Oral History of Karla Aguirre, interviewed by Marina López, 31 May, 2019

Oral History of Karla Aguirre, interviewed by Marina López, 31 May, 2019

Karla Aguirre (b. 1995) was born in Mexico City, Mexico and lived there until she was six years old when her parents decided to immigrate to the United States. In the interview, Aguirre recalls her childhood in a neighborhood in the capital of Mexico, the journey to the United States and her impressions when she found herself for the first time in an unknown place surrounded by an unknown extended family. She explains that growing up on Johns Island was complex because she was part of two very different cultures: her private school, Charleston Collegiate, composed of mostly middle-class white students, and the other, her Mexican and working-class community. After finishing school, she participated in a workshop organized by United We Dream in Washington, DC. Then, she joined the organization as an activist and organizer. Aguirre talks about the barriers that Dreamers face, including the high rate of mental health problems and the difficulty in accessing adequate services. She also reflects on the challenges of organizing politically, both in South Carolina and nationally, the positive and negative aspects of being an activist and organizer, and defends the rights of undocumented youths to tell their own story and to define themselves. Finally, she points out that her dream is to resume her studies.

Aguirre (1995) nació en la Ciudad de México, México y vivió allí hasta los seis años cuando sus padres decidieron emigrar a los Estados Unidos. En la entrevista, Aguirre recuerda su infancia en un barrio de la capital de México, la travesía hacia Estados Unidos y sus impresiones al encontrarse con una tierra y una familia extendida desconocidas. Explica que creció en Johns Island en un mundo muy complejo marcado por dos culturas completamente diferentes: la de sus compañeros en la escuela privada Charleston Collegiate, quienes en su mayoría eran blancos de clase media y la de su comunidad de origen mexicana y de clase trabajadora. Después de terminar la escuela, participó en un taller de la organización United We Dream para jóvenes DACA en Washington, DC y luego se unió a ellos como activista y organizadora. Aguirre habla acerca de algunas barreras que enfrentan los jóvenes soñadores, entre otros el alto índice de problemas de salud mental y la dificultad para acceder a servicios adecuados. También reflexiona acerca de desafíos para organizarse políticamente tanto en Carolina del Sur como nacionalmente, los aspectos positivos y negativos de su trabajo como organizadora y defiende el derecho de los jóvenes indocumentados a contar su propia historia y a definirse a sí mismos. Finalmente, señala que su sueño es retomar sus estudios universitarios.

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Spanish

Text

https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/1084

Charleston (S.C.)

91 minutes

Marina López

Karla Aguirre

Charleston, South Carolina