This story first appeared on KRGV. An excerpt can be viewed below. To read or watch to the full story click here.
UTRGV is preserving the stories of Latinos who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Rio Grande Valley with a project called ‘Voces of a Pandemic’.
When the pandemic began over a year ago, Dr. Noreen Rivera asked students in her Mexican American Literature classes to help preserve the stories of Latinos affected by COVID-19.
The project includes interviews that range from police officers and nurses to truck drivers.
“I didn’t want to narrow it to any specific job sector, because I wanted to cast a wide net there were so many experiences out there,” Rivera said.
UTRGV conducted nearly 100 interviews for the oral history project.
“ I personally interviewed my Tio,” said UTRGV freshman Sarah Perez. “So, I think hearing everyone else’s experiences, hearing his experience since he lives in a difference city - it lets you know you’re not alone in the things that you’ve experienced.”
UTRGV Voces will become a part of a digital collection housed in the university library’s Special Collections and Archives and can be found at scholarworks.utrgv.edu/voces/