Please note: This oral history project is a work in progress. Oral histories will be added as they are finalized.
Latino Virginia is a multidisciplinary collaboration between academics, students, and community organizations. The project seeks to improve our understanding, research, and teaching about the Latino community of Virginia. The project focuses on the experiences of first- and second-generation Latinos relating to community building, COVID, immigration, labor, gender, political changes, race, and life in Virginia. The Latino community benefits from the establishment of a platform for the presentation of their stories, we would use this database as the basis for research and publication on immigration to Virginia, and VCU students would benefit by gaining skills in interviewing and field research. This community-engaged project creates links between VCU and the Latino community and their organizations, opening a window into an increasingly multicultural state.
The Latino Virginia Project is an ongoing research project that collects interviews and oral histories in collaboration with community partners to understand the challenges facing the Latino community of Richmond and Virginia. This work is leading toward the establishment of research and an archive or database of interviews. As part of their training, BA and MA students conduct some of the interviews and build and maintain a website that would host both archival and published pieces on the community. As the project grows over time it will publish oral histories, podcasts, photographs, film interviews, community resources, and more. The archive itself would document the community, provide sources for multidisciplinary research, and offer a basis for community engagement, becoming a major resource to the Latino community.
-
Interview with Cristina Sayegh (2024-10-17)
Cristina Sayegh shared her multicultural background, detailing her mother's Colombian roots and her father's Palestinian roots with an upbringing in Kuwait. She moved frequently during her childhood, living in Florida, Dubai, and Virginia. Cristina attended Langley High School in McLean and is currently studying at VCU, majoring in International Studies with a concentration in Social Justice and a double major in Sculpture. She discussed her religious upbringing, her family's relocation from overseas to Florida, and then Virginia. In addition Cristina reflects on her experiences with the Latin community in NOVA and Richmond. Cristina also discusses her solo trip to Colombia which allowed her to delve deeper into learning Spanish, her heritage, and connection with family abroad. Further, she reflected on the challenges of COVID-19, her work experiences on campus and with work, and her views on immigration and cultural identity.
-
Interview with Brenda Marquez (2025-03-30)
Emily Portillo and Brenda Marquez talk about Marquez’ upbringing in El Salvador, her relationships in the United States, and dealing with COVID-19 in 2020. Marquez shared her experiences in studying higher education in El Salvador, as well as how her parents are a big influence in her everyday life, and how great of a support system she has in her workplace and at home. She also gives her thoughts about the current deportations, and how immigration has affected her family and friends.
-
Interview with Rodolfo "Rudy" Franco (2025-04-05)
From Liam Franco: "For my contribution to the Latino Virginia Oral History Project, I interviewed my father, Rudy Franco, about his family's background and experiences. Rudy shared that his family originates from the Amazon region of Peru and Lima. He is the youngest of four siblings and grew up in Lima, attending Catholic schools. Rudy moved to the U.S. legally at 17, adapting to American culture and language. He worked in various jobs, including at the ports of Baltimore and in the HVAC industry. Moreover - during the pandemic - his work in air quality control kept him busy. The majority of the latter half of the interview consisted of my dad emphasizing the importance of education, character development, and cultural understanding for the next generation."
-
Interview with Alfonso Lopez (2025-03-27)
Alfonso Lopez currently serves as a state legislator in the Virginia House of Delegates, where he has represented Arlington since 2012. His father immigrated from San Felix, Venezuela, to Washington, D.C., in the 1950s, eventually working his way up to manage the cafeterias at the World Bank. His mother, a woman of Dutch descent from Pennsylvania, was a longtime guidance counselor in Arlington Public Schools. Alfonso grew up in Northern Virginia, graduated from Vassar College, and earned his law degree from Tulane University.
-
Interview with Nancy Rodrigues (2025-03-06)
Nancy Rodrigues served Secretary of the State Board of Elections from 2007-2011 and Secretary of Administration from 2004-2018, working under three Virginia governors (Kaine, McDonnell and McAuliffe). As Secretary of Administration for the Commonwealth of Virginia--an expansive position within the governor’s cabinet--she oversaw Virginia’s elections, administered state employee policies and benefits, maintained the physical plant of the state, and oversaw Virginia’s information technology, to name just a few of the responsibilities. Rodrigues’ parents — both of Portuguese descent — immigrated from Brazil to Newark, New Jersey, where she grew up. In this interview, Rodrigues shares about her childhood in Newark, her dedication to education, her experiences as the child of Brazilian immigrants, and how that has influenced her role in the Latino communities she has worked with.
-
Interview with Michel Zajur (2025-02-21)
Michel Zajur is the founder of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which has offices in Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia. Michel was born in Mexico and immigrated from his parents to Richmond in the 1960s. He attended J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and Virginia Commonwealth University, while also managing a family restaurant, La Siesta. The restaurant was a community space for the Richmond Latino community, running cultural exchange programming for students across the region. He founded the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2000, and shares about the various forms of economic development and community building the chamber has been involved with with the Virginia Latino community.
-
Interview with Ada Romano (2025-04-12)
Ada Romano shared her family's journey from El Salvador to the U.S., highlighting her father's migration during the civil war and their struggles in New York. Ada discussed her education, including her switch from nursing to journalism at VCU, and her subsequent work in news and mental health advocacy. She recounted the impact of COVID-19 on her family, including her grandfather's death due to the virus. Ada also addressed the challenges faced by the Latino community, particularly regarding immigration policies and the negative portrayal in media. She emphasized the resilience and hard work of her community, advocating for better understanding and support. Ada shared her personal experience with domestic abuse, highlighting the higher rate of abuse among Latino women. They discussed the generational acceptance of abuse in their community and their efforts to break this cycle by testifying against their abuser, who is in jail on a felony charge. Ada emphasized the importance of speaking out against abuse and how the cycle ends with younger generations now.
-
Interview with Aida Pacheco (2025-04-07)
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.