Lessons from my grandmothers - Part Two

Part Two

Then I discovered the other half of my heritage. At 15, I found my long-lost Grandma Juanita, papi’s mom. She represented all I thought I wanted to be and I inherited her name. Initially, I was magnetically drawn to her — Grandma Juanita was and is–modern.

She goes to the salon every two weeks and along with facials gets her toes and nails well groomed usually with earth tone colors. Read more »

Lessons from my grandmothers

Wela, my great-grandmother, is still in the cocina infusing the smell of rice and beans into my hair and clothes. For years, I’ve watched the heat in the kitchen paint her face like a tomato and the steam from the pot of rice fog her 1980’s glasses as they slip down her pudgy nose.

Growing up, I thought Wela was too old-fashioned. I did not understand her perspectives, her restrictions and her style. “You have to learn how to cook so you can serve your husband and family,” explained Wela countless times. She automatically assumed my ultimate destiny meant marriage and kids. Read more »

Through December we want to encourage you to read and comment on the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

RECONNECTING

I was born in Zamora, Michoacan in 1982. Soon after my mother’s death in the mid 1980’s, my father packed our bags and we migrated north to California, to make a “better life.” I was too young to understand what was going on at the time and it took me many years to realize the value of what I’d lost and the value of what I’d gained. Read more »

FINDING REFUGE

Gloria Campos and her three-month-old son were the last members of her family to board the last Red Cross plane out of Nicaragua during the revolutionary war in July 1979.

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WHY I DIDN’T VOTE

While many people in this country cast their votes on Election Day, I was part of the percentage who didn’t. Now before you call me unpatriotic, I think I have a pretty good reason. In fact, I have one of the few good reasons why people in this country shouldn’t vote. The truth is that if I did vote, I would have broken the law and been charged with perjury. Read more »

Interview with Gloria Campos