An unexpected connection
Rebecca Peterson, Vizcaya’s community program director, is a native to Miami and a 5th generation Floridian. For several generations, her family lived in the small town of Hawthorne, Florida before migrating south. This family history was the catalyst for an unexpected friendship between Rebecca and someone she met through work.
Transcripción
We did a panel with our partners from West Coconut Grove called The Rich and Forgotten History of Black Coconut Grove. I was representing Vizcaya on that panel, and we were sharing a little bit about our stories. And during one of the breaks, a man came up and he said, “Where are you from? Because this accent sounds familiar,” which is totally crazy because I don’t have an accent, I’m pretty sure. So I was sharing that, that I’m a native and my mom’s people and Hawthorne. He said, “It’s Hawthorne, because I grew up in Hawthorne too.” I was like, “Hawthorne has a population of 12, buddy.” We chatted for a long time about Hawthorne, which I had been to once. And then I saw him a couple of months later when one of the main churches in Coconut Grove was having a 125th anniversary celebration. I saw him at that and he came over and he’s like, “Hey, Hawthorne, how are you doing?” I was like, “I’m great. How are you?” So all of a sudden, this guy is part of my community too, and it’s only because my people and his people come from Hawthorne.
A journey from Haiti
Oldine Monestime, Vizcaya’s Volunteer Activities Fellow, recounts her family’s story of traveling from Haiti, through the Bahamas, to their final destination in Miami.
Better opportunities // A different life
Linda Aragon, Vizcaya’s Executive Assistant, shares her parents’ story of migration. Although her mother and father came from very different countries, they both ended up living in The Magic City.
Transcripción
For my father, I know it was because of everything that happened in Cuba, with the Cuban Revolution and all of that, so he came shortly after. I want to say maybe in the early ’60s was when he came over, so it was for a better opportunity for his family. And for my mom, really, I think she just wanted a different life. In Japan, well, it’s like a male-dominated society mostly, and things are changing now, but still, I don’t think she fit into that type of society very much, so I think she just wanted to go for something different, and she came over here not knowing what she was going to do or anything. It was just kind of I think she was traveling, and then she decided like, “Oh, I like Florida,” or, “I like Miami,” more specifically, and she ended up staying.
