Interview with Aida Pacheco (2025-04-07)
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Interviewees
Aida Pacheco
Interviewer
Angela Bullock
Study ID
108
Description
Angela Bullock interviews Aida Pacheco about her upbringing in Trenton, New Jersey, where she faced racial discrimination as one of the first Puerto Ricans in her school. Pacheco recounts her journey to Princeton, where she overcame challenges due to her background and undiagnosed learning disability. She discusses her move to Virginia in 1989, her career in state government, and her efforts to support the Latino community. Pacheco also shares personal stories, including her son's tragic death and the impact of COVID-19 on her family. She emphasizes the importance of community, family, and cultural heritage in her life. Aida Pacheco shared her experiences growing up in a large, close-knit family, including her mother's significant role in supporting her uncle financially and her own family's relocation to Puerto Rico. She discussed her father's influence, her early marriage, and her efforts to raise her children while contributing to the community. Aida emphasized the importance of family, education, and community service, highlighting her involvement in local organizations and her efforts to galvanize the Latino vote through her group, Latinos Amigos. She also stressed the need for understanding and respect within diverse communities and the contributions of Latinos to society.
Note
This interview was conducted in English, and the transcript is in English only.
Topical Subject
Puerto Ricans; Hispanic Americans; Latin Americans; Trenton (N.J.); King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 -- Assassination; Race relations; High school students--Social conditions; Princeton University; Sotomayor, Sonia, 1954-; Student clubs; Cooking, Puerto Rican; Religion; Catholics; Episcopalians; Attorneys general; Terry, Mary Sue; Spanish teachers; Virginia. Department for Children; Governors--Virginia; Kaine, Timothy M.; Feliciano, José, 1945-; Voluntarism; Emigration and immigration
City/Location
Richmond (Va.)
Genre
oral histories (literary genre)
Local Genre
oral history; sound recording; text
Type
Sound; Text
Digital Format
audio/mp3
Language
eng
Rights Statement URL
Rights
This material is protected by copyright, and copyright is held by Aida Pacheco. You are permitted to use this material in any way that is permitted by copyright. In addition, this material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Acknowledgment of Latino Virginia Project and Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries as a source is required.
Collection
Latino Virginia Oral Histories
Contributors
Latino Virginia Project
Source
Interview with Aida Pacheco (2025-04-07), Latino Virginia Oral History Project, Virginia Commonwealth University.
File Name
lvoh108_PachecoAida_interview.mp3
Disciplines
Latin American History | Latin American Languages and Societies | Oral History | Public History | Social History | United States History