work

I Wanted to Work

“He comes back… and he said, ‘I have a permanent position for you.’” Edited by Nick Ladeau. Transcript for I Wanted to Work I started looking for a job. You know, I worked in Germany. I wanted to work. You know, I liked to bring in money. I never wanted to be like my mom […]

Becoming a Teacher

“I did not want to be used as the token Latin.” Edited by Nick Ladeau. Transcript for Becoming a Teacher In the fall of 1960, I went to IU and studied education. And I did some work at Indiana Northwest. And then I wound up at Bloomington. I got my degree in Education in 1966. […]

1967 Snowstorm

“No, a captain stays with the ship.” Edited by Nick Ladeau. Transcript for 1967 Snowstorm We got trapped in the 1967 snowstorm in school. And since we had a bunch of guys, we got all the ladies out at noon. And Dr. Gilbert was the superintendent. And he said, “The kids can go home. The […]

Some of the Best Ground in the World

“Nowadays, most of these farms have ripped all the fences out and they can take the 40-acre fields and they make them into 200 and 300.” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · Some of the Best Ground in the World Edited by Nick Ladeau Transcript for Some of the Best Ground in the World I’m […]

You Pay for It in the End

“At 13, I started waitressing…I was making more money than anybody I knew.” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · You Pay For It In The End Produced by Amanda Yonushatis Transcript for You Pay for It in the End I was born in Maryville, Tennessee. It was a very small town at the time. We […]

Connective Tissue

“…that was fascinating, having a process where I feel I really met those actors and that creative team and really shared something with them. But I’ve never met them in real life.” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · Connective Tissue The Coronavirus pandemic has clearly thrown up barriers to our ability to gather physically together, […]

War Zone

“…there’s a legacy around the capacity to stand one’s own ground and say, ‘No, this is who we are. And this is what we stand for. And this is what we can do.’” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · War Zone This interview was recorded using Zoom. Transcript for War Zone I grew up in […]

Settling in Gary

“So my dad said, ‘Well, you know what, I don’t have to live here.’” Edited by Nick Ladeau. Transcript for Settling in Gary My dad left, he ran away from his father, at the age of thirteen. He left Mexico and worked on a tramp steamer. A tramp steamer was a boat, I think, that […]

Code-Switching

“And so they had to negotiate both of those worlds. That’s what black people have always done.” Recorded over Zoom. Edited by Rebecca Warner. Transcript for Code-Switching The journey of my parents to South Bend, Indiana is—to me, it’s very interesting. They both went to Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis. They were both born […]