June 25 2010

8 cities. 12 months. I don’t know how to reflect on a year of recording Latinos and Latinas in the United States, so I’ll simply say thank you.

I imagine my thoughts will be riddled with vignettes, flashbacks and snippets of participant’s stories for the rest of my life.

Tomorrow is my last day of recording. It’s unlikely I’ll be a ball of mush. It’s just not my style. But it doesn’t mean I’m not grateful. This role – the most unique position I may ever hold – is a gift. The cuentos, historias, canciones, and dichos will be with me forever. From the Pachucos in Los Angeles, the Braceros in Fresno, the Coyotes (not the smuggling kind) in Albuquerque and the countless participants who shared the most intimate details about their culture and identity and let me listen, I say gracias. Above, a participant talks about the importance of oral history and the preservation of her community’s culture.