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Identifier
MauricioGrace_2011_CRP
Description
Grace Mauricio describes her life growing up in the country in Salinas as a great experience with many fond memories. Mrs. Mauricio talks a bit about her family history, saying that both of her parents were from the Philippines, and came to the United States for work in 1929. She explains that both her mother and father worked in the fields here in Salinas. Mrs. Mauricio explains her childhood and going to the movies and to China Town to eat at the Republic Cafe with her parents. She describes the atmosphere and look of China Town back when she would go there and the types of people that she would see on the streets. Mrs. Mauricio explains, in detail, her ideology of the differences between Salinas now and then. She describes the fact that she feels unsafe when going to visit China Town today, but back when she was a child her perception of that space was very safe. She tells about going to school in the Country at “Blanco School” where there were only 27 students in the entire school. She tells a tale of her mischievous behavior and how when their teacher fell asleep, they would go play outside. She explains that she would tell the kids to be quiet so that their teacher would not wake up. Grace explains her family life, how her and her sisters would get into trouble doing silly things like swimming in ditches, or driving their dad's car while he was at work. She talks about how strict her mother is, but concludes that she thinks this was because she loved her kids so much so she had to protect them. She also tells a story about taking her mother's laxatives thinking that they were chocolate, and being punished not by her mother but by the laxatives themselves. Grace talks about meeting her husband at a Filipino dance and getting married to him in 1950 at a Church. She talks about how she moved to Washington D.C. to be closer to her husband while he was stationed in Virginia for the Navy. Here, she says, she experienced segregation for the first time in her life. She tells the story of getting on a bus with her white sister in law and trying to sit in the back because she had a “cry baby,” for a son, but the bus driver would not allow it and she had to sit in the front because of segregation. She also talks about how she experienced hurricane weather for the first time and talks about the hot weather and drinking iced tea in Washington D.C. Grace talks about China Town and the fact that she still keeps in touch with many people she knew when she was a child. She says that she helps Filipinos who have trouble with English, helping them get their social security and other legal documents that they need help with. Grace talks about how she wants to live a long life and she hopes that future generations will be able to see China Town after it is renovated so that they can see what China Town used to be like instead of how it is now with all the homeless people living on Soledad Street.
Interview Date
10-14-2011
Interviewer
Vanessa Silva
Geographic Coverage
Salinas (Calif.)
Subjects
Chinatown (Salinas, Calif.); Filipino American families; Agricultural laborers; Dance--Social aspects; Cooking, Philippine
Type
Moving Image
Genre
Oral histories
Digital Format
video/mp4
Language
eng
Digital Collection
Chinatown Renewal Project
Repository
Archives & Special Collections of California State University, Monterey Bay
Disclaimer
These oral histories express the personal views, memories, and opinions of the interviewee. They do not represent the policy or views of California State University, Monterey Bay.
Recommended Citation
Mauricio, Grace and California State University, Monterey Bay, "Interview with Grace Mauricio" (2011). Chinatown Renewal Project. 32.
https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/ohcma_chinatown/32
Rights Statement
