South Colton Oral History Project Collection
Document Type
Video
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Publication Date
1-6-2018
Summary
Tom Rivera interviewed Socorro Gomez on January 6, 2018. Already in the middle of a conversation, Gomez starts by talking about her early life in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. She goes on to discuss food and crops and how her father sold wood to a Canadian couple. The husband would use the wood, ebony, for carving, and her American-born mother was the one who was able to translate. Gomez then goes over, through tears, how her mother left for the United States to later bring the family over for a better life. She brings up the importance of education in her family and her roles in other children’s lives. She was inspired by art programs and then helped found after-school music programs for young students. She believes that focusing on an art, such as playing the violin, will instill dedication and a work ethic from a young age. Cesar Chavez was a figure that impacted her life forever as he visited her elementary school, during a time when she worked in the crop fields. Gomez then ends the interview with her story of getting her Mexican birth certificate and how the name she had at that time changed when she became a United States citizen.
Recommended Citation
CSUSB, "Socorro Gomez" (2018). South Colton Oral History Project Collection. 76.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/colton-history/76
