Where and when were you born?
My father was a Mexican by birth, whereas my mother and her family have roots in Mexico, but they immigrated to the US at the beginning of the 20th century. Accordingly, my mom, Rafina, was born in Encanto, which is a community in San Diego. My parents met in Encanto, where my mother worked as a teacher. After they got married, my two sisters and I were born in Tijuana, Mexico. When it comes to me, I am the oldest child in the family, as I was born in 1940. In turn, my two sisters were born in 1943 and 1946, respectively. We had been living in Tijuana until 1950, when our family decided to move to the US. Accordingly, we have been living in San Diego ever since. Consequently, even though I am a Mexican citizen by birth, I consider the US as my motherland.
What was your childhood like? Please describe it in detail. Describe your teenage years.
In the context of education, there did not exist such a thing as bilingual education. So, when we immigrated, I was in the second grade in Tijuana. Thus, they gave me a test, which, obviously, was in English. I failed it miserably because I did not know English very well. Fortunately, it was a very small school that only included several students per class. Considering that the majority of other students did not speak English either, all of us were cooperating and asking in Spanish, “What did she say — the teacher? Que dijo?” We were also trying to make sense of what the teacher was saying. Such a vast number of students having poor knowledge of English can be explained by the fact that we were studying in a farm labor community occupied by immigrants with different ethnic backgrounds.
At the same time, I was required to communicate with English-speaking students despite the fact that the majority of people surrounding me were immigrants. On the one hand, it was difficult to find a common language with people who were born in the US. For instance, they frequently expressed disrespect toward individuals coming from other countries. On the other hand, it has encouraged me to learn English in a short time in order to become an integral part of American society. For example, English-speaking children learned, especially on the playground, that we were actually very good and interesting people. As a result, they invited us to their team to spend time together. That is how we learned to be able to communicate with each other, even though, initially, there was some animosity. We got over it as we demonstrated we were human beings just like they were.
Did you serve in the military? If so, in what branch and during what time period? What was the experience like? Please explain in detail.
Eventually, after graduating from college, I volunteered to serve in the armed forces because we were involved in the battles in Southeast Asia, Vietnam, and so forth. I felt obligated to pay back for what I had earned — the opportunities to be here. This is the main reason that I served in the US Army. Taking into account that there was spinal meningitis in California, where the training was taking place, I was sent to Georgia in 1965. On the way, I became more familiar with African Americans, being in Georgia and South Carolina.
In addition, I developed tremendously strong and friendly relationships with other guys serving in the US Army. In fact, the majority of us were either African Americans, Mexican Americans, or Puerto Ricans. Therefore, we were incredibly integrated throughout the entire period of serving in the US. When comes me, I was sent to Germany as an infill for those soldiers who were in Europe being sent to Vietnam. At the time, I was serving as the training officer for the Fourth Armor Battalion.
What were the major historical events of your lifetime? Which ones affected you the most and why?
The Civil Rights Movement was a significant historical event that I lived through. During those times, there was significant racial discrimination against African Americans. The country had earlier abolished slavery. It was, however, very long before the blacks were able to receive the same chances as the whites. The whites considered blacks as lesser human beings. Furthermore, many laws separated African Americans from whites. These laws created different schools, hospitals, businesses, and social institutions for whites and others. The fight started by elite black groups that started advocating for their rights by opposing the discriminative laws. Martin Luther King was instrumental in organizing protests to oppose discrimination.
These historical events have influenced my personality from different perspectives. First, I was able to learn about the rights and privileges that every citizen should have regardless of their ethnic background or racial features. Second, I was able to get knowledge about the need for justice in society. I also learned about the need for equality, justice, and fairness under the circumstances of a vast spread of discrimination throughout the whole country and world. As a result, I managed to increase the level of awareness of the role of harmony, love, and peace in life.
From the perspective of the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968, it was some few minutes after six p.m. when Martin Luther King was standing on a balcony of a certain motel where his associates were. This was just a day after King gave a speech that foreshadowed his planned assassination. In fact, King highlighted something that, at some point, opted to mean that he was going to die. To my surprise, the day after King read the speech foreshadowing his death, I received the news that King Luther Junior had been struck by a sniper’s bullet on the neck. Later, he was rushed to the hospital but did not make it. King Luther was preparing to lead a march of sanitation workers.
As a result, everyone was extremely shocked after receiving this news. The distress and tension in the streets were so intense that it sparked riots in several cities. People could be heard wailing and demonstrating. Furthermore, cases of mass destruction, looting, and burning were also encountered. This situation has turned the cities into extremely rowdy and disorderly areas. Presently, I have a vivid memory of how a dusk to dawn curfew was ordered to ward off the tension. The president called off his trip to Hawaii for peace talks on Vietnam. Hence, the president was very surprised that he urged the citizens to avoid the blind violence that took King Luther.
Name a historical leader(s) that you admired or that changed your view of the world. Why?
When it comes to the historical leader who changed my view of the world, I think it is essential to consider Martin Luther King. This person was a critic of the government and oppressors of the poor and the less fortunate. In other words, his assassination was some sought of a government conspiracy to eliminate him due to his ever-persistent marching to the streets demanding justice and equality, among many other things. Subsequently, I would like to highlight that the assassination was politically instigated since King had become so popular and his liking had rapidly increased.
In terms of the immediate impacts of the assassination of Martin Luther King Junior, King’s death had several implications that were felt immediately. Violent protests were experienced, looting and burning of property, among others. The killing of King made the blacks and whites disagree on some points, and their differences widened. Racial inclinations became more intense, and his killing motivated more African-American activists to come out and fight for what was rightfully theirs. These activists led masses to the streets the following day after King Luther was assassinated.
Did you live during segregation? What did you think about it?
I was living during segregation, which is why I have a high level of understanding of this practice. In fact, when my family migrated to San Diego in 1950, I was mainly focused on segregation in schools. For example, I still remember that period when segregation of children in public schools was abolished by the Supreme Court. It happened in 1954 after a seven-year-old girl was rejected from the schools where only representatives of the white race were studying. This case was followed by a vast amount of debates across the entire country. Three years later, a massive showdown took place in Little Rock, Arkansas, as a response to the refusal of nine Black students to enter high school. My attention was focused on segregation in school during that period as I was associating myself with those children from minority groups.
Moreover, it is crucial to note that my parents faced housing segregation when they migrated to the US in 1950. At that period, white-only real estate covenants were considered normal, whereas representatives of minorities were not allowed to buy houses in such districts. The first shifts in the resolution of this problem were made only two years before my parents immigrated from Mexico. In fact, the Supreme Court stated that an African American family had the right to move into their newly-purchased house in St. Louis. In contrast, this family was not allowed to do so because of their ethnic background and race prior to the decision of the Supreme Court. In turn, my parents experienced a similar problem while trying to move to San Diego. They were not welcomed to join the community in this city, although the Housing Act of 1949 has helped solve a housing shortage.
Did you marry and have a family? Describe your family life.
When it comes to my family life, I married and gave birth to two children. I got acquainted with my future wife in 1959 as we both supported the civil rights movement. My wife, Johanna, has African American origin, which is why a struggle for justice and equality has always been tremendously important to her. Similar interests and opinions were the primary reason that we found a common language and started dating. However, in spite of the fact that I met her when I was 19, we managed to register a legally and socially sanctioned union ten years later. In fact, the unstable economic and political state of the country has forced us to stop communication for several years. For instance, I was sent to Georgia in 1965 to serve in the US Army. In the context of my future wife, she was involved in the activity of the Black Panther Party (BPP). However, in 1969, we became a family officially and gave birth to twin girls.
What was your profession? What was your work life like?
At the time, I was hired by the Welfare Department to continue working with families in San Diego as a civilian. When I joined the Welfare Department, I was a rarity as there were very few Spanish-speaking social workers. Nevertheless, there was a large number of Spanish-speaking families that applied for services. They paid taxes just like everybody else, although they still were not getting appropriate services because there were no workers available that were bilingual. As a result, I was taking appropriate measures in order to recruit more people who would be able to provide assistance to representatives of minority groups. It was done with the purpose of encouraging them to become independent, so they could be off public assistance. At the present time, I am extremely proud of my job as I have managed to help thousands of people who experienced considerable difficulties on the basis of social inequalities.
Are you religious? How has this affected your life?
Religion has always played an essential role in my life, especially during the period of the civil rights movement. In fact, in the middle of the past century, the church represented the freedom that the movement participants were seeking. In the majority of communities occupied by representatives of minority groups, the church was the facility beyond the control of the privileged white population. Therefore, taking into consideration that it was the place where I had the opportunity to express myself, religion was an integral part of my life. It would be fair to say that people from minority groups would not achieve social justice and equality without religion and faith.
What is your political affiliation? How has this affected your life?
From the perspective of political affiliation, I identify myself as a democrat at the present time. In my opinion, democracy is the only direction that should be followed in order to maintain fundamental American values, such as religious freedom and worker rights, as well as create a secure environment for different individuals. Numerous countries have already transitioned to democracy, thereby demonstrating a positive example for others. For instance, the number of countries supporting this political regime has increased from 30 in 1974 to 117 today (Graham & Svolik, 2020). In other words, the benefits of this political structure, including the promotion of equality and protection of the interest of all citizens, is the reason why the US should regularly take democracy into account.
What do you think about modern America?
Modern America can be considered the representation of all the measures that have been taken by its leaders and nation for numerous centuries. Currently, this country is in the best state it has ever been. In fact, the US mainly supports the freedom of all citizens regardless of their personal opinions, ethnic backgrounds, race, or sexual orientation. However, there are still a lot of things that should be fixed. Even though immigrants are not discriminated against as much as they were in the past century, they still experience considerable issues. For example, Mexicans are still perceived as a cheap labor force. Therefore, both the federal and local governments should improve the perception of minority groups with the help of laws and policies.
Reference
Graham, M., & Svolik, M. (2020). Democracy in America? Partisanship, polarization, and the robustness of support for democracy in the United States.American Political Science Review, 114(2), 392-409. Web.