Andrea Gomez, (Laguna/Pueblo), left, with her former mentor and now friend Arlene F. Nededog

Our world is pieced together by a million stories, memories that flow into a pool of words and images that often carry us through our lives as little bright lights of inspiration. When you sit in on a conversation between two people you are given the gift of being transported into that slice of life, that place and time that made such a difference in their lives.

In October, StoryCorps traveled to Anaheim, CA, for the SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science) conference. There, StoryCorps was witness to the encouragement and support that was a common thread through many of the 18 conversations recorded – mostly between students and their mentors.

Many of the students are now in graduate school, but had warm memories of the people who supported them the most during their undergrad years. There were a lot of tears and frequent gales of laughter during these conversations.

Andrea Gomez, who is Laguna and Pueblo, is a graduate student at New York University specializing in science research. She came in with her former mentor and now-friend Arlene F. Nededog. The two met when Andrea first came to Colorado State University from Las Cruces, NM.

“I came in with no expectations besides to do well in school. I never imagined I would be in New York as a grad student,” said Gomez.

Nededog told her: “It was really exciting to see you develop and grow over all these years.”

Gomez remembers her culture shock after arriving at CSU. “When I first came to Fort Collins I didn’t know what to expect. I came from a society where I was used to a lot of Hispanics/Latinos being integrated in all levels. When I went to (CSU) I felt like a minority. I never expected to feel ‘brown.’ All of a sudden I became the ‘spokesperson’ of my tribe.”

She told Nededog, “I felt isolated. When I met you in the program and the Native American student services, I was drawn to the familial environment that you guys provided and feeling like I could just be myself and be relaxed.”

Gomez recalled her lean undergrad years. “I remember going over to your office to steal some candy because that would be my lunch. Between classes, I had physics classes, I would think: ‘I‘m starving right now and I would think and think, where can I get some free food?’ And then I would remember  ‘Arlene’s office, I can go and get some candy there.’  That would give me enough energy to get through the next class.”

Said Nededog,  “and I laugh because I still have a jar of candy on my desk and everybody always partakes of it.” 

And, like all good mentors, Nededog demonstrated that she really listened to her mentee.”I remember one day we were talking and you had run out of money and said you didn’t have any food, and I went home and brought you groceries and thought ‘oh, she should never be without food.’ ”

“I remember that I didn’t have any money. Maybe seven cents,” said Gomez, “I had scoured my home for pennies to buy something to eat. I was eating oatmeal for a week straight. I didn’t want to come to you out of pride. You came to my apartment and dropped off groceries and I lived on that for two weeks. And then you helped me get a scholarship that provided for pretty much everything. It gave me my financial stability for the rest of the time I was in school.”

Nededog asked, “Did you ever imagine that when you left New Mexico to Fort Collins, Colorado that you would be where you’re at now? And now, to see you on the other side, recruiting students.”

And they smiled at each other.

]]> http://storycorps.org/blog/storybooths/san-francisco-california/the-power-of-mentoring/feed/ 4 http://storycorps.org/blog/storybooths/san-francisco-california/bay-area-desperado-remembers-old-fillmore/ http://storycorps.org/blog/storybooths/san-francisco-california/bay-area-desperado-remembers-old-fillmore/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:10:00 +0000 Rose http://storycorps.org/blog/?p=3789

Mickey Stewart remembers old Fillmore district.

Mickey Stewart came to the San Francisco StoryCorps booth on August 15, as part of a community partnership with Friends of Negro Spirituals, an Oakland-based group that continues and holds the tradition and heritage of spiritual songs.

Mickey came with stories rich with culture and history. He talked about San Francisco’s North Beach during its heyday of the “Beat” era and also when the Fillmore District, once known as “Harlem of the West,” was a lively and thriving black-owned jazz mecca before the city’s redevelopment plan targeted some 60 square blocks and forced the removal of 200 black-owned businesses. The plan affected more than 13,000 Fillmore residents, mostly African American. After redevelopment, block after block had nothing but large empty lots where buildings had been razed.

Mickey recalled some of the happiest times of his youth spent near old Fillmore, street like the Chicago Barbershop, Red Shoe shop, and Kansas City Bar-be-cue.

He fondly recalled being present when all the music filled the clubs with musicians such as John Coltrane, and others. He said the street “was lined from one end to the other with jazz clubs, stores and restaurants,” and recalled how it all changed “when they started redevelopment. We lost control of that area.”

When he’s not working on cars or spending time with at least one of his eleven children or his wife — they’ve been married more than 30 years – Mickey keeps himself busy as a member of the Bay Area Desperados, a black motorcycle club.

He described what it’s like to ride a motorcycle and how many people don’t realize that “blacks ride big bikes,” adding “The average bike you see blacks riding on, they’re sitting on about $40,000.”

He’s also experienced a little danger as well. He remembers one time he was run off the road. When the driver pulled over to see Mickey sprawled on the ground and saw that Mickey was not injured, “the driver took off.”

It’s apparent this father of 11 loves his bike.

“When the sun hits that chrome on a motorcycle, there’s nothing like it.”

80 years young

Huerta is the co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union. She now heads her own foundation. In 1965, she and the late UFW president Cesar Chavez directed the great grape boycott, bringing the plight of the farm workers in California to the attention of the consumer. It was so successful that in its final days, it brought the California grape industry to its knees and grape growers signed a collective bargaining agreement with the UFW in 1970.

During her conversation with StoryCorps, this courageous labor leader recounted stories over her 80-year life. She remembered leaving the relative security of Salinas to organize in Delano and the shift in the mindset of her children when she did that.

Leaving to organize

Dolores spoke of how it felt leaving her kids to organize in the fields. “I left my youngest, an infant, and another young daughter with my two first-cousins” and she took the rest of the kids with her to Delano. Her daughter Camila tells her, “We had to grow up quickly. It was either sink or swim. So we swam.”

Dolores said she was criticized at home by her “compadres” (relatives/close friends) for doing this and on the other hand, ostracized by the farm worker women when she went to the Central Valley because she was divorced and didn’t play the traditional role.

“It was hard to take,” she said, “I didn’t get a lot of invitations to other people’s gatherings. So I would pack the kids up and drive to Corcoran.” Dolores went to this town in Central Valley to be with the one family that was close to her: Cesar Chávez and his wife Helen. “He had seven kids and then with my 11 we were a houseful!” remembered Dolores.

One of hardest times

From all her years of organizing and pushing for the rights of farm workers, one incident particularly stands out in her mind: when she was trying to get unemployment insurance passed for farm workers. When it didn’t pass, she recounts that she “started sobbing. I was crying so hard that the grower lobbyists were bringing me kleenex. I was in front of the committee and just crying. The committee was so embarrassed that they amended the bill to approve disability insurance for farm workers and that was in 1961. To this day California and Hawaii are the only two states that have disability insurance for farm workers.”

Attack

Dolores recalls one time when growers tried to break into her home, breaking the window into shards that narrowly missed her son, Emilio. She remembers the pet dog squealing after being kicked by the intruders so it would stop barking. “I put my son through a small window to go get help,” which came and scared off the intruders.

Throughout all her years this strong and amazing woman has accomplished great things, but perhaps no greater than the love and respect of her 11 children. Said Camila, “You never forced us to do what you did. You gave us the liberty and supported us 100 percent.”