The story of how your Puerto Rican grandparent came to build a life in 海角换妻 is a story worth sharing.
That was the message from scholars who spoke on a recent panel at CT State Community College Capital for a traveling exhibition visiting Hartford.
Diasporican: From Dispersion to Integration is an exhibition from the . It features a series of photographic collections from contemporary artists Joe Conzo Jr., Marisol D铆az and Perla de Le贸n.
Through the traveling exhibition, the museum aims to foster conversations around the Puerto Rican community and its migration from Puerto Rico to the mainland of the U.S.
As part of that discussion, the museum and college hosted a scholars panel focusing on the history of Puerto Ricans in 海角换妻. Among the panelists was professor Fiona Vernal.
鈥淎s a historian, to think about the 75 years of Puerto Rican history in the state of 海角换妻, and especially in this part of the state, in Hartford, so many elders are passing away. So many people with the stories that really matter,鈥� Vernal said.
Vernal is the director of the (EPOCH) program at the University of 海角换妻.
She urged students and faculty in attendance to start collecting stories from their family members before that history is lost.
Vernal said historians know that many Puerto Ricans came to 海角换妻 to work in the farming and tobacco industries. Many of them settled in Hartford.
鈥淏ut that's it,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e don't know the company that they worked for. We don't know how many seasons. We haven't really done a good job of being interested in some of those stories.鈥�
That kind of labor can be seen as unimportant and therefore, the stories behind it can be thought of as uninteresting, Vernal said.
鈥淲e shouldn't sweep it under the rug if your father or your grandfather was a tobacco worker, right?鈥� Vernal said. 鈥淔or all the generations of people who have chosen to make 海角换妻 home 鈥� there is a dignity in coming here working and sticking it out and taking care of your families, and we should tell those parts of the stories, as well as the stories about the second or third generation.鈥�
However, bringing up the idea of recording someone鈥檚 story can make some family members hesitant to share. Vernal said that鈥檚 because most people do not understand how their story fits into the broader narrative of Puerto Rican migration.
She recommends starting with a family photo. Put your phone to the side as it records and just ask a family member what they remember about the photo, Vernal said.
鈥淲hen you start with your family's photo album, and you can look through it and look at photographs that you have questions about or that you think is a really interesting story, it can open up your narrator, who's your family member, and really put them at ease,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd then watch them go.鈥�
Vernal said these are conversations that should be happening across all age groups to capture the stories from different generations before they reach an old age when memories fade.
鈥淵ou don't have to wait 鈥榯il somebody's 90 or 80 to be interested in their life stories,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e should be talking to folks and capturing their stories now and then continue to interview them and continue to help them to reflect.鈥�
Capturing Puerto Rican life stories
Joshian Colon is a student at CT State Community College Capital. He is of Saint Lucian and Puerto Rican descent, but said he doesn鈥檛 know much about the Puerto Rican side of his family.
鈥淟earning that a lot of people are here and within our community kind of stuck out to me because I am kind of interested in getting to learn more about my Puerto Rican side,鈥� Colon said. 鈥淚t was kind of cool knowing that it is closer to me than I think it is.鈥�
Colon said he doesn鈥檛 know many people from that side of the family, so it鈥檚 difficult to get their stories. But he is interested in hearing from other people's families.
In an effort to capture those family stories, Vernal and fellow panelist Dr. Charles Venator-Santiago, director of the at UConn, are collaborating on a project that will document the lived experiences of Puerto Ricans in 海角换妻.
The is focusing on documenting the experiences of Puerto Rican leaders in 海角换妻.
According to Venator-Santiago, work is underway to start going into the community to collect the oral histories of Puerto Rican 海角换妻 residents.
For now, both Venator-Santiago and Vernal stressed that it's up to everyone to start recording their family鈥檚 life stories while they still can.
Learn more
The Diasporican: From Dispersion to Integration exhibition will be on display at the Mallett Art Gallery at CT State Community College Capital through May 22.
