‘Historias de Mamá’ connects students with their mothers and their stories

Juana Castillo escaped the Civil War in El Salvador in 1982. Her daughter, Leylani Castillo, said she hadn’t heard her mother’s full story until she interviewed her for the book “Historias de Mamá.”

“She inspires me because after hearing how she came, without money, they were very poor,” Castillo said. “She never had a [real] doll. For her, it was nice to have a doll made out of sticks. My mom makes me very proud and I’m glad I can talk about her in this book.” 

Juana Castillo’s story and the stories of other mothers are now part of the book named  “Historias de Mamá,” written, edited and illustrated by students from Cal State Northridge (CSUN), Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) and the newspaper Impulso. The book is an homage to all mothers and a way to say thank you for their hard work and unconditional love.

A warm and welcoming Wednesday evening brought together a group of students, their mothers and supporters to celebrate the launch of the book at the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles.

Journalism Professor at CSUN, José Luis Benavides, said the project was in the making for at least four years. It was born during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“One of the essential rules of journalism is not to interview family members or friends because journalism is done by interviewing other people,” said Benavides during the presentation. 

During the pandemic, however, the students were at home and the only possibility was to interview family members, so they thought of practicing their interviews in audio with their mothers. The podcast project eventually turned into a book with 15 stories of mothers of different nationalities.

Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles, Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, welcomed the families at the book launch and acknowledged that during his more than 40 years of working in foreign public service, he has never heard a migrant story that he considers dull or boring. So when he heard about the launch of the book at the Centro Cinematografico Cultural Mexico (CCCM LA) inside the Mexican Consulate, he wanted to greet the panelists and audience personally.

“This is also a very nice way to recognize the mothers in their month of May,” he said. “I congratulate all who were able to make this book a reality and mainly to those who generously decided to share their stories with us.”

Resilience and success 

The book has a variety of stories, from cooking to adapting to a new country and even about the journey to reach the United States.

Katherine M. Hernandez, the book’s editor, said it was her mother who motivated her to work on this book. 

The book opens with Katherine’s mother, Talina Hernandez’s story. She recounts the moment she decided to leave her country, El Salvador, with Katherine, who was only five years old, an An arduous trajectory that even put their lives at risk as they sought to  to reunite with Katherine’s father. 

Another story is from 67-year-old Dominga Rodriguez Velasco, who said her passion for cooking Oaxacan food at her daughter’s restaurant makes her feel motivated and young.

“I’m an oak tree,” she said, recognizing her strength to overcome difficult situations through life. She said her passion started as a child in Oaxaca when her grandmother would cook for everyone and while they lacked a dining table, they never missed a meal together. That is something she yearns for younger generations to revive again. 

Other stories include how a mother learned English, the mothers who pray outside of an ICE detention center, finding Chicanismo and more. 

During the Q&A, several people agreed that the effort made by these mothers was mainly for a better future for them and their children. While some agreed that they wanted to keep the bad and sad parts of their lives in the past and away from their children’s present, they also agreed it was important to share their courage and resilience that has paid off positively with time.

The event concluded with a delicious dinner made by Velasco’s family restaurant, Sabores Oaxaqueños, with tamales, quesillo, bread and coffee. 

The book is available online at https://elnuevosol.net/