After doing Eps. 98 and 97 my heart was full thinking about my Hispanic heritage. With the kick off of Hispanic Heritage month today, I wanted to share my family's story - we're the other Chavez family.
Enjoy!!
00:00:00
While working on episodes 96 and 97 for our podcast, which were
00:00:05
about Dolores Huerta and Helen Chavez, I came very close to
00:00:09
understanding more about my own family heritage.
00:00:13
I think it's important, as we've always thought here at Girl Take
00:00:16
the Lead, that we understand our heritage and our traditions that
00:00:20
came from our family because they helped shape us into the
00:00:23
leader that we become. So here's a little bit about my
00:00:26
family. My grandparents didn't take the
00:00:29
same path as Helen's parents did, probably because there were
00:00:33
far fewer jobs and farm working than people willing to work when
00:00:37
they came into the United States.
00:00:39
My grandfather is Savio came barefoot to the US by following
00:00:44
railroad tracks when he was just 12 years old.
00:00:47
He never went to school, but got a job at the Harvey House in
00:00:50
Needles, Arizona, where he learned to cut meat.
00:00:53
He also worked as a cook in Los Angeles, and his last job was as
00:00:58
a Carpenter. My grandmother, Carlotta, ran
00:01:01
away from her home in Mexico when she was about 14 years old
00:01:05
and worked as a housekeeper. Eventually she made her way to
00:01:07
the US and stayed with her aunt in Needles, Arizona, where she
00:01:11
met Asavio. She worked in a laundry and sold
00:01:15
Avon most of her adult life. Family legend has it that my
00:01:20
grandfather either adored or even possibly rode with Poncho
00:01:25
Villa. And my grandmother hated Poncho
00:01:28
Villa because her family lost everything in the revolution and
00:01:31
blamed it all on Poncho Villa. There was a lot of family chaos
00:01:37
whenever Poncho Villa was discussed.
00:01:39
I'll tell you that Isavio and Carlotta married about 1927 in
00:01:44
Los Angeles, and they had five boys and three of them survive.
00:01:48
One of them was my father, Fred, and then my uncles Carlos and
00:01:51
Hugo. They lived in Lincoln Heights,
00:01:54
which is a section of LA and there's some other things I
00:01:57
remember is Savio loved the bright colors and he drove a
00:02:01
lime green charger which he loved and had a unique way to
00:02:07
break, usually stomping by lifting his knee and slamming
00:02:12
down hard. He was often heard in the house
00:02:15
banging pots and pans as he cooked and cleaned up.
00:02:19
He loved his granddaughter Yolanda and would love when I
00:02:23
gently kissed his cheek. He hated having his picture
00:02:26
taken. Carlotta loved dogs, parrots and
00:02:31
birds. Her pet parrot would often shout
00:02:34
at her. Garlotta, thank God key.
00:02:37
She had roses and camellias, which I would often pick and
00:02:40
make into pretty arrangements. Oh my gosh, she was an awesome
00:02:45
seamstress making an incredible prom Cape for me.
00:02:49
She'd make her own flour tortillas, feed her guests with
00:02:53
tacos and tamales for New Year's, and it didn't matter how
00:02:57
my tortillas came out, she always would say, oh Miha, it's
00:03:01
beautiful. They never looked around.
00:03:05
She always had a little coffee with her sugar, and she loved
00:03:10
President Kennedy. How about you?
00:03:12
How about the history of your family?
00:03:14
It's good to reflect on that and see how that should help shape
00:03:17
you into the leader you are. Thanks for listening.
Related Episodes
241. What We Learned from COVID: Truth, Trauma, and Transformation
Michele Weldon, Boomer, award-winning author, journalist, and emerita faculty member at Northwestern University, joins us to reflect on the deeply personal and cultural shifts we experienced during the pandemic years. Through her latest book, The Time We Have: Essays on Pandemic Living , Michele invites...
240. From Funk to Freedom: Emotional Healing & Breakthrough Coaching with Molly Smith
Meet Molly Smith – a Gen X Breakthrough & Emotional Wellness Coach, best-selling author, and founder of Next Best Step LLC . Affectionately known as the female “Ted Lasso” for her grit, heart, and contagious optimism, Molly helps people break free from what’s holding them back and build sustainable, ...
239. Confidence, Courage, Action: The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
Kayla Logue, a bestselling Millennial author, keynote speaker, and founder of the nonprofit Move Into Words, joins us to share her inspiring story of transformation and impact. Through her book Always Squeezing Lemons, Kayla offers a refreshingly honest take on what it means to face adversity, take radic...
