Ramos, America 2011-01-25
This interview features America Ramos as she discusses her involvement with the fiestas and pageants in Lubbock. In this interview, Ramos describes her life growing up and leaving school to support her family. She then details her fight for getting her children better education. She recounts the pageants she has worked on and her continuing fight to help children that were failed by the education system. America Ramos was also involved in the Lubbock Beauty Pageant Fiesta. She speaks about her life, raising kids, her dream about working as a hairdresser, her experience as a beauty pageant consultant and mentoring kids to pass high school.
General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: America Ramos
Additional Parties Recorded:
Date: January 25, 2011
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Interviewer: Daniel Sanchez
Length: 01:25:51
Abstract
Short Version: Introduction and background information; The Arnett Benson neighborhood and politics; Being told your child can’t do something; going to college; How being a beautician has changed over the years; Getting involved with the Fiestas; The most surprising talent she saw at a pageant; Hispanic children being let down by the education system and prejudices; Her husband’s passing and working with the pageants
Longer Version: Background; Birth; Parents; Moving to Lubbock, Texas; Migrants; Father’s occupation; Speaks about discrimination in school; Deciding between work and family; Siblings; Dropping out of school; Early job experiences; Marriage; Her husband; Early married life; First home after marriage; Neighborhood; Involvement in politics; Duties as auxiliaries; Experiences raising kids; Raising kids (cont’d); From public to private school; Kids going to Texas Tech for graduation; Views on role of parents; About her Tech schedule; Reason for not graduating; About beauty school; Her dream to become hairdresser; Maintaining customer information; Hairdressing business; Studied makeup application; Helping at different schools; Guiding children at school; Supporting husband; Beauty pageant; Speaks about modeling school; Taught different classes; Experiences doing pageant work; Hispanic community pageants; Training pageants; Creating talents; TV appearance; About the girls at beauty pageants; Perspective on beauty pageants; Girls getting a platform; Becoming role models; Giving an aspect, opportunity of life; Invitation to become a mentor; Mentoring problems; Prepared for basic courses; Guiding the girls; Views about mentoring; Offering the girls another chance; Discusses needs of kids to be mentored; Other details; Parenting after husband’s death; Tells about husband’s professions; Beauty pageant (cont’d); Kind of work involved; Different people she worked with; Valued addition to community; Other details; Talks about Corpus Christi, Texas; Lubbock is home.
Access Information
Original Recording Format: born digital
Recording Format Notes: CD copy available to listen in our reading room
Transcript: Transcript available on dspace https://hdl.handle.net/10605/361865
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