TO KNOW YOUR PAST
Rebecca Peterson, Vizcaya’s community program manager, speaks on what being a 5th generation Floridian means to her, how it affects the way she raises her child, and the importance of knowing her family’s past.
Transcript
Rebecca Peterson (00:00):
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.


















