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Audio Recording Interview with Esperanza Sernas, Chicago, Illinois, part 1

Interview with Esperanza Sernas, Chicago, Illinois, part 1

About this Item

Title

  • Interview with Esperanza Sernas, Chicago, Illinois, part 1

Names

  • George, Philip B., 1946- (Collector)
  • Sernas, Esperanza (Interviewee)

Created / Published

  • Chicago, Illinois, June 24, 1977

Headings

  • -  Hispanic Americans
  • -  Ethnography
  • -  Interviews
  • -  Illinois -- Chicago

Genre

  • Ethnography
  • Interviews

Notes

  • -  Mrs. Esperanza Sernas
  • -  Part 1 of a 2-part interview in Spanish with Mrs. Esperanza Sernas, recorded in her apartment at 1611 S. Racine, Chicago; topics include the struggle to found Benito Juarez High School, compared to the Robert Clemente school for the Puerto Ricans; struggle included interactions with school board, a thankless job with little support from many parents; Mrs. Sernas’s history, born in Oaxaca, moved to Mexico City, knowledge and skill with poetry and recitation; no men would fight for the school so women had to do it; about the poor state of many schools who come to her for help, says she is too old now; came to US 22 years ago but doesn't speak English, too old to learn; her mother died in 1915 and rest of family moved to Oaxaca city; mentions brujas (witches) in Oaxaca and curing; hard times in Mexico, low pay; in Mexico City she worked at a fruit stand supplied by her father; she was born in 1899 or 1900, father died 1922; she paid to train brothers and sisters, only one brother still living; Mrs. Sernas married, had one child, son pushes for move to US; tale of a necklace of pearls and diamonds that she was forced to sell as a bribe to get her papers for admission to the US, came in 1953 or 1954; hard work in a restaurant, over one 3-day period made 600 chiles rellenos; on the recording, girls come to the door to see if she needs anything; her life featured restaurant work from 3 am to midnight. faced snow and cold, at times sorry she had come to US; son was married in Mexico, has eight children; about son's work, about size of her grandchildren; a recent problem led to son to consider a return to Mexico but he decided to stay to keep the children in school; things look better here than in Mexico; Mrs. Sernas now gets social security pension; she praises Mayor Richard Daley; she has a lot of "patrones" who would and do help; tells tale of singing to Porfirio Diaz: “He was a saint.”

Medium

  • audiocassette, C-60

Call Number/Physical Location

  • MBRS Shelflist: RYA 0766
  • Field Project Identifier: CH77-T224-C
  • Call number: AFC 1981/004: AFS 20748a

Source Collection

  • Chicago Ethnic Arts Project collection (AFC 1981/004)

Repository

  • American Folklife Center

Digital Id

Online Format

  • audio

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that some of the materials in this collection are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions, and are therefore free to use or reuse. For example, the fieldwork in this collection is in the public domain in the United States.

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Credit line: Chicago Ethnic Arts Project collection (AFC 1981/004), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

George, Philip B, and Esperanza Sernas. Interview with Esperanza Sernas, Chicago, Illinois, part 1. Chicago, Illinois, 1977. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1981004_afs20748/.

APA citation style:

George, P. B. & Sernas, E. (1977) Interview with Esperanza Sernas, Chicago, Illinois, part 1. Chicago, Illinois. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1981004_afs20748/.

MLA citation style:

George, Philip B, and Esperanza Sernas. Interview with Esperanza Sernas, Chicago, Illinois, part 1. Chicago, Illinois, 1977. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc1981004_afs20748/>.