, um, when you moved to the US, do you think that you still had that, um, strong like family, um, that you had back? Woodward: Oh, that’s, um, very, very interesting. Um, my parents' marriage broke up when I was eight, so probably 3 or 4 years after we moved to Nairobi everything fell apart in my family. So, and then I didn’t see my mother again until I was 23, so she, um, had first moved to Switzerland and then moved to the United States, um, and along with my aunt and so that was the family that I had in the States. Um, when I moved to the States it’s because she had sponsored me for a green card, you know like a legal alien, resident alien designation and so I came I guess to be with family, namely her, um, but it’s certainly no I don’t think it had that same feeling at all. My brothers were here because of college, so that was fun, you know lots of friends were here, but no, no that was I didn’t come to the States and feel like I had a ton of family at all, no. Welsh: Got it. Um and then so you went to University in London, right? Woodward: Correct. Welsh: And when did you realize that you wanted to go to, um, school in London? Woodward: [laughs] I didn’t originally—well I wanted to come to the States for college actually, um, but then I was denied a visa at the US embassy, um, in Nairobi. So, I couldn't come to the States and there are lots of reasons for that, but I long story short, I had no choice, I mean I am lucky enough and privileged enough to say I had to go to England. But, um, in order to get the education, I guess, um, that I, you know, that I thought would fit with my goals, um, and still go to an English speaking country, it was, it was the United Kingdom. So that happened not out of choice, but out of necessity, and that was when I was 19. Welsh: Got it. Um, what University did you go to and what did you get your degree in? Woodward: So, I went to King's College, um, London, which is a college, a member college of the University of London and my, um, undergraduate degree was in biomedical science and then I stayed there for my master’s in biomedical research. Welsh: Um, and did you get a, um, job in London after? Woodward: I didn’t. No, I came back home to Kenya because I figured, you know, that was home and I had my whole life intended to work in the field of international aid and development, so I’d thought I’d work for UNICEF or some other UN agency or non-governmental organization, um, and work, you know, in emergency zones. That’s kind of what my experience had been in my summer between my undergraduate degree and my master’s degree. I did, um, I spent a couple of months working in Rwanda right after the genocide and I thought that was my future. I just thought that’s what I’m going to do for the rest of my life. Um, and it just didn’t work out that way, so but long story short I left England and went back to Kenya thinking that I’d make my life and career there. �Welsh: And then what did you do when you got back to Kenya? Did you work there? Woodward: Yes, I looked for work for a long time and I finally found work with an organization that is, um, affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and it is, it dealt with public health issues and nursing in, particularly nursing in maternal and child health. And so I just was working, you know, on a daily contract with them in Nairobi because they had studies in and around Kenya. And so I was working for them for a little while, um, but it wasn’t, it wasn’t really sustainable long term kind of, you know, it was hourly pay kind of thing and it wasn’t like something that I thought I could do long term. Welsh: Um, and how, how long were you in Kenya when you went back after, um, college and then before you came to the U.S.? Woodward: Ok, so that was probably, I want to say I got back in September, um, I got back maybe in September and then I left again in—that can’t be right. I think I was there for like 6 months, half a year, something like that. Yeah. Welsh: Um, and just one more question on the topic of school. Um, what was—did you notice any, um, differences between your experience of school in London and Kenya? Woodward: Um, so, well you know when I was—I never went to, um, higher education like college and university in Kenya, so I went, I finished high school in Kenya and then I did all my college and postgrad studies in England. So, the primary difference was the, just a matter of levels yeah. Welsh: Ok, um, and was immigrating to the US more of a push or a pull? Woodward: Oh. Um, it was, it was a push. You know it’s funny a lot of immigrants say there’s no avoiding death, taxes, or America. It’s like if you have a connection in America, it seems inevitable that you will wind up there or should die trying somehow. So it’s a bit of both I suppose. Um, you remember that my mom had applied for me to have—to get a green card and that was the reason that I couldn’t go there for college because the counselor like the embassy said you can’t both have a green card application pending and a student visa application. You can’t, those two, you have to wait until you get the green card. So I put the green card application on hold, finished my education, and when I came back to Kenya, I pursued the green card because an Ethiopian passport, as much as I love, you know, my heritage, is the worst passport in the world to travel with. So if there’s any other passport you could have, other than Ethiopian it makes sense, so I felt pulled because you know I wanted to know my mom, get to know my mom and my brothers were here and America, I mean it’s America! But I also felt pushed because the yeah, the immigration application had already been started. I needed very much to not have an Ethiopian passport anymore, so I could travel without being harassed and I have been very harassed and so, um, yeah so a bit of both, I suppose. Welsh: And when you came here after college, it was just your mom and brothers? Was your dad here too? Woodward: No, my dad was not here. My dad was in Eritrea at the time. Welsh: Ok. Um, and how did you come to, um, America? On a plane? Woodward: Yes, yes. Welsh: And was the process like hard or smooth and did you hit any road bumps on the way? �Woodward: No, because then I had legitimate papers in hand, so everywhere I pass through it was clear that I was going to the United States as a legal resident alien, so I had status now. I wasn’t just an Ethiopian tourist; I wasn’t just some random person who could flee into the country and seek asylum. I was actually, I had a status in the States, so no. On that trip no, and that was my first time to the States by the way. I was 25, I think. Welsh: The first time you came— Woodward: To the States— Welsh: After college, was the first time you had ever been? Woodward: Yeah! Welsh: Um. Woodward: I don’t sound like it though, right? [both laugh] ‘Cause I went to American schools my whole life, so I have kind of an American accent. Welsh: As time has passed, how has your experience compared to what you expected? Woodward: Hmm. I don’t know that I had any expectations of the States when I came here, um, I guess I was pretty naive, honestly, specifically about race issues. Having grown up in an environment where it was 100% normal to be black and we were the majority, you know, the majority ethnic group in Ethiopia was of course Ethiopians, Eritrean or whatever and then in Kenya everybody was black, you know, and it was a very diverse and, um, multicultural city Nairobi, but so. And I think you know all the TV shows that we’d ever watched about the States gave us the impression that everything was cool in America, as far as race relations were concerned. It was really the OJ Simpson case that first kind of made me think, what is going on in this country, you know, why would anybody celebrate that verdict? It didn’t make sense to me. Um, it also didn’t—I remember when Marion Barry was, he was the former mayor of DC, he was caught with some kind of drugs in a hotel room with a prostitute and, um, and the black community leapt to his defense, and it just didn’t make sense to me. I just didn’t understand, and I just thought that those were aberrations in race relations and that otherwise black people and white people and everybody else in America just got along great. That was, that was my expectation and I remember, actually it’s funny that you ask because I remember the first night after I landed in DC, my brother and his best friend from Kenya, they were both in DC at the time, um, and me, we went out to the movies to, um, the Uptown on Connecticut Avenue and Independence Day was showing because it had just come out. And afterwards, and it was you know that was just like to me America on steroids, like ok I’m in the States and I’m watching this ridiculous movie, but this is awesome. And then we came out of the theater and my brother tried to hail a cab and nobody would stop for him. And then he told his Irish friend, “hey can you just, can you just stand out, stand out front and you hail it?” And that guy raised his arm and a cab stopped immediately and it was like my first introduction to like what, this is bizarre you know? And I really felt sad for my brother because he had spent, you know, his entire college career there and it just, it just understood that that’s what it was. Um, but it was a little bit eyeopening and then of course now, you know fast forward however many years later it is, maybe 25? See how old was I when I came here? It’s about 26 years now. I mean I, it is, um, very saddening to me to know the—that ideal that I had of America is not actually realistic and that there are serious fractures and that we have a lot of healing to do. So that’s maybe my main, my main growth experience with this country, but otherwise I, I have to say it is the refuge that I �always thought it would be in many ways. Refuge from day-to-day corruption, you know you and I don’t have to face that really. In Kenya, in Africa a lot of places you deal with that every single day, so that part of it has been nice, um, the orderly streets, trash pickup, all the conveniences of modern civilized life have not disappointed. But, yeah, but there are obviously some serious cultural issues we have to work on. Welsh: And so when you first came here, you went to DC and then did you live in DC first? Woodward: I did live in DC at my aunt's place. I’m very close to my aunt. She’s my mother’s younger sister, um, and my mom was living with her at the time, um, as well as my grandmother. They were both taking care of her, so I lived there for ten months, I would say, in Petworth and then I found my own place in Baltimore. Welsh: Gotcha. And, um, how do you think immigration changed you? Woodward: Immigration ok, uh, in the first place it changed me because it freed me, I mean it liberated me. Um, I fundamentally as a person didn’t change, but my circumstances changed because anyone who’s traveled with a passport through wealthier nations, like if you’ve traveled with an Ethiopian or African or undesirable passport through a wealthy nation, I mean it’s, it’s actually dehumanizing, I think. It’s really dehumanizing, um, and having the US passport is like such a, it’s such, um, I don’t know, it’s like a great lubricant of travel, you just sail right through. Um, and I don’t think people—I think people who are Americans and have always been Americans really take that for granted. When you’re trying to travel from country to country, across this world, which really belongs to all of us, and you are treated like, you know, dirt just because of your passport, it’s really humiliating and so that, that changed me, just the, you know, freedom. I still have scars from that, but I feel very free to travel and like any decent human being with the right to travel. Um, it also has filled me with a lot of guilt because I come from a part of the world that’s very, very poor and very, very troubled and so when I—every time I think about the convenience of being a US citizen and having my house and everything that having US citizenship has afforded me, I can’t help like in the same exact thought, I think about the people back home that I know, whether they’re family members or just friends that are, I hate to say the word, but I feel like they’re trapped in an existence that is just very very very difficult and so I feel a lot of guilt about it too. But mostly I just feel tremendous gratitude, I really do. In fact, you can see the tip of the American flag outside my window box there. I always have— even if it’s a little flag, I have a flag where I can see it because it means a lot to me to be an American as an immigrant. Welsh: Um, can you describe your first work experience in the US? Woodward: Yeah, I continued working for the same company that I had been working with, um, in Kenya, um, I just, it transferred me to Baltimore and I worked for Johns Hopkins over there, um, yeah. It was pretty dull work, data entry, you know, data entry and little bit of data analysis for studies that we were doing in maternal and child health. Um, yeah nothing too exciting and then after, um, that contract ended I temped for a while. That might be in your future too, I don’t know, but temping is hard, it makes, it makes a woman or a man out of you that’s for sure. Um, but yeah, so my early years in this country were spent doing kind of like grunt work and yeah. Welsh: And then after, um, when did you decide, ‘cause you went back and got your master’s. Woodward: I got my master’s right after my, um…you mean in teaching? Welsh: Yeah, in education. �Woodward: Oh, ok. Sorry. When did I decide to do that? Welsh: Yeah. Woodward: Oh ok. So I decided— Welsh: Or how long were you in the US before you decided to? Woodward: At that point I had been in the US, that’s a good question. I arrived in ‘95, maybe 15 years. 14, 15 years I had been here. Um, and I decided to become a teacher because I wanted a career that flowed with my kids, um, lives basically, so that’s why I decided to—and also because I had the example of my husband's family. Mark's family were pretty much all teachers and lived overseas and had a fantastic life and I thought that’s gotta be me. Welsh: Um, and so you worked all the way up until you decided that you wanted to go back to get your master’s— Woodward: No. Welsh: --or did you take any breaks? Woodward: I did. I took a ten year, I wouldn’t call it a break. I was a stay-at-home mom. It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had. [Maggie chuckles] Um, but yeah I, once I got married, um, to my high school sweetheart actually, um, I decided to stay home to be with the boys while they were growing up and part of the reason for that is just because I couldn’t afford to work. Honestly, day care was so expensive and the job, any job that I would get wouldn’t, wouldn’t do anything but pay for childcare, like it wouldn’t give us any extra money, so I figured I’ll just stay at home and not have to deal with childcare. So, that was ten years and then when my youngest son went to kindergarten, I went to University of Maryland. Welsh: Um, and what are the biggest differences between your experience of work in the US and, um, Kenya? Woodward: Ok. I only worked briefly in Kenya as a consultant. I didn’t feel like—I think one of the main differences that I can point to is not necessarily the nature of the work, but just the nature of the office. So, in Kenya there’s somebody who always comes around with tea, you know, and they bring you hot tea and, um, there’s just a lot more of a nurturing environment over there. And in the States it’s you show up, you get your work done, you don’t mess around, you know, maybe once in a while you take a lunch break with a friend, but it’s all business, it’s all business. The idea of somebody bringing you tea or coffee and whose job it is to bring you tea or coffee is so funny. Welsh: Um, and so going back to, um, how you met Mark, your husband, um, when did you meet him? Woodward: I met him when we were in high school. Welsh: Okay. Woodward: Um, yeah in Kenya. We were both in high school. Welsh: So, his parents were teachers there? Woodward: Yes. Well, his dad was a pastor, a missionary and his mom was the school librarian. Welsh: And then did you get—were you split up ever? �Woodward: Yes, we split up, um, after we started college. We had every intention of staying together, but it just didn’t work out. The distance was too great. He was at Swarthmore and I was at Kings and I mean there’s like this huge ocean between us and no email. There was no email in those days. There was no FaceTime. There was nothing. There was just the, you know, the Postal Service. It was just too hard and so we split up in our first year of college and we stayed split up for like a good five years before we got back together. Welsh: And then when did you get back together with him when you were in the US already? Woodward: Yes. Yup. Welsh: Ok. Then how long were you in the US before you married him? Woodward: Um, got married in ‘99. I think about 4 years. 3 or 4 years, something like that. Yeah. Welsh: Um, and has, so the religion part, um, do you, so you wanted to keep up with it when you moved to the US? Woodward: Mm-hm. Welsh: And do you think that it was a support system in any way for you? Woodward: My church groups and my small groups have always been a big support system for me, absolutely. Welsh: Um, did you start going to church like right when you came to the US or— Woodward: Yeah, I did. Welsh: And then overall, what is the thing you are most proudest of, proud of and why? Woodward: Oh my goodness. That is a really hard question. You mean as it relates to immigration specifically or just me? Welsh: Or just like you or life after being in the US. Woodward: I think the thing that I’m proudest of and it sounds really silly, is that Mark and I made choices, financial choices, that gave us a lot of freedom in life and that means that when we had the option to earn a ton of money and then you know, have you heard the term golden handcuffs? Like you earn so much money that you just can’t walk away from the job because now you have committed all that money to like the big house, the amazing car, the private schools, the fancy vacations, the circles that you run in. We said no to that, we just said no that, like it was available to us and in some ways some people think of that as the American Dream, like you get more and more and more, but we consciously rejected that to have a life that made sense and I am proud of that. I feel stupid saying that, but I am happy, I’m not proud of it, I’m happy we made that decision. I don’t regret it. Yeah. Welsh: And is there anything else you want to tell me? Woodward: I want to tell you, Maggie, that I want to go to Vail. I want to go to Vail and ski. Yes. I want to tell you as an immigrant, I am so proud that I am a skier actually! I am proud that I am a skier and I always look for other Black people on the slopes and I never really see them because I just feel like solidarity. I would feel a lot you know less like I stuck out. And then I found an organization the other day called the Brotherhood of Black Skiers or something. �There’s like tons of Black skiers out there, so. And it’s open to anyone. So I’d like you to join with me. Welsh: [laughing] Okay. Woodward: Seriously, they welcome anyone. Welsh: Um, thank you. Woodward: You’re welcome. � https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/8c8bbce64e27368665292e93efe3ab21.m4a?Expires=1781740800&Signature=IeBn1LIcuhP9LsYTxC1ZYpDTJbpc3QGVrgeGzownUFW0zBRY00wF-5zKBmjm7QJmjf8gPTMLFEN48J4oup45DhcY5fNJDhVYR%7E-0X%7EN0CU7XVNjflaNc6jFoHiYZ0X67k3f%7EEsffvT0ptsg%7EDTGlM7gfoiYgwFFNpSFCIVHIqNDlBPvWnPleSxI-S43-9Uo9h0nG4FPwTHMhUtgL1Wha0yEF9YWW82%7EFdUhythhxjzS7YhmZGFWwTSZ%7EjErBncYK27gtO9cFMjKTUb4VZK%7EPA4-VbyTFAtlEqLcNaG%7ELT2Wn9VkskDZbpB8R4GPgT8X0rTAmw9vGqjmo46OxIq8B4g__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM b34c7db47100cfe548f4a6926709899a 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 Spring 2023 Interviews Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Maggie Welsh Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Marta Woodward Location The location of the interview Silver Spring, Montgomery County, MD 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 Interview with Marta Woodward Description An account of the resource This interview between Maggie Welsh and Marta Woodward looks at why she came to the United States and her thoughts of the United States when she got here. Marta immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia, but there were other stops on the way. Marta talks about the other places she has lived in between Ethiopia and the United States. She recaps living in Ethiopia, moving to Kenya when she was four years old, going to college in London, and then moving to the United States. She speaks about growing up in the revolution in Ethiopia, getting denied a student visa application, reuniting with family in the United States, passport issues, and race issues in the United States. She also talks about being the minority in the United States after coming from being in the majority. This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428M (Spring 2023). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Maggie Welsh Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 6, 2023 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The full rights of this oral history interview were given by the interviewee to the University of Maryland, College Park. This interview may be quoted from, published, or broadcast in any medium that the University of Maryland, College Park shall deem appropriate. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Ethiopia family Kenya race revolution United Kingdom https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/a7a499fd172d9b3f54d2f6828eabd6c8.png?Expires=1781740800&Signature=edDkBiXgfgKUGAZy%7E0RZdCEvRDPmb4ZmUr8QrqoJb6nHp%7EAdKFjUdGgJwWiutpgWgq4gAEaaP%7EnGBrzykU2ZtpP4xC3LzdYpPGD1RAinpUcULjYnO8dJJti0Mf0miSYfXb4n2Y1urzX5r0YrWuWdTAppIf3svJL9pJ6lzazRnmR-ic3wc8%7EXXMFYvoCJYn22Xe9FYYtNKJ4Iwwnoz30ndtBjDvjXEQDBKxuPzEgajY7BlnSvQ-mhTyrKdoLNdKmubVqYsPFLiUNVJGyBq7-gYW3v7r1ftvgwv9RXEmg5g0ocrKKSTIjY32xIKCiX8Vt%7EJJCaCVTu5BuByrhLO1DDVA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 7c1eeaf73a7efd1528441acae023166e https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/da931a71a4e49263e522c9223c07b90c.mp3?Expires=1781740800&Signature=MdMVImoAYdtep0qMvA9Je77S90D6PbZaeHGFZD76sD1BHRP43kEv-3RDW61-og0NRw7Kb8%7EGmI%7EHEX8ts6PPEJlT%7EAgoNbyclHgc8JWFfPNeNk3OzjX51JIjBkt0heRs37mL4RAcPLIj9V7ig%7E-F0rQM2hvYRFEHs%7ExAqEJ3Ren8K5F53TYc6Vj5CNfLua%7E9G88HBlSIG2--P4tVveGDieUGVwq0T0oGDVGr4xio%7EpFYnEngU86oVKNjxGPHs%7EdJbqPDN3MWAf8OYoKlvw8DZx76rHZxt0B0GfyuT7zQSO18x%7E-5uoH2JJgbu1S-eWwvPyFK1l0tBF3zANJK7RFAxg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 686596598e19a42824f629111ea6e4e7 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/cf9969bd8af4e11858842bfcb741093b.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=g3-W4Y5nWGOPOyU8CkZVGRgMj1HxnAkaA%7EHTkHXWS-9lIR7xcvQwHXD8CrVkBI5WIGCEskUxbnEPgZTKdNrlYbYisrjRSWaNR9yokGeWmU6CT8NZOp0UKHzScfVhzA0-h20N85RPMlksd3WE0cfU%7Ekh%7EOGH22xg%7E0-m9kIaY3yTLQsS53K9BgNDjBcrzY-Wa3F1bkPYAAJYFCkLbT-ZFH6TDpHVrRSqiUe5ecpy44BfE9eZhGv2hWywQ01Ho262idGX6kcKo82UXGIbPx5716U0DDemvxGPDEFCB4Ye8at6WhICblTj91glDn8IVm0Cqhxj5PJgzQw%7EjxvktD-x1ZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 690a229953be2e9785a4277f348278e3 PDF Text Text Transcript for Oral History Interview Conducted for University of Maryland Course IMMR 400 – Spring 2020 Instructor: Dr. Robert Chiles Interviewer’s (Student’s) name: Retu Domnic Interviewee’s name: Nallathambi Domnic Interviewee’s Country of Origin: India Interviewee’s Current Residence: Denton, Caroline County, Maryland, United States Date of Interview: April 28, 2020 Place of Interview: Denton, Caroline County, Maryland, United States Introduction: This interview between Retu Domnic and Nallathambi Domnic goes in depth on what the immigration process was like for Nallathambi Domnic and his family. Nallathambi Domnic is a 52-year-old Indian American who was born in India on September 23, 1967. He then moved to Bahrain in 1991 in order to provide for his family back in India. He met his wife in 1992 back in Bahrain as they were working for the same company. They then had their child in 1999 and migrated to the United States of America in 2003. Nallathambi’s dream was provide the best education for his child and he believed the American school system was the best. He also wanted better job opportunities for his line of work which would be possible in America. Keywords: India, Tamil, assimilation, biculturalism, green card, visa, culture, Asia, race, immigration, family, Indian, jobs �Retu Domnic: My name is Retu Domnic and today I will be interviewing Nallathambi Domnic who is an immigrant and also my dad. Can you please introduce yourself? Nallathambi Domnic: My name is Nallathambi Domnic. Retu: Okay, and we can go ahead and start with the questions. Um so, what was it like back home? Nallathambi: I am [part of] a family of six. I am the fourth member of the family, like uh after my father’s retirement from a government company, I was the only bread winner for my––the whole family, so I had to come out of the country to earn a living. So, I was working in Bahrain for almost like 12 years then, then I thought I could migrate to U.S. for the better fortune and prospects. Well, my daughter was born in Bahrain, like so we left Bahrain around 2003 June when my daughter was 2 and a half years old. The main reason for us to come to U.S. was uh for better prospects and uh my daughter’s education because we were in the Gulf, the education was not much to do after your high school graduation you have to look for a new college elsewhere so that’s a reason we thought we could move to U.S. Retu: So how was it possible for you to come to America, like what was that like? Nallathambi: When my daughter was born in Bahrain, I just was browsing, that’s the introduction of the new internet system, so I was just browsing all the companies in U.S. in my field what I was working for. And uh I got an opportunity to just apply for a few of them, maybe around 20 or 25. On that 6 responded and 3 were very much interested in me, hiring. So, I just went through the process. During that time one of my brother-in-law was in New Jersey who used to help me out during the immigration process with the lawyers. Then um the––the company which I came for, the—the boss was very accommodating and helpful in during the process so it’s a long process to come to U.S. So, we have to file a H1B visa to––other then––I mean to say it’s an employment visa to get into the country. So, we applied, and it took almost 6 or 7 months to go through the process and I got it approved. That’s––that’s the reason I’m here today. �Retu: Okay, so what did you have when you first came to America, like did you have any like money or like valuables? Nallathambi: No when we started from Bahrain, we had to leave everything there. Like uh we couldn’t bring much only rather than some U.S. dollars, like we converted everything there and brought around $2,000. The rest we started from the scratch here, all the housing and things like that when we [I] started new job. So, we started from the scratches. Retu: So, were you the only person working in your family at the time, when you first came to America? Nallathambi: Yeah, the visa, H1B is only granted for uh me, and my wife and daughter were [my] dependent. In other words, uh it’s called H1B and the dependents are H4. H4 visa, the people are not eligible to work, so. And my wife was uh––she is a master’s degree holder and uh unfortunately, she was not eligible to work. Um so, she used to be my de––she was legally here, me and my daught––she and my daughter, but my wife couldn’t work because of the immigration policy. For almost ten years until my status––not status, I mean the immigration policy changed, my wife uh couldn’t work legally anywhere. Being [having] a master’s in accounts, she couldn’t—she got a job, but she couldn’t work legally. She used to do all the voluntary work in the church, local community and she was doing the tax preparation for AARP voluntarily without any monetary benefits. So almost ten years, then uh like in around um 2014 or ‘15 I think the immigration passed a law like uh that dependants can work like who are fighting for their permanent residence, um and that is still uh on process like the dependents can work. So there, after that only, Retu and my wife, Anne, got their work permits. Retu: So, what was it like when you first arrived to America? You mentioned that your brotherin-law helped you? So, was he like a part of settling you in or how was it like first coming here? �Nallathambi: In 2003 June, I just landed in uh JFK, that was in New York, but my work was in Maryland, Denton, Maryland. But I happened to meet my brother-in-law in the airport who drove me to New Jersey. So, from there we used to commute because initially we did not have a house, I used to just come and go on a weekly basis, just see the places. First, eh I bought a––I got a room in a—in a Countryside Inn for a week and I stayed there and uh go to work then slowly, slowly tried to get a rented place where I work. Then finally after a month I moved my family here. ‘Till then they were living in my brother in law’s house in New Jersey. Uhm. Retu: So, when you settled down in Denton did you join a community of other Indians or did you join a different community? Nallathambi: In Denton we don’t have much Indian community, so we had our local church community where we part––we have active participation and—and my wife used to do lot of voluntary work in the church, so we got involved in the local community as church. Retu: So, do you wish that was different, like do you wish there were more Indians where you lived? Nallathambi: Yeah of course I wish, but fortunately or unfortunately I got a job in Denton, Maryland (laughing), so I––because when I come to the country, I cannot just skip job anywhere as I want because the immigration policy is such, I have to get a sponsorship or an employer to sponsor me to get––‘till I get my green card. So, I had to work for certain companies or a certain employer. Retu: Is there anything you regret about that? Like coming and working for like one company? Nallathambi: Yeah of course I regret because, usually we like to live in a––with our own community, like the Indian community, but unfortunately, I did not get an opportunity to mingle because all I––if I have to mingle, I have to go drive out like one and a half to two hours away, to just to get along with the Indian community that was not possible every time. So yeah, I do regret for coming and �joining in Denton, Maryland (laughing). And I also regret that my wife, uh being a master’s graduate, could not be employed uh to support me (clears throat) for almost ten years she was just doing some volunteer work in the church and helping the local AAR––AARP for the tax returns and all she used to do in the library. Other than that, there was no monetary benefits, which was difficult when a child like Retu was growing up, like she couldn’t do much in a monetary, only my earnings were the only thing, it was tough for us because just we moved from another country, and we have to start from the scratch with one employment we had really a tough time but we just managed. Retu: Do you think if Retu would have grown up with the Indian community that she would have grown up differently? Or like–– Nallathambi: Yeah, of course she would’ve gone different uh ideas and getting along with friends because now she is isolated when she meets any of our Indian friends, where she has to get into the groove to learn more things because whatever we learn at home is different from the community. So yeah, she was really lacking of that kind of uh involvement with the community, yeah. Retu: So, do you want your child to assimilate into American culture, keep your roots, or both? Nallathambi: I like to do both, as Retu is doing from the beginning. My wife also had the same idea of doing both. She put her in different ballet classes and the American dances and also simultaneously she taught the Indian classical dance, Bharatanatyam, which she is also learning and uh, as for the dances, even the culture we like to mingle with other Indian community and the American culture also. So, I prefer to do both for Retu. Retu: So, did you ever visit or like go back to your home country? Nallathambi: Yea the H1B visa its uh—it’s uh, validity of the visa is like six years, so within that six years, the employer has to file for a green card, the permanent residence, so through the employment process. Then in the meantime, once it’s approved �then I could stay longer, so during my fourth year, almost––first, every three years we have—like for six years term, like three years we have to renew our visa, the H1B. So, we have to go outside the country to stamp the visa and come back. So that’s what I did like in 2007, ‘06 I think, April, we had to go out of U.S. to India, to get it stamped for the renewal. So, I filed the renewal from the old company, and I left the country, so the papers were in the immigration for the renewal process. So, once I went to India my––the old boss where I was working for, he withdrew the petition because he ran out of business so unfortunately, he has to–– the business was not going good, so he was rel––he was uh liable to me, like when I come back, he has to give an employment. He was selling—wanted to sell the company so he withdrew the petition which I filed for. That if he would’ve done here, I would’ve gotten another job and got a sponsorship but since I left the country, I––I––there’s no means of coming back because the visa was expired, I was there for the renewal to stamp the new visa on the passport and come back. So, when he withdrew the petition, I––I got stuck. I couldn’t come back, so I had to look for another. Because Retu was studying at the time, she had just uh finished her schooling in April, and we had to come back for the next uh year, beginning like before like from August or something, but we couldn’t come because I was not having a job then I found a job in New York, through one of my friends and I uh got it. So, the immigration process took almost six/ seven months to get it approved. So, finally we came back on 2007, February. We left the country on April 2006 and came back around 2007 February. So almost seven months we were in India, just doing the––getting a job and filing for the immigration. So, it was a tough time for us, because whether we are coming back, we were not aware, we were not sure of it. So finally, we came back in 2007 February. Retu: Does that make you frust––frustrated with like the whole immigration process? Nallathambi: Yeah, of course uh it was uh, too much frustrating because I got a job, but the paperwork took––filing through the—through attorney to the immigration, it took almost seven months to get. Because the employer said it’s okay, I—I have a job, �but to go through the process it almost took seven months to get it approved. Yeah, it’s really frustrating because uh I was not working for seven months, I couldn’t work there or here, so it was tough time for me and my family. Retu: So, do you think you working in New York for that amount of time had an effect on your family? Nallathambi: Yes, of course because I used to come home only on the weekends, I couldn’t do much for the support the family, just only earn. All the things was taken care of by my wife for the daughter like schooling, uh going taking her around for all this community work and things like that. It was tough on me, just being there for the whole week, coming only for the weekend. And also, it took a lot of toll on my wife’s health too. She couldn’t––that’s the reason we lost her. She used to care more for the family and do stuff and don’t––did not care much for her health, and wouldn’t say anything that she had issues, because of the situations. Yeah, I wish uh if the immigration policy was good when we come to the country, we can go anywhere as we want to work. We were lacking on––I was lacking on that. So, I couldn’t come look for loc––another job locally where I could commute every day from home. I––I stayed in New York for the job. That’s the reason like uh, it was tough for us the whole family for almost ten years ‘till we got the green card. Retu: Would you ever want to migrate back to India? Nallathambi: No, not at this point because when we came here uh my wife was––the second reason to come here one was my wife was having breast cancer when Retu was like two years old. And uh she had a mastectomy on her left breast. Then we thought we could do for a better treatment here, so that’s also another reason to come to U.S. Yeah, she was doing good like every year we used to have a thorough check up but uh another time, like around 2013 she had another lumpectomy in her other breast and yeah. It was tough for us like uh whenever these things happen, and finally in 2000––2019, September, she––we lost her. Unfortunately, she had another, the cancer had spread all over her body and it was �so severe and she was under treatment but we never expected this would happen, but unfortunately, we lost her and at this point I don’t think I could migrate back to India, because with all this situation we came across here, we like to live here. Retu: So, if you didn’t have your green card and your like permanent residency um and you were still under H1 visa would you––would it be different like then would you want to migrate back? Nallathambi: Yes, of course because no point in just staying every––working for three, three years extension because it costs more money for the renewal and also its very tough to like with the salaries we have, unless we have a green card or permanent resident, yeah. Retu: So, do you feel you are treated unfairly in America because of your race? Nallathambi: Uh yeah, I feel sometimes because, of course, I’ve been treated differently but indirectly, in other words like uh I did my degree back home, I didn’t do my education here and it all matters here because after I got my green card I was trying to apply to a lot of companies for the same pose what I worked for, but there are lot of vacancies around but you know it all depends, like it’ll come to the final phase of the interview and they’ll drop you off because I don’t have a education here. I did only, like back home, all my educations are––since I didn’t do that’s a––I feel that’s the main point for me to be dropped off, or so I am lacking with that kind of situation, so yeah, I do feel that. Its uh––since I have been come from India it all matters. Uh they say it’s like uh, it’s, what to say, like yeah. I feel the discrimination is still going on. In my case I could really feel it because of the employment. Uh everywhere I go I really been treated that. I don’t know how long, but now I have been in a better place to work. Retu: Other than like getting jobs, have––have you experienced like getting treated unfairly like in everyday life? �Nallathambi: Yeah, everyday life, actually even the job I say, like I—I am from the––I was the project manager in a sign company where I worked, all my years almost 20, 25 years, but now I work for a retail company because I have not been given a job, like what I was, in the local companies where I live around. Retu: That you are qualified for? Nallathambi: Qualified for. I am not getting it so I have to go to another field, start from the scratch, it takes lot of time and effort to come back and start a new job but situation is there, that’s what uh–– Retu: So along with that, um your wife, was she––like her education was it like banking? Nallathambi: No, she was basically an accountant, master’s degree––master’s in accounts but she also, the same way I’ve been treated, like wherever she goes, “Oh you have a beautiful like education,” “You are qualified,” but when it comes to the final thing, they say, “We are sorry,” because it’s all about––it’s kind of a discrimination because they don’t give a job since she has not done her education here. And finally, she ending up getting a job as a bank teller being an accountant so that’s really unfair, but what to do, we have to survive, we have to get a job so she was working there for almost four years. Retu: So, in the future, do you think like things will change and people will not be discriminated against? Nallathambi: Yeah, of course I do believe because it all depends on the immigration policy because once the people come to know about––because nobody’s aware of this kind of situation, locally. Unless if we’re in of course in New York City or Jersey or Washington, Baltimore, you see people coming under H1B on a regular basis, people are aware, but locally, like Denton, Maryland nobody is aware what is H1B. So, unless people come to know what we are, because they think that we are just coming to the country and getting their jobs, it’s not like that. We have been qualified and we are––H1B is a speciality occupation job, so immigration will not �just approve a job, or we come here just like that. They––it goes almost six, seven months for the process. So, they filter all the things and then give an approval. So, when these things come up to the higher level, I think everybody comes to know what we are, and the discrimination automatically goes down and people respect, it’s not a kind of respect, at least we could get along with people freely as the others do. Retu: How did you hold on to your culture or like what have you done to hold on to your culture? Nallathambi: Just doing the basic as we did from the childhood. There’s nothing new for the culture to, we have already been used to it. So, we just came here like ten years back, but only thing we tried to––me and my wife tried to implement all these local, like the culture towards Retu because she was growing as a kid, uh the more thing is we used to take her to a lot of Indian um gatherings and friends and families we move around and also watch the international channels from the––the back home channels to keep her more uh involved in the cultural activities. And also teaching her the cultural dance which she is now doing uh every year recital on that uh dances, so. Retu: So, finally, what do you hope people will gain from your story? Nallathambi: Yeah, the main thing people will come to know is like the process of the legal immigrant and the illegal immigrant. As we know, in America there are so many illegal people coming to this country. And once they get a case filed on their name, and within like three––two to three months they get their all facilities like food stamps, medical, everything is government––okay, of course they pay back when they get a job, but—but legally when people come in, there are so much restrictions. We don’t have any––only thing we get is salary we get paid for the work we do. Apart from that we don’t get any benefits like uh especially for the dependents, even if they are sick or anything, we have to go on our own to get medical facilities and stuff like that. But now, of course things have changed. I’m �talking about like ten years back. It was so tough, we did not have any insurance in the company, we were not given. So, when we come here, we just work and take––and we pay taxes as a regular local Americans do, but—but uh the benefits, we don’t have anything as an immigrant. We’ve gone through a lot. Because with one salary, it was not enough for the whole thing to go. Um it was really tough on us. With my story, I just conclude saying that in future maybe the immigration policy can be more friendly towards the immigrants. Thank you. � 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 Spring 2020 Interviews Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Retu Domnic Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Nallathambi Domnic Location The location of the interview Deton, Caroline County, Maryland, USA Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data doc, MP3 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 Interview of Nallathambi Domnic Description An account of the resource This interview between Retu Domnic and NallathambiDomnic goes in depth on what the immigration process was like for Nallathambi Domnic and his family. Nallathambi Domnic is a 52-year-old Indian American who was born in India on September 23, 1967. He then moved to Bahrain in 1991 in order to provide for his family back in India. He met his wife in 1992 back in Bahrain as they were working for the same company. They then had their child in 1999 and migrated to the United States of America in 2003. Nallathambi’s dream was provide the best education for his child and he believed the American school system was the best. He also wanted better job opportunities for his line of work which would be possible in America. This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course IMMR 400 (Spring 2020). This course was led by Professor Robert Chiles of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Retu Domnic Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 28, 2020 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The full rights of this oral history interview were given by the interviewee to the University of Maryland, College Park. This interview may be quoted from, published, or broadcast in any medium that the University of Maryland, College Park shall deem appropriate. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF, MP3 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Asia assimilation culture family Green Card H1B India jobs race visa https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/8172bbf9c225b9cb36a9c88698dda68c.jpg?Expires=1781740800&Signature=vtOhTnZqLITFgclS3Q-1J3k8fwlConGLFxkumH6ZvWKYjEuVTwX13QoEWLaM0JSExljeQ5IZczcuk%7EugYn8yeIZYm%7EXVGz5zYGgIEBjTUhj7G1iCU17Bt6T-zePcUTXw08c-eLSMWoE%7EvE9nSDF%7EmxeuAK%7EECid6GGFl5AX3X1l88fxwNXI6bwonHZP19SKELd1A25qfxzxp5O%7EeZp93TOVf30Yn926JiBNy1P0DoB2ORbKXDtlYA-UkQfWz%7EAgV8uNsAvtEJkBIJEyB9-T2jYglCrnqp9MRFdEfmkc7qFzDp-TzdfYUNUFExnfFrV2Bh1KbHvLzV4MWr5uyQu276w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM ab679b6019a1be7af8867ecc320eaa8d https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/344df88710d8dc58f288c85f36d79df1.jpg?Expires=1781740800&Signature=GPPC7G3NYD1ixmbvpJirXzkEUI3uMV1cAxLSFX90psdecX-lUp2Rs0F3ltloUT5x4zVeBFdSwbm90gJOr4kXvDbfJAGAXpNpCsP0ENIiyHlx4ZEhPXheGgehQ3Io7as-HmiatYNzONBONWvM32aR5VhUSphRBsxKk-HqxEaGa5rVi1w6-7zDq5-ORw06aDzia4gMUREEfSuXKjnnCnwST8AgRU5w9Y2y4nTugGJnMLcD7UxcIfyQSz0IFLYvzGE8Bd-mapFQiahvdwaoqnP0fBBrx0N3wS9mfLFXW51UPrzRbWo1GgG7Qo1AUM5pOFT3O-axYHeVKtFszztyfOQ4AQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 04fd365a6a61ec7d010e6b4880ee885d https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/d501896384ff2eccce6a1464c82509cd.jpg?Expires=1781740800&Signature=mr3fMW%7EAoBYhViLHPhL39T865OBMsKKT8V3WMl%7EEVXhvMcnufww92W-ZtQY1Uj81ioBL9r0l7XVNf4VEaVFhIAImWIDdw2MvJH5fYEKLlzDLRRft4ehldvzij3GPKoaIp8wNmaDlcJ0gdoW%7EAV%7Eww46Sv-VFY9oF%7EwIlu1PALtuckiaNqx-ZzhgeH2MhcgsK1B0hRDu29xcGDqnkkmMj9Cotcq-FdRpQZFExvq%7EEgDvzYnR7YB9ukNQkiZ2hODl11AgKcGJVzX3xy0MkhJVviOTmUQM1MkzgeapiHN3iWK2bLoecmniuxl9TEPpZmSuSRQPlRjeMqaEkqTDy2XWVGw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 66b72d5f1df097684bd7fc6714eca3dc https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/5d4a95ed77878ef0b608152a296f41ba.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=MVnueB536RuiL94b9IOryiGNmpvzWXm7L6NFzQoDG%7EYsgc2ObYjFCG0HlSqNXF2TN3VdgnFO6TruktvWgv9X9jydq9l4NxjfRl4YvHAulZdKXFYlovhwU85oY%7Eje93VsJ65p82kzJ-wW-t6ZWJDILiOa4IP0TfhMhxWGlhJXoWsz-b-AffUftL2aginvuqukFqeoWlQbDk1RKgYPcKppduUvGXgOWHQoGWx4egagcVGXl%7E5jncgPKYXcKK16WUN9VhCSIqkkahEzOAlNDms3EhS7FBh30H8bjYbe6bUGNtXbNtvsUiIHOVmUODH11a44AOfT4C6VYGuabyUhuBOP5w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 5f25c60144ebbc2e1665595d8a90d2c5 PDF Text Text 1 Transcript for Oral History Interview Conducted for University of Maryland Course HIST 428M - Spring 2020 Instructor: Dr. Anne Rush Interviewer’s (Student’s) name: Micayla Wilson Interviewee’s name: Franka Wilson Interviewee’s Country of Origin: Trinidad and Tobago Interviewee’s Current Residence: Catonsville, Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S.A. Date of Interview: March 6, 2020 Place of Interview: Catonsville, Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S.A. Introduction: This interview between Micayla Wilson and Franka Wilson discusses Franka’s journey from San Fernando, Trinidad to Baltimore, Maryland as a child, and her subsequent settlement in the DMV area. With strong ties to her mother and grandmother, Franka touches on the familial bonds she clung to while transitioning to life in the US, both as a recently immigrated adolescent and as a young person navigating adulthood. The interview also reveals the significance of maintaining cultural ties, as Franka’s continued efforts to maintain connections to Trinidad and the Caribbean at large allowed her to ground herself in her West Indian identity while living outside of the country of her birth. With an emphasis on both cultural heritage and her family, Franka affirms that, despite living in the United States, home is both Trinidad and wherever her two daughters are. Keywords: Trinidad, Caribbean, family, motherhood, education, identity, race M. Wilson: Hello my name is Micayla Wilson, I am Interviewing Franka Wilson, my mother, on the sixth of March 2020, and we are in Catonsville Maryland. Hi Franka, or Mummy (laughs) how are you today? F. Wilson: I’m doing well. M. Wilson: Okay. (laughs) Um so just to start with this interview, where were you born? F. Wilson: I was born in Trinidad, West Indies. M. Wilson: Okay, what town? F. Wilson: San Fernando. M. Wilson: And tell me a little bit about San Fernando. F. Wilson: San Fernando is one of the main um cities in the south of Trinidad. M. Wilson: What else about San Fernando sticks out to you, anything um interesting or unique? [inaudible] F. Wilson: It’s very um diverse. Some people say it’s like the country, but I beg to differ. Um, there’s a lot of diversity meaning um there’s blacks and Indians, mixed, um people, um yeah, I— I really like it. M. Wilson: Um-hm and tell me a little a bit about San Fernando when you were a child, back in your childhood. How was that living in San Fernando? F. Wilson: San Fernando was great, um— M. Wilson: Any memories? �2 F. Wilson: I remember going to school, some of my friends going to school. I went to um an Anglican school, which is, I guess the Americans call a, um, what is it? Episcopal school. An allgirls um Anglican school. Had a lot of friends. Um on Saturdays, some Saturdays, we would go down to the sea. We call it the sea. Um, my grandmother—I stayed with my—my, I stayed—I lived with my grandmother. Yeah, we had a—I had a—a lovely childhood in San Fernando. M. Wilson: Okay, and what date were you born again? F. Wilson: I was born on May 23, [pause] 1965. M. Wilson: Okay wonderful, um and could you describe a typical day for you as a child back in Trinidad, back in San Fernando, tell me a little bit about it. F. Wilson: A typical day involved going to school, um, coming home for lunch, we um—the school was not—not far so we would walk to school and then we would come sometimes we would come ho—well not sometimes. We would come home for lunch, eat lunch, and then go back to school. Um, after school we would walk home with our friends, do our homework, um help my grandmother with any—anything she needed help with. Um, that was a typical weekday. On the weekends we would basically play. M. Wilson: Okay. F. Wilson: All day. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Or do homework. M. Wilson: What kind of games? F. Wilson: Um we’d play, we call it munny-pully, you all call it Monopoly. Um, played check— uh checkers. Played with our dolls, um, you know, fun stuff. And then you know on Sundays we would go to church. Not every Sunday, but we would go to church. M. Wilson: Wonderful. So, what kind of work did your grandmother do? Was she the main um, before we answer that question, was she the main guardian of the house—was it just your grandmother? F. Wilson: Yeah, she was. My grandmother, oh, bless her heart, we love we loved her so much. She was the um, what do I say, she was the main person in the house. Her husband died and left her with eight children. Um, my mother was one of her children, um and so she yeah basically was the main, the head of the household. M. Wilson: And what was her name? F. Wilson: Her name was Veronica Carter. M. Wilson: Wonderful. And you said “us, left us in the household.” Who else was in the household with you? F. Wilson: Um my brother and my cousin. M. Wilson: And what were their names? F. Wilson: My brother’s name is Roger, and my cousin’s name is Cheryl-Ann. M. Wilson: Wonderful. Um and what kind of uh work was your grandmother doing? Was she just at home? F. Wilson: Yeah, my moth—my grandmother was a, uh a homemaker. M. Wilson: Okay. F. Wilson: I think before, um, when she was younger, she was a seamstress. But um you know when she had the kids, she was just a homemaker. M. Wilson: “Homemaker,” what does that exactly mean? F. Wilson: It’s like a housewife basically. �3 M. Wilson: Wonderful. And um eventually you moved from San Fernando, um. Before moving, uh, what were your expectations of the US? F. Wilson: Um, basically what you saw on television. I thought everything was gonna be bigger. I thought that I was gonna meet some movie stars. Like Leif Garrett. Um I thought everything was gonna be you know much bigger and faster yeah. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And why were you moving again? [inaudible] F. Wilson: Because my parents were in the US, they were in Maryland um and they were able to send for us. They went up before us. I think they went to—where did they go? They went to— where did they—I think they went to St. Croix first, and lived there for a couple of years and then they moved to the US and got you know settled, and then they sent for my brother and me. M. Wilson: Wonderful, and what were your parents’ names? F. Wilson: Patricia Thomas and Samuel Thomas. M. Wilson: Wonderful, and where in the US did they settle first? F. Wilson: They settled in Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland. M. Wilson: Baltimore, Maryland. So those were your only two contacts before moving to the US, your father and your mother? Or did you have any more family members who were living in the US? F. Wilson: Um, no I had c—I had relatives that were living in Canada. But in the US, I think yeah, they may—they may have—I had uncles, well I had, there, my dad’s unc—brother was in the US, but I didn’t know that at that time. M. Wilson: Okay. F. Wilson: I know 1973, we came on holiday, we came for vacation in 1973. Yeah, in 1973 we came on vacation to the—to Baltimore and um my um uncle and aunt on my father’s side were here. And we also visited Montreal, we went to the Montreal Expo, I remember that. In se—in 1973. This is before we actually came to live. We came up here in ‘76, in 1976 for good. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And was 1973, that was your first time coming to the United States? F. Wilson: Yes, in 1973 on vacation. M. Wilson: Okay. And um, on what date specifically did you move to the US? Do you remember that by any chance? F. Wilson: Um, it was May 22nd, 1976. That’s—yeah, its May 22nd or 23rd. M. Wilson: Mm. F. Wilson: The day before my birthday. It wasn’t on my birthday 1976. M. Wilson: Wonderful. And tell me about that moving process as a young girl. What—how old were you then? F. Wilson: I was eleven, I was going on eleven. M. Wilson: Um and how was that, moving to a completely different country? F. Wilson: Um, I was sad because I would miss my grandmother of course, and my friends, my cousin. But I was also excited to go be with my parents, my mom, and my dad. I remember when we visited in 1973, I cried. I cried. I didn’t want to go back to Trinidad because I missed my mother so much. I didn’t even want to go on the plane, I was bawling and screaming in the airport. I didn’t want to go back because I wanted to be with my parents. Um, but then three— they wanted us to finish school which is um high— (machine noises) elementary school and then um … three years later we came up, and I—that was a, it was a little intimidating. Um, we went to New York, and I remember something about my um, something about the paperwork, I had to tell somebody about the paperwork that we had. M. Wilson: So, you first went to New York before, before— [inaudible] �4 F. Wilson: Yeah, that’s where the plane landed in New York. And then my parents came, drove up to New York to get us... M. Wilson: Okay. F. Wilson: My brother and me. M. Wilson: Um, so walk me through the process of living in Baltimore. From—from Trinidad to Baltimore, so you said you stopped in New York at first, and then you moved after New—you drove down— [inaudible] F. Wilson: Yeah, we—yeah, we rode the plane, landed in New York, and then we had to drive down to Baltimore. We drove down to Baltimore. I was just um—I don’t know, it was May, so it wasn’t, it was—it wasn’t too hot, too cold. I remember just looking out the window and seeing all the big buildings and everything, but I also was kind of sad because I missed my grandmother. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, when you arrived, um how did the culture here compare to the culture in Trinidad? F. Wilson: Oh, I think it was a complete culture shock, um. I moving from a warm place to a cold place. And then the school, oh my gosh. You know people would, you know—I had, of course I had an accent, and um and you know kids was like, “Oh gosh she’s an alien why does she talk like that?” And “blah blah blah.” I was very quiet, I was very shy, but I did well in school. M. Wilson: So, was that a hard transition dealing with the, the children who used to—did they bully you? Was that what it was? F. Wilson: Uh, I don’t think it was bullying, it was just. Um, I ju—was just quiet, you know I just like—I just considered them to be idiots in a way. It’s like, You people are really stupid. M. Wilson: Um-hm. Okay. So, it didn’t really affect you? F. Wilson: No, it didn’t really affect me, because I, in a way, I thought I was—I shouldn’t say this, but in a way, I thought I was like, more—I was in a way better than them. Or smarter than them. I don’t know why... M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: But that’s, that’s how I felt. M. Wilson: Okay. Um. F. Wilson: Even though I came from a small island, I—I wasn’t you know like, Oh my gosh. No, I was like, okay, um yeah. M. Wilson: Um-hm. Okay. So, the transition, you would say education was rather smooth because of that? Or— F. Wilson: Yeah, I think it was. It was. It was, because I—I got good grades, always getting A’s, you know. And some of the things that we did in school I was like, What—what’s the purpose of this? Like learning about um dinosaurs. I’m like, what, are you kidding me? What was the purpose of that? M. Wilson: Um-hm. So aside from um your education, uh, your early education in America, what was the social aspect like? You talked about school. F. Wilson: Uh social aspect, well I usually socialized with the kids on the—that lived on my street. They would come to us on the porch. Um, socialize—yeah, it was—it was fine. M. Wilson: Um-hm, wonderful. And then um was there any way that your immigration affected your family directly when you first moved here, like your fore-family? When your brother came—so like how did that affect your family dynamic, when you first came? �5 F. Wilson: I don’t think it had an effect. I mean we were glad you know to see to be—I, well, I was glad to be with my mom, you know. So, I don’t, I—I don’t know if it—it had an effect or not. M. Wilson: Um-hm, okay. And so, what was it like to travel back to your home country for the first time? F. Wilson: Oh. M. Wilson: If you did. F. Wilson: Yeah, we did, um. I—I think it was like two or three years later, we went back on vacation. Um, it was kind of strange, um. I don’t think I got to saw—see my friends. I saw my cousin cause she was still there, and my grandmother, and then we also went to Tobago. That’s the other part of Trinidad. And I remember going on there um for a little vacation. Um, I—I don’t remember much about that, I just remember me going t—to Tobago. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: And missing my grandmother. But I know when I came up here, I used to um—every time my aunt in Canada would call, she lived in Montreal, I would think she was calling to say oh, oh my grandmother died, cause I don’t know. I was just so afraid that she was gonna die. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: And then—back then we wrote letters to friends. You know, we, I mean we had phones, but you know, we just wrote—we, I remember writing letters to my school friends it was—it was interesting. M. Wilson: Um-hm.And um. What were your professional goals, after coming [to the US]? Cause you came as an eleven-year-old, but um you stayed. Um so you grew older, in high school— F. Wilson: Well, I wanted to be uh, first I wanted to be uh, a pediatrician, and then, uh, a lawyer. I don’t know why, but. M. Wilson: Mm. F. Wilson: Yeah. M. Wilson: And when did you develop that interest? That professional interest. F. Wilson: Um, probably when I um, a couple years after when I came. I began looking at um— oh! One um, one a—one thing that I found strange was, back in Trinidad, we—basically there was no issue of like black and white, or race. M. Wilson: Mm. F. Wilson: You know, everybody—to me everybody got along, whether you were Indian, you were black, you were white, cause you know we had half white neighbors. But over here, oh my gosh, it was the weirdest thing. I was the—I was into Tiger Beat, it was a magazine for teen—for like, you know, uh—talked about um, you know what is it, celebrities. But it was, I didn’t realize, I mean it was a white magazine, but I was into it. I—I had—I didn’t see any problem. And I remember going to the store one day, and the cashier looking at me like, I just felt this weird thing, like she was looking at me like, “Why is she buying this magazine?” I don’t know why I thought that, she just looked at me really strange, she was a white cashier. And then, I was like, Is something wrong? You know, and then um, I don’t know, I think I—there was a commercial on television about um Soul Train, and you know stuff like that, and then, I began— I don’t know how I began buying Right On. Right On is the—is the counterpart to Tiger Beat. And I started buying the Right On magazine because I was like, Wait a minute, why—it—it was such a, in—in terms of race, it—it was so pronounced here. I just felt like, back in Trinidad, there was no differentiation, but here is, everything had to be black or white, black or white. I �6 just remember that, buying that Tiger Beat magazine and this woman looking at me like, “Why is she buying that magazine.” I remember that. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, were there any other instances of race differences that you noticed, um, afterwards being in the United States? Any other glaring memories? F. Wilson: Um. Yeah, um, I think when I was in high school, um, um, I think one of my closest friends was—was white—well she’s actually Jewish. And then I could see like the black girls— black girls would stay with, with each other, and then white, you know, some white girls would stay with each other. But I just, you know, I was like oblivious, like you know, you’re my friend, you’re my friend. And I remember—I remember, um, it was just—it was, I don’t know it was— it was really strange. I remember this one teacher, he was white, and Elizabeth Ozil, she was my friend, she was the Jewish girl, and we were friends, we were talking in class and um, she was pretty smart. And then the teacher, this white guy, he said um, he said something to the effect like um, “Somebody riding somebody’s coattails” or something to that effect. I—I was like, Wait a minute, I know he wasn’t talking to me. Because she was a really smart girl, and we were, well we were friends. And then I remember telling my mother, you know, something that—about the mark—the remark he made, and then during the um—I said you have to talk to him when you go to PTA, you know about the remark. I mean, I think he denied it or something, I—it was, but I— the way he said it was like, you know like, like I—he was trying to say like, um, I shouldn’t be friends with her, or she shouldn’t be friends—or basically she shouldn’t be friends with me, because, I don’t know maybe it was because I was black, I don’t know, but I remember that. I remember that specifically. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: I—I guess you know, he—he wasn’t used to black and white girls being friends, cause it was an all-girls school. M. Wilson: Um-hm F. Wilson: And yes. But she and I were friends, and we would talk in class. I remember this is Biology class, and we were talking, we were sitting at the chairs or whatever. And he said— made some kind of remark, that says—that say you know like—like that—that friendship shouldn’t be, you know—I shouldn’t have done—she shouldn’t be friends with me or something like that. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Yeah, I remember that. M. Wilson: And what high school was this? F. Wilson: Western High School, on Falls Road in Baltimore. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And um did that affect you in any way, um your thoughts or like perspective on the United States or just... [inaudible] F. Wilson: Yeah. M. Wilson: At all? F. Wilson: Um and then I guess it was the—when was it? The nineteen—the late seventies. Late seventies, early eighties. I graduated from Western in ’82, and um. I don’t know, I—I think that was the era of Roots, you know, of the television show, and I became involved in looking at that and you know and wanted to go to an HBCU, and you know. My mother, she knew about Howard University, cause some friends of—of hers their daughter went to I think it was Howard. So, all I knew was Howard, Howard University. And um, I said Okay, well maybe I’ll just go to Howard University. It’s all black. M: WILSON: Um-hm. �7 F. Wilson: You know and probably I’ll feel like you know, comfortable. M. Wilson: Um-hm. Did you feel uncomfortable at high school, and that’s why you— [inaudible] F. Wilson: No, not really, but um that one episode with that teacher just like kinda changed my perspective on things. Um, I was like, Okay, yeah, this is real. Yeah. M. Wilson: So, tell me a little bit about um life at Howard. Or, before that, even your college application process, getting into college, what was that like? F. Wilson: Um, I actually—this is very um, was a very not, a, uh, a not a smart decision, I only applied to one school which was Howard University. And I got in, um. The application was, you know—I didn’t have a problem with the application. I was in the advanced course at—at Western High School, it’s called the A Course, which is the advanced college prep course. And you know, I didn’t have a problem. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Moving to Ho—getting into Howard was um—I think Howard was also known as one of the elite institutions back in the Caribbean, you know. M. Wilson: Mm. F. Wilson: Our prime minister taught at Howard for a while, early, back in the—like in the sixties or seventies. At that time everybody you know wanted to go to Howard, everybody in Trinidad knew about Howard University. It just, produced all these brilliant minds, so, yeah it was—it was fun. But I—I also missed my mother, you know. I wanted to come home every weekend until I started, you know, making friends and you know and... M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: That slowly, slowly went away. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, tell me about Howard. The HBCU life. F. Wilson: Howard made you feel as though, as a black person, you could do anything you wanted. Uh, if you felt insecure before, if you had low self-esteem, it gave you in my—in my opinion, the—the— it gave you—what can I say? What’s the word? [pause] It made you feel like you’re—you were invincible. You know people say, “Oh, it’s a—it’s a bubble,” you know, “this is not the real world.” But it—it to me, I mean, Howard made me more—what is it? I was more—I became more assertive. Um, more—my—my self-esteem rose. Um, yeah, yeah, I loved life at Howard. M. Wilson: Are there any particular memories that you remember, or friends that you... F. Wilson: Yeah. M. Wilson: That you made? F. Wilson: I friends—I still have friend till—till this day that I talk to every now and then. Um, my close friends from Howard, we still—we still communicate. Um, yeah. Um, although I must say the first year, I, you know had the roommate from hell, but other than that— M. Wilson: Do you wanna speak about that a little bit, or? F. Wilson: Oh no, I don’t even wanna bring that up into the air. M. Wilson: (chuckling) So besides, um any additional social aspects, um of Howard that really stick out to you from your time there? F. Wilson: Um, no I just—just—I just loved Howard. I just loved being there, you know, being uh among people who looked like me, who, you know, weren’t going to—oh, I—I, you know, one thing I—I did find out at Howard is that it wasn’t class, it wasn’t class disc—I mean it wasn’t race discrimination, it was a lot of class discrimination, you know. Not—not um overtly, but you know, you can tell, you know. The girls from California and you know, it—versus, you �8 know, the girls from the South, and you know. There were—there were more—there is more class if your dad was a doctor, a dentist, or a lawyer, or you know, and your father was, you know, not one of those things, you know, you were the popular group, and so it’s more of a class distinction at Howard. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So where did you fall on that class distinction? F. Wilson: Um I really didn’t—um I think it’s based on the—if you—if you took it on. I mean it’s like—I—it really didn’t bother me cause, you know, some of those California girls, those were the Valley Girls, but it wasn’t like a major like, Oh my God, I wish my parents were this and that! No, it’s like, Okay, you do what you have to do. M. Wilson: And what did your parents do? F. Wilson: My dad was a welder and my mom was a mental health counselor. M. Wilson: Okay. Um, did that have any effect um on your college professional goals? Afterword? Cause you earlier on, you said you wanted to be a pediatrician. F. Wilson: Yeah, um, I wanted to be a pediatrician—wanting something and actually doing— doing it is—are two different things (laughs). I went in with this grandiose idea of, Oh my God I’m gonna go to med school. Uh that wasn’t the case. I did not like science classes, I hated all of em. And then my senior year, I called my mom crying, “Mom I don’t know what to do! I don’t want to go to medical school.” Um, I was, I—I did horribly my first year, it was just terrible. But then, you know, I got myself together and got on the dean’s list a couple of times, um but, I called her crying, “I don’t wanna go to medical school, I hate it.” She said, “Well okay, well you know, you can—if—why don’t you just transfer to nursing? You know, you could always have a, um, your license, you could always work.” Okay, so I enrolled in the College of Nursing, and had to stay two extra years for my clinical. Clinicals. So yeah, that’s how I became a nurse. M. Wilson: So then what year did you graduate? F. Wilson: I graduated in 1988. M. Wilson: With what degree was this? F. Wilson: Uh, Bachelor of Science in Nursing. M. Wilson: And when did you come into Howard? Just to keep the dates? F. Wilson: I came in in 1982, but I was supposed to graduate in 1986, but I grad—I had to stay two extra years to do my nursing clinicals. M. Wilson: Okay. And did you do any other schooling, um after undergraduate? F. Wilson: Yes, I did. I earned my Master’s degree in Health Education from Howard University. M. Wilson: And how was that process? F. Wilson: Um, that process— M. Wilson: Tell me about it. F. Wilson: That—how was that process? That process—well I worked; I was working as the nurse at the hospital. Um, I said, You know what, I’m gonna, um, have them pay for my Master’s, that I had to pay for my undergraduate degree. So, I did the tuition reimbursement, um, so I was a nurse there, and going to school in the evening, um. Well yeah, it was fine. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And so, you were—you ca—at this time you were living in D.C.? F. Wilson: Yes, I was. I was living um, actually on sixteen str—sixteenth street. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And, is that also where you lived for undergrad? Um, just to backtrack. Were you— F. Wilson: In undergrad I lived in the dorms. I lived in the dorms um on-campus for the first— for the first year, and then off-campus housing second and third year, and then um, yeah on �9 sixteenth street but not the same. The sixteenth street dorms I lived in undergrad for my last couple of years. M. Wilson: Okay, so you moved to D.C. around what date was it? I mean what year, rather? F. Wilson: 1982 when I graduated from Western High School. M. Wilson: Okay, and then how long did you stay in D.C.? Did you continue to live there? F. Wilson: Yeah, I lived there after I graduated. I worked at the hospital for seven years. Then I [pause] I met your father. M. Wilson: Oh, so tell me about that process. How did you meet your spouse? F. Wilson: At the hospital, he was a—he was um an—an intern. Was he an intern? No, he was the chief resident for Family Practice. Family Practice chief resident, and um, he was one of the doctors on the floor. And he would always um—whenever he had the patient, you know, the doctors had to have a somebody; if they were gonna perform a procedure, they needed a—a witness, so you call one of the nurses to be a witness. And I—I wasn’t assigned to the patient, but he was always calling me to wit—have witness, you know, be a witness to the procedures. I was like, Why is he always calling me to do that? You know, and then we started talking, you know. And then, you know, when he was on call, when the doctor—when he was—when he was one of the doctors on call, we were like, “Oh God, Dr. Wilson is on call, okay so that’s good, we’re gonna have a good night, cause he always answers his pages.” And we started talking and then going out, and you know, eventually dated, and then got married, and had you and your sister. M. Wilson: Um-hm. (laughs). So, what was it like to start a family, in the US specifically? F. Wilson: Starting a family in the US. Um, it wasn’t—it wasn’t too bad because my mom was, you know, my mom was—to me she was like my best friend, she was my best friend. So, I knew my mom was gonna be there so, I—I didn’t—I had no problems. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, um, what kind of cultures does your family ascribe to? The family that you started, ascribe to? Is there any specific cultural emphasis? Or— F. Wilson: Yes, um, the—although my husband is—your dad, you know your dad is from Barbados, yeah, you know, um, but I’m from Trinidad, so we tried to have a—a West Indian household, with West Indian—tried to subscribe to the West Indian culture that I grew up with, and that he grew up with also. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And how did you make your West Indian culture present in your children’s lives? F. Wilson: Um, by the foods that, you know, I cooked, the music we listened to, going to the Caribbean events, you know, that—the local Caribbean events. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Um, things of that nature. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Reading, and—and talking to you guys about our—the culture that, you know, that we—that we grew up in. M. Wilson: [inaudible] F. Wilson: Speaking the—speaking with a—with a native accent—not native, but with an accent. M. Wilson: And how important was it to you to teach your family about your culture? F. Wilson: It was very important, um. I wanted them to—since it was part of my culture, I wanted to pass that onto my children. Um, although they were born in America, I still, you know, believed that, you know, they—they were Caribbean-Americans. �10 M. Wilson: And is there something specific, in your parenting tactics that you did to make sure that they stayed in touch with their roots? Your roots. F. Wilson: As—as I stated (laughs)—as per my last sentence, um you know the cooking, the— the cooking, the—the you know, going to the different festivals, the Caribbean festivals, the local festivals. Um, keeping in contact with family members, um, visiting, whenever we could. M. Wilson: How often did you visit home? Your home? F. Wilson: When? M. Wilson: Um, once you had a family. F. Wilson: Once we had a family. M. Wilson: Your family. F. Wilson: Yeah, once I had a family, we basically went to um, to my husband’s country Bar— Barbados, once a year. To your father’s country, once a year, and sometimes twice a year. But we didn’t really go back to Trinidad because my parents were still living here, and we had like distant, not distant, but cousins, but we weren’t that close to the cousins, and I think my grandma, my grandmother, she died—oh Lord, my poor grandmother, she died before we— before I actually got married. So um, you know it was like, there’s no use going back there [to Trinidad], we can just go t—to Barbados, because you know you have your grandmother and your grandfather who are still alive um in Barbados. But your grandmother—my mother and father were still up here, so we didn’t see the need to go back to Trinidad as often. But as we got older, we visited Trinidad more often. M. Wilson: And you mentioned um your grandmother passed away before you—you got married. When did you get married? F. Wilson: I got married um... M. Wilson: If you remember a rough date. [inaudible] F. Wilson: Um in—in 1995. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: August of 1995. M. Wilson: Do you wanna tell me a little bit about that, the wedding? F. Wilson: Well, we had a, um, we had a—what was it? A justice of—of the peace, um, ceremony in August of ’95, and then uh the church ceremony in F—February of 1996 in Barbados. M. Wilson: [long pause] Okay, wonderful. Um. Also, by this time, had you become a citizen? Or, when did you become... F. Wilson: Oh. M. Wilson: A citizen? F. Wilson: When did I become a citizen? Oh my God that’s a good question, I don’t even know. Oh, I was a um, I was a permanent resident for a while, and oh, yeah this is interesting. Permanent resident for a while, but I never really wanted to be a citizen, I just you know—I just had that tie to Trinidad, I—I figured you know I’m a US [Trinidadian] citizen, that’s good enough. I had my green card, that was good enough, you know, I—I didn’t want to give up my citizenship—my Trinidadian citizenship. But um, somehow, I can’t—I can’t remember how— why I changed—why that changed. But I know I held on to that US—to that—to being a green card holder for a long time. I—I just didn’t want be a citizen, an American citizen. I—but I can’t remember why I actually changed it. M. Wilson: Um-hm. �11 F. Wilson: But anyway— oh yeah, I was tryna hold on to that, to being Trinidadian for the longest—for as long as possible. M. Wilson: Mm. F. Wilson: I think I was here for like, close to twenty-something years before I actually became a citizen. Although, I could have done it earlier, I just didn’t want to. M. Wilson: Mm. Did you want to stay close to home? You said that you didn’t quite know why. Were— F. Wilson: Yeah, I—I just didn’t want to—I just didn’t want to be—I didn’t want to be an American. I wanted to be a Trinidadian living in America; I didn’t want to be—I didn’t want to give up my Trinidadian citizenship. M. Wilson: Um-hm. Great. Um, so now I wanted to ask a little bit about your role as a mother. Um, define what it means to be a mother in your terms. F. Wilson: (sighs) Being a mother is having unconditional love for your children. Being uh an example that they can—they can look up to. M. Wilson: And, uh, describe your role as a mother. Who are you are you as a mother, if you were to describe it yourself? Who—what is Franka Wilson as the mom? F. Wilson: As a mom I think I um, I’m str—I’m strict at times, I’m very, very strict about education. And um, education, and also, I have a problem with, okay, with rude children. I— disrespectful children—I just cannot tolerate that. I think—I believe in that, um, that—that old saying that children should be seen and not heard, um. I find that when I came over here, I— ch—I don’t know, people had too many—children had too many rights. You know, like when adults were talking, they were all—I was like, No, you say hello, and you greet the person, and then you go inside, you go somewhere else. I ju—I don’t know. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, you said, you mentioned the quote children should be seen or not—and not heard. Did you implement that—that idea um when you were parenting your own children, and if so, how? F. Wilson: Yes, um, because, as you are aware, um, you know when we had company, you know, you would—you and your sister, would greet the company, say hello, but you weren’t involved in, you know, what was going on, you would go to your room afterwards, you—I didn’t have to tell you, because you already—you know, you knew you—this is adult—are—you know, this was an interaction with adults; you had nothing to do with it. Yeah so, that’s one of the ways I, uh, implemented that practice. M. Wilson: And where do you think that preference for that practice came from? F. Wilson: From my own upbringing in Trinidad. M. Wilson: Hmm. F. Wilson: You know, my—my grandmother, we had guests, you know, we wouldn’t, (chuckles) you know, we would say hello and then we would go back, you know, to our rooms, and like, goodnight or whatever. M. Wilson: Hmm. And then you also said that you had uh a key, uh, emphasis on education as well. Um, how did you implement that when parenting? F. Wilson: Um, by researching, you know, what schools my—my kids were gonna go to; what books they’re gonna read. Um, I also believed in, what we called lessons back in Trinidad, it’s like um, ex—what is it, what do you call it over here? Um, where you—you help—what is it? Augment, what the child is learning. It’s um, so they can be better. Something like Kumon, I—I believe in that, I believe in that. Um, anything, that’ll—that’ll push the child to be better than— than, you know, than average. �12 M. Wilson: And do you feel like you were successful in that endeavor? F. Wilson: Yes, I do. I have two intelligent, beautiful daughters. I’m so proud of you guys. M. Wilson: What makes you specifically proud of us in that educational sector, any achievements that you— F. Wilson: Yes, um, my daughter, Micayla, of course, you know you got the Banneker-Key Scholar program and—and the Honor’s program, and my other daughter Malia is in the—also is, in the—in the Honors Program at University of Maryland. So, I’m very proud of you all, and you—both of you got into some exceptionally, wonderful universities. M. Wilson: Wonderful. Um, and do you feel like you were a key contributor to their success, your children, us? F. Wilson: I, um, I believe, yeah, your father and I, um, yeah. There was no television, as you know, no television during the weekdays, when there was school, during schooltime. Onl—you guys only looked at television, you know, on Friday nights or Saturday, but when it came to the week—weekdays, there was no TV at all. You come home, you have a snack, you do your homework, you know. M. Wilson: Why no TV? F. Wilson: Because there—I thought it was brainless, it—school, that—that TV-watching— watching TV should, I believed, was a treat that you get—you got on the weekends. During the weekday, it was school. After that, you know, Friday, Saturday, you can watch as much TV— although you didn’t. Um, I know you wanted to, but, you know, um that’s—that—Fridays and Saturdays were, you know, when you could watch, a um, limited amount of television, but not during the week. I was not a believer in watching TV during the weekdays. During school nights. And I didn’t believe in—in doing anything on a school night, um, although you guys had extracurricular activities, but like, say to go and visit somebody’s house—no, I just didn’t believe that. School was number one important—was one of the important... [pause] M. Wilson: Important? F. Wilson: Was—was very important, was—your education was very important to your father and uh me. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, if you were to describe a Trinidadian mother, what—what about a woman would make her a Trinidadian mother? Any characteristics? How would you describe a Trinidadian mother? F. Wilson: I would say basically a Trinidadian mother is very loving and kind. She welcomes everyone, you know, with open arms, um. You know, if you have, if you came to her house, the first thing she would say, “Are you hungry? Would you like something to drink?” She would you know try to feed you as much as she could; whatever she had she would give it to you. That’s—I think it’s because my grandmother was like that. Even though, you know, when I lived—we lived with my grandmother, we didn’t really have a lot, but anybody who came to visit, she would give them, you know, she would offer them, whatever we had, and I think that was— that’s where we got it from, but, well my cousin and I. And, well I guess most—most Trinidadians, you know, they—they are very hospitable. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: You know, um, first thing they want to do when they come to the house, they would like to feed you. M. Wilson: Mm-hm. And that’s specifically Trinidadian mothers, or just Trinidadians in general? F. Wilson: I think—I think probably Trinidadian—uh Trinidadians in general. �13 M. Wilson: Um-hm. Any other specific traits of that are specific or unique to a Trinidadian mother that you think um stand out? Not specific to you, but like if you were to think of a Trinidadian mother, what does she [inaudible] like? F. Wilson: I think she... M. Wilson: How does she— F. Wilson: Yeah, she’s um, she’s also very strict at times, um, and also, you know, um, I think they also adopted that phi—philosophy of, you know, children should be seen and not heard. Um, you know, there’s—there’s a time and place for everything. When adults are, you know, engaging in conversation or, you know, or socializing, you know, you say your hello’s and then you—and then you leave. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And I mention—I heard a little—a couple—a little bit of repetition, “seen and not heard,” um, things of that nature. What traits of a Trinidadian mother do you think that you have or you took into your motherhood? F. Wilson: I think I took in everything I said. M. Wilson: Okay. And what do you—what is traits of an American mother, if you could describe one? F. Wilson: (sighs) M. Wilson: To you? F. Wilson: To me? M. Wilson: If you have multiple, you can share those or. What would you attribute to an American mother? F. Wilson: What? M. Wilson: If you have multiple definitions of an American mother, you can share those. F. Wilson: Oh, um. [long pause] An Ameri—I think Ameri—I think, um, this is a may—may not—may or may not be true, but I think American mothers, they believe in freedom of expression for their children, you know that—and they have—their kids have a lot of, um, quote unquote rights. M. Wilson: [inaudible] F. Wilson: I know, um basically um, you know, if—if t—the child, um, doesn’t want to like, you know, say participate in something, um, “okay, well it’s your right,” you know. No, I—it’s not, you know, I would say, I didn’t force you guys, you know, even with piano lesson, you know, you didn’t really like it, but, you know, I thought it was something, you know, useful. And, um, I—I just believe that a lot of American children have, just have too many rights. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Right, I don’t know, maybe—that sounds kind of weird, doesn’t it? M. Wilson: It’s okay, it’s your definition (laughs). It’s your definition. Any other attributes of what a—an American mother looks like, or acts like or thinks like? F. Wilson: I don’t—I think everybody is different, so I don’t know. Um, I’m not—I can’t—I can’t speak on that, you know specifically, but, in general. I guess every mother wants to, you know, be the best mother for their children, and to love their children unconditionally, and every—no matter what culture you are in, but I guess every culture is different so. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And of those traits that you mentioned of an American mother, do you think you have any of those? You mentioned some of the Trinidadian mother that you have, but any of the American mother that you have? F. Wilson: Um, no. M. Wilson: Um-hm. �14 F. Wilson: Damn it. M. Wilson: Um, okay. Um, so I know you mention you don’t really have traits of an American mother, but has American culture or life in America as an immigrant, shaped your idea of motherhood or like, how you... F. Wilson: No. M. Wilson: Mother? F. Wilson: No that—it didn’t. Because is still believe in my um, my—my Caribbean background, the way I was raised, you know, um. Yeah. M. Wilson: Yeah. F. Wilson: I don’t think it shaped me. M. Wilson: And, but the Trinidadian culture, you were saying... F. Wilson: Yeah. M. Wilson: It did? Okay. M. WILSON: And you attribute that to whom or to what specifically do you think of the Trinidadian culture shapes your parenting tactics? F. Wilson: My... M. Wilson: If I mentioned that. F. Wilson: The way, you know, the way I saw my—how my grandmother, you know she dealt with certain situations. My mom—how my mom dealt with certain situations. M. Wilson: And I—okay so, you had essentially two parents. You had your—or two sets of parents, your grandmother and your mother and father. What were the differences in the parenting styles, if you could describe them? Were they different, similar, how was that? Like— F. Wilson: My mom and, and my grandmother basically had the same parenting style. Um, although, my grandmother was a little more um, a little more strict in the fact that she—she didn’t really want—she, you had to be home at a certain time, you know, when you—if you— you’re expected to come home for—if school let out at three o’ clock, you’re expected to be home by a certain time, and if you didn’t come home by that time, you know, you’d get in trouble. But my mom—my mom was a little more, um, a little more lenient. M. Wilson: Okay. F. Wilson: My dad was strict though. M. Wilson: Um-hm. Okay. Um. [pause] Let’s see. Do you feel like you’ve shaped your children’s cultural identity? F. Wilson: Yes. M. Wilson: And how? Could you talk a little bit about that? F. Wilson: Um. By, you know, ah, the way I—the way I raised them, you know. Um, I think I imparted my beliefs on how—on how to raise children. I think that came from my grandmother and my mother. Um— M. Wilson: Okay. And then just to wrap up more about the motherhood, what about—what about your role as a mother do you take pride in? Like what do you take pride in as a mother? F. Wilson: The fact that my kids are respectful, they’re um, kind. They’re—they are very—they have a good heart, you know. I raised my kids to—to be kind to everybody, do not judge, um, you know, just be basically good human beings. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: You know, anybody you see, if somebody needs help, you know, you go ahead and help—offer help. Um, I—my kids, I think they’re very sm—two beautiful, well-rounded girls. M. Wilson: Um-hm. �15 F. Wilson: I—and some of the things that I hear I would—I will say, I—my—I know my children would never ever do that, or never say that to somebody, when I hear of all these horror stories of kids bullying and stuff. I said I know my kids will never do that. They would never do that. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And do you, why do think that is? As a result of your parenting, or is that individual characteristics of your children? F. Wilson: I think it’s all—I think it’s a combination. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, I wanted to talk about, a little bit about your definition of home. Where is home for you? F. Wilson: For me, home is Trinidad. M. Wilson: Trinidad? Okay. Um, or, and is there any—that—was that—would you say that’s where you feel most at home, or is there any place that you feel most at home? F. Wilson: Um. Well—well I feel most at home when I’m home with my children. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, you would define your home as in Trinidad and with your children? F. Wilson: Yeah. M. Wilson: Those two places. And why? What about your children or what about Trinidad—like why is that home for you? Compared to say, Baltimore, compared to say, D.C., compared to the other places you’ve lived, that have housed you, why are those two—two things home? F. Wilson: Because, this might—there are, you know, um Trinidad, I, you know, I was there until my formative years, and I think, you know, uh, growing up in Trini—I—I sometimes I feel like I don’t belong in this country. I—sometimes I just wanna go back home. I want to go back to where I was born, the land of my birth. I—I just have that sense, I don’t know why. I—maybe it’s because of the—I’m thinking maybe it’s because of the climate, or—but then when I go visit, and I’m on a plane, and I just—I was like, Oh my God, it’s just like everything just seems so strange. Like you have to come back here. Although, there’s a lot of opportunity in America, don’t get me wrong, you know, but there’s just something different about, you know, wanting to be where you were raised as a child. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And you were raised as—in Baltimore as well as a child... F. Wilson: Yes, I was. M. Wilson: So why, why— F. Wilson: But like I said, I was born in Trinidad, I spent my formative years in Trinidad, so... M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: That’s—that’s where I would prefer to be. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And would you say—oh, how many times do you visit home, or like how often are you in your home, would you say with your children or in Trinidad, how many times do you spend time in those homes? F. Wilson: Um, well since my mom was sick, it was like two or three times a year, it was just in the past ten years, but before then, um, it was sporadic. We would go for weddings or something of that nature, but, like I said, we’d also go to Barbados, which is in the Caribbean, um. But now, um, at least once a year. M. Wilson: Um-hm, at least once a year. And you mentioned before your mom gets sick. Did you wanna speak a little bit about that? Um, what was she sick with? F. Wilson: My mom had—was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she had it for ten years. So, we were back and forth, um. I—I know I didn’t want to put her in a nursing home, there was—there was not—never gonna be an issue of that. I wanted somebody to take care of her, a family member to take care of her. Um, and because up here, it’s—everything is so expensive, nursing homes, um �16 and you don’t have that, that sense of—to me, you don’t have that sense of community, where, back home, you would have, even if it’s a neighbor, you know, you would say, “Okay,” you know, “You can just come in and watch so and so.” Or, people were in and out of each other’s homes, and—up here, everybody’s so closed off, you don—you know, you don’t even know some of the people on the stre—that live on your street. Um, but I wanted somebody who was a family um member. So, we took her back, you know, back to Trinidad so my cousin took care of her. Um, yeah so, but I’m glad she—glad she’s—she is in Trinidad, buried in Trinidad. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Um. Yeah. M. Wilson: And when did she pass? F. Wilson: In nineteen—nineteen, sorry in twenty-eighteen. M. Wilson: Um. Okay. Okay, um. And do you think, wa—that was the best place for her to be— [inaudible] F. Wilson: Yea I think it was the best place for her, cause my family was there, you know. M. Wilson: Okay. F. Wilson: Um, I didn’t want a stranger taking care of her, uh, I didn’t—I didn’t want—she was definitely not going to go into a nursing home. M. Wilson: Um-hm okay. Um and in your home—um you mentioned being with your kids as one home and being in Trinidad as another home—do you belong to a particular community, or tribe, or ethnic group, or social group? Are there any groups that you belong to? F. Wilson: Um, y—not particularly, I mean, I um, I volunteer. I do a lot of—I used to do a lot of volunteering when, when you were all in school. Um, I belong to the Catholic Church, volunteering there every now and then, but not—not to say a particular, uh group. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And do you continue volunteering or is that just solely when you were raising your children... F. Wilson: Well, well I... M. Wilson: When they were younger? F. Wilson: I continue to volunteer now as well. You know with the Red Cross and the Alzheimer’s Association. M. Wilson: Um-hm. Tell me a little bit about your jobs there, or your work there. F. Wilson: Um... M. Wilson: For each. F. Wilson: Basically outreach, we do outreach for the Alzheimer’s Association to get word out about, you know, find—help finding a cure. Do a lot of fundraising, and I just started the Red Cross, um volunteering with the Red Cross um in September of this year—of last year. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Um, basically the same. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, I know you went to nursing school, but now you’re volunteering. What was the job process up until now. F. Wilson: Um... M. Wilson: After graduating? F. Wilson: After I graduated from nursing school, I worked for seven years, and I, um—then I said I met your d—no, what is it? We got married in 1995. Yeah, I was a nurse for seven years at Howard University Hospital. Um, got my Master’s, got married, and then I decided I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. M. Wilson: Um-hm. �17 F. Wilson: I wanted to stay home and raise my children. I didn’t want to go to work, and have them in daycare, I—I didn’t want to do any of that. So, luckily, thank the Lord, you know, I was able to do that. Um, so I stayed home for 10 years, and then I was also volunteering with a Girl Scout—Girl Scout Troop Leader, you know, I worked at the—I volunteered at the, um, Attorney General’s office. They had a Health Advocacy unit. With my nursing background I—I did that as well. Also, volun—volunteered at the Immigration Outreach Service Center. Did a lot of volunteering while um I was um also raising the kids, raising you kid—raising you girls. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Um, and then, af—after um ten years, I decided I, you know, I wanted to go back to work. So, I went back on a part-time basis. So, I was at the Maryland Department of Health. There for ten years. And then they relocated to Annapolis, and then I’m currently doing perdiem, which is as-needed nursing. But right now, I’m on a break, so. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, you—you’ve been in a lot of positions, um, Girl Scout council—uh leader, IOSC, um, working in the Department of Health, and now per-diem nurse. Is there any favorite that you have, or any memories you want to talk about from any of those positions that you really stick out? F. Wilson: I loved—I enjoyed, really enjoyed working at the, um, Attorney General’s office. Um, I’m sorry, volunteering at the Attorney General’s office. I really enjoyed that. Um, I was also thinking—while I was doing that, I was thinking about going to law school. Um, but then that changed. (laughter) I took a class, I—I applied, and then I—there was this um, what was it, I forgot. The summer program, I got it, I—I was accepted into before you go to law school. But I—I got an A in one class, and then didn’t do well in the other class. I was like, Okay, this is really—maybe this is not for me. M. Wilson: Um-hm, okay. F. Wilson: Um, but I really enjoyed my work at the Attorney General’s office, um. Yeah. M. Wilson: Um, what does—do you thinking your work there influenced your, um, thoughts of becoming a lawyer? F. Wilson: No, no... M. Wilson: Oh. F Wilson: I wanted to become a lawyer before that. M. Wilson: Okay. F. Wilson: Yeah. M. Wilson: When did those professional thoughts like get—come into mind? After nursing, or was that still in undergrad? F. Wilson: That, that wasn’t in undergrad—well, I don’t know, I was—maybe I didn’t really have a um (laughter) a what is it? A guidance counselor to guide me, because I was like all over the place. I wanted to be a pediatrician... M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: And then I wanted to be a lawyer... M. Wilson: Yes. F. Wilson: And so, I was like, okay. I—I actually, after I graduated, and after I was working as a nurse, some other nurses—uh nurse friends, we were like, We should go to law school, we should all go to law school. I was like, okay. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: I think that’s where it stemmed from. M. Wilson: Okay. And in nursing school, or after nursing school? �18 F. Wilson: Yeah. M. Wilson: Um, and what was it like, being a Girl Scout leader? Tell me about that because that was— F. Wilson: Yeah, that’s interesting, because I—I consider myself to be shy. I don’t really like speaking in front of crowds or groups. So, becoming a Girl Scout leader was uh out of my comfort zone. M. Wilson: Hmm. F. Wilson: But it was very interesting because I got to be the leader for your troop and your sister’s troop, um it was—I enjoyed it. You know, I became friends with the other moms, which was very—I really enjoyed it. M. Wilson: Um-hm. Wonderful. And then IOSC? [inaudible] F. Wilson: The Immigration Outreach Service Center. I became involved in that, that was affiliated with the church, because I was also thinking about going to law school, so I was, you know—I thought maybe that would help as well. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Um but also, you know, helping the, um, asylum-seekers, you know, with their paperwork was also—was also very interesting. I enjoyed that as well. M. Wilson: So, you mentioned that IOSC was affiliated with the church. What church is this? F. Wilson: St. Matthew’s Catholic Church. M. Wilson: Okay, and do you attend this church? Are you... F. Wilson: Yes, I am a member. M. Wilson: Do you belong to this church? F. Wilson: Yes, I’m a member of the church. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And what kind of religion is this? Or— F. Wilson: Catholic. Catholicism. M. Wilson: Were you always Catholic? And were you raised as a Catholic? F. Wilson: Yes, I was. M. Wilson: Okay. And were your guardians Catholic... F. Wilson: Yes. M. Wilson: As well? F. Wilson: They were. M. Wilson: Okay. And then um, you began working in the Maryland Department of Health, am I correct? F. Wilson: Yes. M. Wilson: Okay. Um, what was that like? For ten years... [inaudible] F. Wilson: Yeah, that was um... M. Wilson: When you came back. F. Wilson: My first job after, you know, after ten years of being a stay-at-home mom. M. Wilson: And when did that start? What date? F. Wilson: That started in nineteen—um, no, in twenty—in 2008. M. Wilson: Okay. F. Wilson: In 2008. That was interesting. Um, I—I enjoyed that as well. Um, I was a—a nurse auditor with the Sexual Assault Reimbursement unit. Basically, um there were three nurses for the entire state of Maryland. We handled all the sexual assault cases for the entire state. M. Wilson: Um-hm. �19 F. Wilson: So, um, reading, um, you know—and sometimes, you know, you’d be overwhelmed with the cases, and you know, and especially when it involved children, but... M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: You know, you—you got used to it. M. Wilson: Um-hm. That’s a pretty intense topic to deal with, um. What made you want to work as a nurse auditor for these specific cases? F. Wilson: Well, um, I—the—the hours were—were what were really appealing. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: The fact that it was part-time, three-days a week, um. You know, I didn’t want to do clinical nursing, I didn’t want to work in a hospital anymore. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Um, so this was a non-clinical position, so... M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: I said you know, let me see what this—what this is about. M. Wilson: Alright. And is there any particular reason why you didn’t want to work in clinical? You said you didn’t want to. F. Wilson: I—I, you know, I worked in—as a nurse in the hospital for over seven years. And I just had enough, you know sometimes—you know there are all types of nursing. You can work in the hospital, doctor’s office, law office. And I—I just, you know, realized, clinical nursing was not for me. It’s just—you have a lot of burnout, and I—I did it, now it was time to do something—try another aspect of nursing. M. Wilson: Um-hm. Did you—so you felt burnout? [inaudible] F. Wilson: Yeah, I did, I did. You know, and there were days where you wouldn’t—couldn’t even eat lunch, you were so tired. You couldn’t even walk to your car. Working in a hospital as a nurse is very stressful. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: So yeah. M. Wilson: Any specific things that stick out to you or that told you, Oh this is very stressful, I don’t want to do this anymore? F. Wilson: Yeah um, like I said, you know, you were so tired. You’d do twelve-hour shifts. You were so tired you couldn’t even walk to your car. Um, it was just a lot. Um, and when I was working at the hospital, I did three years of med-surg, a year of, um—what is it? Um, transplant. And then I did three years on the oncology unit, and yeah, I think the oncology unit was the worst one. Cause you would see patients that, you know, were your age in the bed, you know, cancer, and so it’s like, That could be me. You know, it would get to you sometimes. That could be me in that bed. There were no history, of—of cancer in the—no history of cancer in the family, and, you know, young girl getting her Master’s, and all of the sudden, it’s like, oh my gosh. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: Yeah so, that was—that would be emotionally draining at times. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, you said that was quite draining and you knew you didn’t want to do clinicals anymore. Of the multiple jobs or positions that you’ve held, which one was your favorite? F. Wilson: Um, work paying? Nonpaying or non— M. Wilson: Or whichever position... F. Wilson: Um... �20 M. Wilson: Paying or nonpaying, you can do either. F. Wilson: I would say the um, working at the Attorney General’s office, I enjoyed that. M. Wilson: Um-hm. And why? Any specific reason why? F. Wilson: Um, the fact that you get to negotiate on behalf of the—of the consumer, and you know, you interact with the attorneys on the phone, with the doctor’s office, and try to negotiate on their behalf. I enjoyed that type of work. M. Wilson: Um-hm. So, it seems like, besides the Girl Scout leader and the IOSC that everything had a health relation. Would you still say that health is still, um, a passion of yours or something that you’re interested in? Cause it—it was a common theme in your positions. F. Wilson: Yes, it is. M. Wilson: Wonderful. And do you plan to continue your time with Alzheimer’s Association and... F. Wilson: Um. M. Wilson: Red Cross, or any other new interests that you have? F. Wilson: Uh, yeah, well, the Red Cross, I’m—I’ve just joined the Red Cross so um, I’m looking forward to seeing what are the opportunities, you know, what they have to offer. Um, the Alzheimer’s—yeah, I plan on—on helping them with their um walks and fundraising every now and then. Not as involved as I was before. M. Wilson: Alright. And so, I’ve asked you a lot about your home, um, your culture. Is there any time when you haven’t felt at home? I know you gave me some— [inaudible] F. Wilson: When I haven’t felt at home where? M. Wilson: Um, in America. Cause I’ve asked you about your home, you said Trinidad was your home. Was there any place or— [inaudible] F. Wilson: I think why—I don’t feel at home when it—when it’s fall and winter, cause I do not like the cold. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: I just do not like it. M. Wilson: Um-hm. F. Wilson: So, um, during the summer I can tolerate it, but the fall and winter, it—it becomes a little drag, and dreary, and depressing. I just feel like, I just want to go back to Trinidad. M. Wilson: Go back to Trinidad okay. Um. Okay. Uh so, the main culture that you identify with, what would you say it was? If you were to—cause you’ve lived so many places— F. Wilson: Trinidad. M. Wilson: Trinidad. And how are you continuing to stay connected with this culture, if you stay connected with this culture? F. Wilson: Um, by, you know, visiting. Um, you know, continuing to prepare the same types of food I prepare, listen to the type of music, um, any activities or—or any um social activities that involves you know the Caribbean culture, you know, I’m—I’m usually a part of it, um. Yeah. M. Wilson: What kind of foods do you cook, or activities? You mentioned food, activities— F. Wilson: Food, um. You know the, um, curry chicken, um, plantains, dumplings with soup, um. M. Wilson: Okay. And then activities, you said you— [inaudible] F. Wilson: Activities, um the carnivals, are usually—um, we attend, you know, the most—the carnivals. Um, which is customary. Um, any—anything dealing with the Caribbean culture, um, I usually try to—to do it as much as I can. Um, if there are books by Caribbean authors, I usually go to their book signings or things of that nature. �21 M. Wilson: Um-hm. Wonderful. Well, is there anything else that you’d like to tell me or discuss before we finish? Any other aspects about you, your culture, motherhood, education? F. Wilson: I—I just want to say that, um, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy living in America, it has a, you know—I really do. But um, but Trinidad will always be my home. M. Wilson: Okay. Well, thank you very much for this interview. Um, I had a wonderful time. I hope you enjoyed it too. F. Wilson: Thank you my dear daughter. M. Wilson: Wonderful. Addendum: M. Wilson: This is Micayla Wilson, interviewing Franka Wilson, um on the sixth of March 2020 in Catonsville, Maryland. This is an addendum to the previous interview. F. Wilson: I remember you asked me about um, my trip from Trinidad to America, when we finally, um, came here for good. I remember my brother and I, we, um—it was Pan-Am, Pan-Am Airlines, Pan-American Airlines. And we were—we were—since we were two children—my brother was nine, I was eleven—they had us in first-class. Um, and we kept looking back at the other people, and we were like, “Why can’t we be back with them?” Cause there was only like about two or three people in the first class. We were so upset, we were like we wanted to be back in the back with the other people, you know, making noise and laughing and we were like—but then we realized that, although it was first-class— but, and you know as a child, you didn’t want to be up there by yourself, you know. But, yeah. I guess it was—it was all good. M. Wilson: Wonderful, thank you. Anything else that you’d like to add before wrapping up the interview? F. Wilson: No, um. I just wanted to say I’m so proud of you and continue the good work. M. Wilson: Thank you. Great. � https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/fb29f883b2f9af336f5a4a4f20cdf487.mp3?Expires=1781740800&Signature=teyad8scnVb61SD6sy3OyL8TWA1olW%7ECxz80Cmrg5LK%7Eplf8I-jjXmFDbEL42T-XQ8Ed6tvsFvtM5ghro2UHao8LxOiwIw5xRU6Hwa%7EjZXdKDn9dtzWWj7CQwX6A6utN3gLP2jPSD3pYT-kPuGq%7E5EwU5ShHCMDGX5pDMT8lCz0tONFKwKwB7fuc9M8i5QWLYoZIPsEK1k4kL3UhxaG1P9-07IYevic1kBcEcUnKSywjuz0Mk7V8%7EGN3LFH1y-a1E3YiqwvmV9c9FsCtEJ4pK1wZyiq%7EDXy5V95tNicg143zXT7z9iyz4N8PIY0N7DwZiG9JHI25D0ASvXgjqW4iAg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM f8e120c3dc94c377146470e961b42fd5 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/b5e2fc462aa062ca90a0649708811ee7.mp3?Expires=1781740800&Signature=NaBpAfQrwGN5uED%7EUox-oIAR9q3sjiyVlgkPfkwRTHtDAjEDPn3WPqNIX8gdbfb%7Eht-Wc9ZMh3JyM-Nxgdu7fiWflYLV4bjHRKUhDFHCgio-tI9WWHjx7vBTrbIbCMCjNDHnLTd1-9%7EuQOZQNYXLwd7C-GNCpc2gUts6rvE6B%7ES3acbgVH4g%7EnvQ7Qzy-jZfSPeXw0vbmcnysblAdJO1XYjP-HCBUffnTTLVPWfXuHrlqzWy5EW9%7E0Mi1YLuFXq9ie1kRW5AQzklMDL3z2b46n8XQ0eT5eVp38A3xudXV81Qw4h2nQ8P1CY0qEhXVhMFkFu4M5rJX2mBOqqj-UlIqA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM a9fb0914845acda72f2d73e4ca633890 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 Spring 2020 Interviews Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Micayla Wilson Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Franka Wilson Location The location of the interview Catonsville, Baltimore County, Maryland, USA Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data PDF, MP3, JPG 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 Interview of Franka Wilson Description An account of the resource This interview between Micayla Wilson and Franka Wilson discusses Franka’s journey from San Fernando, Trinidad to Baltimore, Maryland as a child, and her subsequent settlement in the DMV area. This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428M (Spring 2020). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Micayla Wilson Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 6, 2020 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The full rights of this oral history interview were given by the interviewee to the University of Maryland, College Park. This interview may be quoted from, published, or broadcast in any medium that the University of Maryland, College Park shall deem appropriate. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF, JPG, MP3 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Caribbean childhood class culture education employment family motherhood race Trinidad and Tobago https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/a309dc39a3fbaea5c63aacb7f97db1f3.png?Expires=1781740800&Signature=bSNfkz32irQADjbsOous7NypFd18SB1MA7BayjFFZygdNPspS0NZPcg2JNidAwgis0SmF4NjG30uyiPeHasC5FmvODYkqJrXSphz%7ESpmeLUp6pNeurl9yDmoe9Pqq3PeYxnVDQzO4UpvvjOUNqCuBNQgCNhMXN4B4z-FuEnKOyr-63T8Yrs53bTgvKmg%7Ezx1pk9FjC8VF2d6GoNK0-5XZ2ZqnbLheTMmKJS4mCaS-tePcvXtpBhTOSuB1MinbAseBjeaBmEL%7EF-T%7EINVApjEE72KBxkZBtMr5NIHa7bkLPiUbqnA2N8qp0WMZB7sxNGp%7Ety71ZX0ecxp9hdfJ6AySA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 0851b7e908d10385d03e23e683f25175 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/9cf88ecbc6a2690a4dcd6ab33a6d40b0.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=SZfTEpGWyHuUiUt7EHJgY2waG%7Er96S1r3jans54WC1iG-fY-Ka%7EaiLK1xTw2Nx8oLeZ01roxkgFRWzIOEvXqqIc9397j5zFfFHv0AcuTrfWu5SQpFliPwfO3EBwKGSkCCcCSYOkWH9CWci0RilDjnVlWo4yBqsqHPJDDgEcPrDYyV9ZIzjyZwOR2-9-6NW9Gb2kDjCLNQQUCENI%7Ec5BxafkWoSxkfHJdrjC9eveIiBoEbjb0vvoXRS8FWeriIVkyjoV4FFSbEIyNlXjnQPpRD1AlqPk%7EC1j4cpC6iELgaR0wycfnSY0XmotqcICsbqqmhIGA-dY5k%7ED0bzkW4xTGhw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 1741cab77432833b621a43dada4e3450 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 Spring 2019 Interviews Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Austin Kleber Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed "Monica Geller" Location The location of the interview Silver Spring, Maryland, USA Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data PDF 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 Interview of "Monica Geller" Description An account of the resource This interview between Austin Kleber and "Monica Geller" (pseudonym) explores Monica's experience as an immigrant in the United States. She speaks about the cultural differences she had to navigate as well as the isolation and sadness that accompanied her move into a new country and new community. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Austin Kleber Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 27, 2019 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The full rights of this oral history interview were given by the interviewee to the University of Maryland, College Park. This interview may be quoted from, published, or broadcast in any medium that the University of Maryland, College Park shall deem appropriate. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Spring 2019 Interviews Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Dercem Kaya Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Nico Alvarez Location The location of the interview College Park, Prince George's County, Maryland, United States Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data PDF, MP3, JPG 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 Interview of Nico Alvarez Description An account of the resource This interview between Nico Alvarez and Dercem (Derc) Kaya explores Nico's experiences migrating as a child from Spain the United States. Nico discusses his experiences in school, his observations on cultural differences between Spain and the U.S., his parents' careers (which brought them to the U.S.), and the decision and ability to stay in the U.S. once his family moved back to Spain. This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428M (Spring 2019). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dercem Kaya Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 7, 2019 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The full rights of this oral history interview were given by the interviewee to the University of Maryland, College Park. This interview may be quoted from, published, or broadcast in any medium that the University of Maryland, College Park shall deem appropriate. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource African and African Diaspora Immigrant Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Description An account of the resource This collection contains oral histories of migrants from Africa and the African Diaspora (drawn largely from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America). In April 2020, the Center for Global Migration Studies, in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture, will hold a symposium entitled “Making African America: Immigration and the Changing Dynamics of Blackness.” The stories in this collection demonstrate some of the key themes of the symposium: transnational ties to homeland countries; the intersectional experience of being an immigrant and black in the United States; and migrants’ influences on U.S. culture, politics, and society. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF, JPG, MP3, M4A Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Zachary Wathen Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Keith Yearwood, Ph.D. Location The location of the interview University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data PDF, MP3, JPG 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 Interview of Keith Yearwood Description An account of the resource This interview between Dr. Keith Yearwood and Zachary Wathen explores Keith's experiences migrating from Guyana to England, Antigua, and ultimately the United States. Keith shares his observations about politics, the benefits of travel, and his appreciation for his US citizenship. This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428M (Spring 2019). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Zachary Wathen Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 11, 2019 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The full rights of this oral history interview were given by the interviewee to the University of Maryland, College Park. This interview may be quoted from, published, or broadcast in any medium that the University of Maryland, College Park shall deem appropriate. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource African and African Diaspora Immigrant Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Description An account of the resource This collection contains oral histories of migrants from Africa and the African Diaspora (drawn largely from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America). In April 2020, the Center for Global Migration Studies, in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture, will hold a symposium entitled “Making African America: Immigration and the Changing Dynamics of Blackness.” The stories in this collection demonstrate some of the key themes of the symposium: transnational ties to homeland countries; the intersectional experience of being an immigrant and black in the United States; and migrants’ influences on U.S. culture, politics, and society. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF, JPG, MP3, M4A Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Andrew McGillicuddy Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Timi Tinuoye Location The location of the interview McDaniel, MD Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data PDF, MP3 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 Interview of Timi Tinuoye Description An account of the resource This interview between Andrew McGillicuddy and Timi Tinuoye explores Tinuoye's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from England and Nigeria. Both dynamic personalities combine to make this interview enjoyable, yet at the same time it becomes an extremely informative resource. Tinuoye’s unique immigration experience allows the reader to look into the life of a man that has a strong Nigerian ethnic background, while also having a strong English national background. This mixed identity creates an interesting space for conversation where they discuss a multitude of topics from Tinuoye’s childhood, the Nigerian economy, his transition to the United States, and the school systems in England, Nigeria, and the United States. This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST428M: "Oral History of Immigration" (Spring 2017). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the History Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Andrew McGillicuddy Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 9, 2017 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The full rights of this oral history interview were given by the interviewee to the University of Maryland, College Park. This interview may be quoted from, published, or broadcast in any medium that the University of Maryland, College Park shall deem appropriate. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF, MP3, JPG Language A language of the resource English Africa childhood cultural differences economy employment England entrepreneur Europe family holidays movies music Nigeria Opportunity race siblings sports travel Yoruba https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/6d565b93ddc79f4ed200b5207692c224.png?Expires=1781740800&Signature=Vf8x9Nf2SympBVKw6Jsnj051Zrd4DiDThU7BVd64PrZJ1Q4P10Iy2JbmF6hX2Bccny4kCCJWvvOJ89f-UAy6y6ms-MNyOzqJVc6ba-QaD2NBmGge4M%7EFNGKE8cS31SuoUuC8pdgme-0S-99NdOU5uqmbRcJSgXGAO1xnhGrhBcVhOtOktPCmY16gIwU7onSxEeePPz2dbskzRHbWaiIiKgPPMKR1uofNyd3ZNz94txwJEp2pGUDgBR0uuqctWiJTtppGdNE5J99sKVAiMFBvYu-nTiL%7ENWpa53lCPwCn0N-YT5eTxjzQSgUEDyr%7EUn8KXYgrhCqPfpQG5OoVUyEKFA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM c068e01b8e12a515ec9b8480379fbe25 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/b746334bd77a089774fbfcc38c98be24.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=M%7E1EQ-CUyWKB%7EJ411utTBCci0sY5JaHETpP1j0W%7ET3wIDuJXuDsi1FZ21KC5al8Vle3xKOp4Pd369lx0RF1mS8pAojQDLSgSFt-sYsvNSmOB0f4u32%7EF7gCIJ%7Eyo6h65RQOlc5lPwgkapAgdvd-NWdMGGOc-OylhmmtxW1vzC9t5r-L2vBflpfz%7EDsYlVu8mXp9qUBW9I2-m6pVEqUoOOT0aSPHD-spCZulXd6owvB9kf4lvH9f8uOcKINUblGdOGZGWdPQQ%7E7hGynH-T%7Eoe9cCwc9CPLS5FcmPSDbcpGxJIqJ3JEHrFm0eTEdoGP517NF7r3MQgkcoL6Tuq2TEH7Q__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 982020cd1169e7ccf24e6dd71ce60855 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/16159/archive/files/220e3817d89270443ca8769105be2e90.mp3?Expires=1781740800&Signature=fYg1VongYIz8onzttPFUcOaa%7Ewsk-zuhxPN29diqOOzoAabmjsoelPBHDnP80Hhv2wLRucBKIex6SjtvsL2pnC2yBiAHCwrbg1tfpTWQkbKcy2%7EMBzxkWJGWcnhzeDu9A%7EjWSLcINRO2MJ2-hg-DNBxKySQsvb2HtzCz2dRFV-BdqiyHw8HDToOpFSmaXXuRMRu8rIajfOVZxCVt7QwoVf-HW2wvHE7TMonC3YmJWojx9wgrm3gVMXwdsTweA9MjaYcTr4s2CW46aXAWyNyPVTvXSE9ZzO0gEvkNRPC9m8P8YLQDturrGlCs%7EqZlOgvK5Wmv4ZEA-Iq7os%7EChkNArw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 936a140631916324f6c0a1617349d221 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 Spring 2017 Interviews Description An account of the resource These interviews were conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park courses THET428I (Spring 2017) and HIST428M (Spring 2017). THET428I was led by Professor Esther Lee of the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, HIST428M was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities. Both courses were sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Nicole Kerr Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Anabel Teixeira Location The location of the interview Washington, D.C. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data PDF, MP3 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 Interview of Anabel Teixeira Description An account of the resource This interview between Nicole Kerr and Anabel Teixeira explores Teixeira's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from Brazil. The majority of oral history interviews focus on the experiences of immigrants who choose to become citizens of the United States. This interview follows an alternate route; it examines the effects of automatic acquisition of citizenship, specifically on the experience of a 21-year-old Brazilian immigrant named Anabel Teixeira. This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST428M: "Oral History of Immigration" (Spring 2017). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the History Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Nicole Kerr Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 4, 2017 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The full rights of this oral history interview were given by the interviewee to the University of Maryland, College Park. This interview may be quoted from, published, or broadcast in any medium that the University of Maryland, College Park shall deem appropriate. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource African and African Diaspora Immigrant Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Description An account of the resource This collection contains oral histories of migrants from Africa and the African Diaspora (drawn largely from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America). In April 2020, the Center for Global Migration Studies, in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture, will hold a symposium entitled “Making African America: Immigration and the Changing Dynamics of Blackness.” The stories in this collection demonstrate some of the key themes of the symposium: transnational ties to homeland countries; the intersectional experience of being an immigrant and black in the United States; and migrants’ influences on U.S. culture, politics, and society. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF, JPG, MP3, M4A Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Katie Evans Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Pastor Gloria Cline-Smythe Location The location of the interview Lanham, MD Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data PDF, MP3 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 Interview of Pastor Gloria Cline-Smythe Description An account of the resource This interview between Katie Evans and Pastor Gloria Cline-Smythe explores Cline-Smythe's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from Sierra Leone. Pastor Gloria Cline-Smythe talks about her life before she left Sierra Leone in 1991. She rose through local government and eventually became city manager of Freetown, the capital Sierra Leone. Family plays a major role throughout her story. She talks about her younger siblings as if they were her own. Later on, her son and future grandson were the reasons why she came to the United States. Another major theme throughout her interview was the role of religion in her life. Religion was a key part of her life growing up, and this is something she continues as a local Lutheran pastor. Pastor Gloria’s story is an enthralling journey told through themes like religion, family, and African culture. This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST428M: "Oral History of Immigration" (Spring 2017). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the History Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Katie Evans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Center for Global Migration Studies Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 6, 2017 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The full rights of this oral history interview were given by the interviewee to the University of Maryland, College Park. This interview may be quoted from, published, or broadcast in any medium that the University of Maryland, College Park shall deem appropriate. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF, MP3, JPG Language A language of the resource English accent Africa Christianity Citizenship civil war class colonialism cultural differences culture divorce education employment England family family reunification gender gender roles grandchildren Health language LGBTQ marriage politics race religion siblings Sierra Leone traditions travel