Stories
The Mayfair neighborhood of east San José is filled with people whose stories are living examples of the spirit of our community. Their stories are filled with struggle and perseverance. Their stories, those of working poor immigrants and their children struggling to survive, are stories that are played out all across Silicon Valley and the nation. Their stories are a testament to our collective belief in ourselves and in the promise of building a world in which all men and women are truly free and equal. What follows are some of the stories of Mayfair.
Velia
Velia immigrated to the United States 18 years ago from the capital of Mexico. She has lived in Mayfair for four years and has three children. She was extremely shy and rarely left the house, except to take her children to school. According to her self-evaluation and to her Somos Mayfair case manager, Velia had a very difficult time expressing herself and would never offer her opinion in a group, even if she knew the answer. She felt a lot of shame and had a strong fear of being humiliated or made fun of. She became involved with Familias Unidas during the Posada and performed for the first time in the Pastorela. She involved her son to play the role of Joseph during the procession and the finale of the play.
She continued on as a dedicated member and began to find her voice during the process of creating the play for Mother's Day. She shared parts of her story that she said she had never before shared with anyone. In the play she declares: “Everything changed in my life when I realized that I have a voice, that I have the ability to change.”
Now she reports that she has a large circle of friends and feels confident to freely express her opinions and take leadership roles within Somos' other programs. For example, we recruited her to participate in the Somos Mayfair Diabetes and Obesity campaign and now she will be one of the four community promotoras selected out of 20 to guide the next cohort. She reports that her children have been impacted by her personal transformation as they have recognized her increasing level of involvement, connection, and leadership in the community. They have, as a result, expressed increased motivation to take risks and be more deeply involved in activities at school. Finally, Velia participated in the Madres Activas de Mayfair meeting with the Community Relations Director for Nora Campos regarding plans for the new Mayfair Community Center. Though she had missed the planning meeting she spoke out, explaining that in her apartment building, signs are posted saying that children can not play in public areas, and that there are no affordable sports programs in the community for her three sons. She insisted, “We need safe spaces for our children to play, and for us, as women, to exercise!”.
Nelida
Nelida is a 22-year-old single mother with two young children. She grew up in the United States, a daughter of Mexican immigrants and became pregnant with her first child when she was 14. She suffered tremendously in her home from domestic violence, poverty, substance abuse, depression and low self-esteem. Though she left her family home, she was emotionally and financially unstable, became involved in gang activity and lost custody of her children. Since then, she has been on a journey of recovery and has since been reunited with her children. Nelida joined Familias Unidas in the fall during the preparations for the Posada and played a lead role in the Pastorela play. She involved her daughter in the process, who also performed as of one of the devils. She continued to be a part of Familias Unidas joining other women to develop and present Somos Mujeres, Somos Madres. She told her story of inheriting a legacy of generations of domestic violence and being the first woman in the history of her family to step out on her own and put an end to the abuse. Through this process of sharing her story and being heard, she is developing a sense of self-worth and confidence to be a role model for other women in the community who continue to suffer from domestic violence. Nelida expresses that the group has been a crucial source of support and friendship for her. Nelida is now involved in all aspects of our program. She is currently volunteering as a mentor for other women in our Community Engagement’s support group for women using drama therapy. She brings her personal story and wisdom to the group and creates a safe place for others to process their experiences of abuse. She also participated in Somos Mayfair’s Diabetes and Obesity campaign, taking six months of classes in nutrition and exercises. And, she took a powerful leadership role in our Civic Action’s MAM group, working tirelessly as “Super Mama”, one of Somos’ lucha libre style Mexican wrestlers, to combat the social villains of Poverty, Discrimination and Apathy and get people out to register and vote!
Teresa
Tere is a mother with three girls; ages three, six and ten. She has lived in Mayfair for over ten years and is originally from Mexico City. “I loved time with my family growing up. I loved the Posadas every December, folkloric dances, and my father roasting chilies and making salsa on Sundays.”
Living in Mayfair is not easy though. Tere arrived from Mexico with her husband and lived in cramped quarters with several family members. All three of her daughters were born here. Since separating from her husband, Tere is raising her girls alone while looking for work. It is a struggle each day. Still, she is committed to introducing her children to the art and culture of her home. “I got involved early (with Somos Mayfair) to help make our streets safer, and now am part of creating activities for families with young children.” Her oldest daughter has been learning folkloric dance since she was six. She and her younger daughters make masks for the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) procession, while learning about the tradition in Mexico. They all make paper flowers with other families play an active role in organizing the annual Posada in Mayfair. Her youngest daughter often joins her mother on stage presenting theater to community audiences. Tere was raised to be an active member of her community and wants to be able to pass that example on to her children.
Sandra
Sandra came to the U.S. to support her father when she was 18 years old. It took her three attempts to arrive safely. She painfully remembers the arduous journey, being hidden in the trunk of a car with four other women. “It was a traumatic experience that I will always carry with me, the feeling of asphyxiation and fear.”* The physical migration was only the beginning.
She lived with her father in a rented garage before meeting her husband. They now have three children. She reflects on her emotional journey from extreme loneliness and depression in her first years here to developing a sense of personal power. “I often felt so, so alone and my self-esteem was extremely low. As I began to take English classes and parenting classes, I began to lift myself up. I wanted to do something good for my community, for my neighbors”
Motivated by her oldest child’s reading disabilities, Sandra became a powerful voice and advocate to open a local independent charter school with a focus on increasing the literacy level of children with learning challenges. She also helped establish a weekly support group for mothers. And, Sandra joins with neighborhood mothers to write and present their own stories. They use personal testimony as a way to reach and inspire the community to be active in creating a better future for their children. She donates her time and passion to this work because it fills her with a sense of purpose. “Doing theater makes me feel more human.”
*Sandra now has legal residency.
Josefina Carrillo
Josefina Carrillo is a Promotora who helps parents prepare their children to enter kindergarten. Like many Mayfair children, she was born in Mexico and her parents brought her to our community when she was just two. Her father found work as a landscaper and her mother in restaurants. The family joined Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish on San Antonio Avenue.
Today Josefina is married with three children; a boy aged six, a girl aged four, and a newborn baby girl. She identifies with the mothers she sees, who work hard with little thanks. “I listen to them and encourage them to do things for themselves. Women are capable of so much; they just don’t realize it.” She believes women need their own spaces to be themselves; to make art and learn new skills.
Josefina never thought that she would end up performing theater as part of her work, but she discovered an inherent quality of empathy and power in herself when she began to act for the first time. She could relate with the struggles that were portrayed in the skits: “I don’t mean to, but sometimes even I cry. I don’t know; I just feel it.” She speaks about the importance of sharing stories as a way to break through the fear and isolation that many immigrants experience. “I believe there is a purpose and place for everyone. I found myself in Mayfair and this is where I belong. I feel like I am somebody; I’m useful and am helping people.”
Luisa Chavarin
When Luisa was 21 years old, she hoped to escape the poverty of her family and community in Mexico by coming to the U.S. Her father had left their home years before to work in the fields, as part of the Bracero Program. Her mother sold fruits and vegetables in order to raise her 10 children alone. Luisa’s first memory of injustice was seeing how women were treated in her family and being forbidden to ask questions, because she was a girl. Soon after Luisa arrived in Mayfair, she met her husband at an ESL class. She cleaned houses for a living and gave birth to three children. Luisa was often afraid in her own home due to domestic violence, yet accepted what she considered her fate as a woman.
As her children grew, they began to suffer from severe allergies and asthma. Luisa had never heard of these problems and didn’t know what was wrong. Her doctor said their illness was the result of her failure to take proper care of them. In 2001, Luisa met a young woman organizer who told her about the relationship between the environment and health and she began to realize that she was not to blame. The 101 and 680 freeways run right through the Mayfair neighborhood and many children living here are sick with asthma. She learned that poor communities are disproportionately impacted by environmental problems, and the proximity of Mayfair homes and schools to these freeways expose children to illnesses caused by exhaust and lead.
Luisa started to meet with her neighbors whose children also have respiratory problems, even though her husband forbade her. She got more involved, and realized the power of popular education and community organizing. “Women began to realize that what they think and feel is important – even the shyest ones began to share with the group. Knowing the truth and working with these women took away my fear and self-blame and transformed my life.” Luisa found her voice and committed herself to empowering other women to do the same. She separated from her husband and survived by doing odd jobs, receiving welfare and ultimately became a community organizer with the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition.
Luisa worked as Promotora within Somos Mayfair’s Civic Action program from 2007-2009, bringing together mothers and other Mayfair residents to investigate the environmental and social causes of diabetes and obesity in Mayfair and together create an action campaign. Luisa believes in the power of women to create transformation in their communities, as she has come to believe in herself. “Women know how to organize, after all, we are the ones who clean, go shopping, wash the clothes, prepare the food, raise and take our children to school. We have the capacity to do a million and one things – we only need to leave behind the lies and myths that we are told about ourselves. We are awakening the sleeping giant of truth, equity and justice. We are agents of change, of freedom and of life.”