Chinatown Renewal Project

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  Interview with Wallace Ahyte

  Wallace Ahyte and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Wally Ahyte begins the interview by explaining his fourth generational standing in the United States and goes on describing the reasons for his ancestry's migration. His great grandfather came from China to the West Coast of the United States, California, to dig for gold in the 1950s. Once the gold ... Read More

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  Interview with Susan Aremas

  Susan Aremas and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Susan Aremas describes her life as a Filipino American growing up in Salinas California in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The only daughter of Ricardo and Sherry Aremas, her father was a merchant Marine with the US Army and her mother was a housewife. Susan is a native Salinas resident ... Read More

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  Interview with Fernando Armenta

  Fernando Armenta and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Fernando Armenta is a Mexican American born in October 24,1948. He was raised and born in Salinas, where his mother was born in Casa Blanca, CA while his father was born in Mexico. His father came to United States in the 1930s, even though the narrator was unsure about the ... Read More

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  Interview with Tony Barrera

  Tony Barrera and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Salinas city council member Tony Barrera uses stories to illustrate what life was like growing up as a Mexican immigrant in the early 1960s. He gives life advice base on his many experiences as a community activist. Tony and his family moved from Sinaloa México to the border towns of ... Read More

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  Interview with Dennis Ben

  Dennis Ben and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Mr. Dennis Ben describes his personal experiences as a Filipino American growing up in Salinas California in the 1950's. He is the son of his Father who was born and raised in the Philippines who became a chef in the California. His mother was really involved in the Filipino community ... Read More

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  Interview with Vernon Benet

  Vernon Benet and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Vernon Benet was a young man who was raised by both his parents and also his six siblings including three brothers and three sisters, in a small town in Arkansas. Benet left Arkansas in 1951 when he got listed into the military. Soon after that he was then brought over ... Read More

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  Interview with Audrey Boutte and Agnes Tebo

  Audrey Boutte; Agnes Tebo; and California State University, Monterey Bay

  The majority of the content is the story of Audrey Boutte and Agnes Tebo's lives. It begins with their descriptions of moving from Louisiana and Texas and coming to Salinas. Agnes speaks about the need for a job and how much better California pays compared to Texas, and Audrey speaks ... Read More

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  Interview with Annette "China" Brooks

  Annette "China" Brooks and California State University, Monterey Bay

  China is a black, bisexual, formerly homeless, recovering drug addict, and homeless relief worker at the @Risk Cafe on Soledad street in Salinas, California. Her story takes her from growing up in nearby Seaside, coping with an absentee father and a drug addicted mother, to having her own children and ... Read More

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  Interview with the Cacas Brothers

  Ben Cacas; Eugene Cacas; Ron Cacas; and California State University, Monterey Bay

  The Cacas brothers’ response to the interview was with a sense of family pride. They all three shared how their father came to Salinas. First passing by Hawaii and working in the sugar factories. Then he arrived to San Francisco in 1920 by ship. Their mother came later in 1930. ... Read More

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  Interview with Pat Cariaga

  Pat Cariaga and California State University, Monterey Bay

  My interview concerns the life of Pat Simon Cariaga, as well as her relation to Chinatown in Salinas, California. Pat’s father was Filipino and her mother was German, and divorced when Pat was very young. Pat and her brother Tom remained with their father in Salinas, and lived for a ... Read More

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  Interview with Paz Celso

  Paz Celso and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Mrs. Paz Celso describes her life growing up in the Philippines and her journey to the United States and settling in Salinas, California. Growing up in the Philippines, she was part of a military family with her father being part of the Navy. After her mother’s death, it was there ... Read More

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  Interview with Carolyn Chavez

  Carolyn Chavez and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Carolyn Chavez, having to live in Salinas all her life, shares with me the history of Salinas that she remembers. She tells us about her parents and their agricultural background. Carolyn being the only child in her family, finds acceptance and joy in the Chavez family. She tells us about ... Read More

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  Interview with Cathy Chavez-Miller

  Cathy Chavez-Miller and California State University, Monterey Bay

  This interview gives insight and details about Chinatown and Soledad Street in the 1950s and 1960s from the point of view of Cathy Chavez Miller. Cathy’s grandmother owned El Faro Mexican Restaurant (currently Victory Mission) as well as Mi Cantina Bar. Cathy’s comprehensive description of her time spent at El ... Read More

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  Interview with Gerald Cheang

  Gerald Cheang and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Gerald (Jerry) was not born in the Salinas Chinatown but he was able provide information pertaining to his childhood growing up in Stockton, California, which also had a huge Chinese population and where Jerry grew up. He talks about his education in American Schools as well as Chinese School and ... Read More

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  Interview with Byron Chong

  Byron Chong and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Dr. Byron Chong describes his life as a Chinese American growing up in Berkeley and Salinas California in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The son of two doctors, his father, an ear nose and throat specialist, and his mother an ophthalmologist, Byron’s “double dose of intelligence” and nurturing environment propelled ... Read More

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  Interview with Carol Cisneros

  Carol Cisneros and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Carol Cisneros recalls her childhood memories of Chinatown in Salinas, California from the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's. She emphasizes that her memories came from a child's point of view. She begins by telling us about her family history. Carol's father and Mother were born in Japan, but her mother was ... Read More

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  Interview with Ruben Cortes

  Ruben Cortes and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Mr. Ruben Cortes describes his life as a Latino growing up in Salinas, California during the 1970s and 1980s. He was the son of two farm workers who often worked seasonal shifts in the fields to provide for their family. Watching his parents work hard rubbed off on him, making ... Read More

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  Interview with Bill Crites

  Bill Crites and California State University, Monterey Bay

  In this Interview, Mr. Bill Crites was asked many questions about his life. He went back to talking about his life many times, it was apparent to me his family was very important to him and there was a definite family theme throughout the whole interview. Growing up in Salinas ... Read More

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  Interview with Gloria De La Rosa

  Gloria De La Rosa and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Raised by her grandparents, Ms. Gloria De La Rosa learned about hard work at a very young age. At nine years old, every summer until she was seventeen years old, she was working in the fields along with her grandparents later joined by her sisters and parents. Gloria describes her ... Read More

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  Interview with Honorio Della

  Honorio Della and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Mr. Honorio Della talks about how his parents came to be together. He explains how they both came to the United States. He explains how they became the first Filipino farm laborers in the Salinas Valley. He goes into detail, about the life of a Filipino farm laborer, and how ... Read More

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  Interview with Grace Encallado

  Grace Encallado and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Grace Encallado describes her life growing up as a Filipino American following the crop in the 1940s and 1950s from Fresno and all the way down to Calexico working in the fields alongside her mother, a Mexican American from Texas, and step father, a Filipino American. Mrs. Encallado's real father, ... Read More

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  Interview with Barbara Fabella

  Barbara Fabella and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Barbara shares her interesting and unique experiences of Chinatown. Her memories as a young child of two are extremely vivid. Barbara describes her living situation using the term Farmed out. She tells stories about the various families living in and around Soledad Street. She recalls the different experiences she had ... Read More

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  Interview with Alex Fabros

  Alex Fabros and California State University, Monterey Bay

  Mr. Alex Fabros is a Filipino American born in the Philippines to a Filipino mother and a Filipino father who was serving in the Military. Although he was born in the Philippines, at age 2 his parents brought him to the Unites States, a journey he remembers. Fabros was an ... Read More

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  Interview with Albert Fong (2009)

  Albert Fong and California State University, Monterey Bay

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  Interview with Albert Fong (2012)

  Albert Fong and California State University, Monterey Bay

  The primary focus of this interview centered around Chinatown with an emphasis on the Republic Cafe. Mr. Fong's attention to detail leads the interview through many different time periods and subjects as his recollection takes him to different places. Mr. Fong begins the interview with discussing the Republic Cafe, and ... Read More