Interview, Blanca Martínez

Blanca Martinez was born in 1952 and raised in Cidra, Puerto Rico. She moved to the United States with her family in the mid-1960s. They settled in Rochester, NY, where some of their family, including her grandmother, already lived. She completed her education in the Rochester area and took classes at Monroe Community College following her high school graduation.

In this interview, Blanca discusses her small-town upbringing, what it was like going to the small local elementary school, and what her parents did for work. She explains why her family moved to Rochester, what it was like moving to a completely new place, and her early struggles in school due to the language barrier. She also discusses what Rochester was like when she was younger, her experiences with the local Latino community, and what she has noticed about the broader community in the United States.