Desi Arnaz was born in Cuba to a wealthy and powerful family. But his story became one of riches to rags when his father was jailed and the family fled to the U.S. But setbacks weren’t going to keep him down… At 16-years-old, Desi worked odd jobs to…
New York City was once dotted with symbols honoring our heritage — porcelain enamel medallions painted with the coat of arms of different countries in North, Central and South America — but now they’re almost gone. In 1945, New York City’s Sixth Avenue — a major thoroughfare in Manhattan, was…
If you’ve heard the phrase “they’re stealing our jobs,” it’s likely you heard it said about immigrants, particularly immigrants of color. The phrase has been co-opted to be a political statement, which — given its origins — is ironic. “They’re stealing our jobs” was actually a satirical meme…
At the westernmost point of the U.S.-Mexico border lies Friendship Park, a binational space that has historically allowed people on both sides to gather at the border. After decades of bittersweet reunions, Friendship Park became a symbol of unity, and for a long time, was often the only…
Liz AlarcĂłn: Maribel, can you believe it’s already December? Didn’t this year fly by? Maribel Quezada Smith: Absolutely, I feel like once we hit June, it was over. Liz AlarcĂłn: I know, it’s probably because of the post-pandemic life that we’ve actually been more out there this year.…
Liz AlarcĂłn: It’s August 1951, in a little town called Edna, Texas, and a crime is about to take place. Maribel Quezada Smith: A young Mexican American farmhand named Pete Hernandez walks into Chinco Sanchez’s Tavern with a rifle. He points it at a man named Joe Espinoza,…
When 125,000 Cubans arrived in Florida in the Mariel boatlift of 1980, they were looking for a future that looked brighter than what seemed possible for them in Cuba. They boarded rented shrimp and fishing boats and headed to the U.S. But, the residents of Miami-Dade county didn’t…
In 1969, thirty-year-old Reyna MarroquĂn marked three years living in the United States. An immigrant from El Salvador, Reyna moved to the U.S. in search of a promising future after her marriage ended. But one day in January 1969, Reyna — then pregnant — suddenly disappeared. Her disappearance…
Liz AlarcĂłn: Maribel, have you ever been embarrassed about the music you like? Maribel Quezada Smith: Yeah, especially growing up in the United States as an immigrant. I could never listen to my mĂşsica en español like Mana and Shakira, which I loved. I never felt like I…
On the night of Oct. 2, 2022, 17-year-old Érik CantĂş was sitting in the parking lot of a McDonald’s, eating a burger with his girlfriend in the passenger seat. Érik is visibly shocked when then-San Antonio Police Officer, James Brennand opens his car and instructs him to step…
