After struggling for so long, my mother decided to move five kids and herself to Philadelphia

Interviewer: Irene Hunter
Interviewee: Carlos Otero
 

What is your full name?

Carlos Otero

What is your nationality?

Puerto Rican

What is your date of birth?

September 29, 1962

Where were you born?

Vegabaja, Puerto Rico

When did you move to Philadelphia?

In the spring of 1975.

Why did you leave your former place of residence?

My mother wanted my sisters, brothers, and I to have a better life and better opportunities. In Puerto Rico there were no jobs and not much food for us to eat because there was no money. Everyday my brothers, sisters, and I would go pick fruit from the trees to eat all day long and we had no education, just the basics. After struggling for so long, my mother decided to move five kids and herself to Philadelphia where she had a brother who could help her out.

What did you like/dislike about your home/country?

I liked everything about Puerto Rico and I did not want to move, but we were struggling and now I know it was for the best.

What did you sacrifice/leave behind when you left?

I left behind a lot of memories and family. I have family in Puerto Rico 'til this day that I still

visit but back then they did not want to leave so they stayed behind and they made it through a lot of tough times.

What problems did you encounter coming to Philadelphia?

I encountered a lot of racism in Philadelphia when I came because I was Puerto Rican. The city was divided into different races in different sections of Philadelphia. If you weren't white you couldn't walk the streets of Kensington and if you weren't colored you didn't belong in North Philly. Before coming to Philadelphia I believed that all people had the same color skin as I but I was wrong. Coming to Philadelphia made me learn a lot of things and I thank my mother for giving up her life in Puerto Rico to raise us children in Philadelphia and I could never ask for more.