6 Alicia Marin – Sourcing My History

Sourcing My History 

Introduction 

Right before midnight in Muncie, Indiana on August 3rd, 2005, I was born. At birth I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis of the lungs and pancreas and had surgery hours after birth. A year later my brother, A.J., was born on September 22nd, 2006. From there I lived in Union city, Indiana until three, then to East Bernstadt, Kentucky until six, then between Greensboro and Burlington, North Carolina until seven. From there I spent a few months back in Kentucky then made my way to Richmond, Indiana shortly after turning seven. At some point I went back to Kentucky and even lived in Portland and Fountain City, Indiana but have mainly resided in Richmond. I have been to many schools throughout my life with such moving, five of which were in Richmond. Throughout my life I have seen, experienced, endured, and did many things. I wish I could change some things, but I would not because it has made me who I am, and now I get to make my own history.

Artifact #1

The first artifact I am introducing is a photo of my great grandmother, Brenda Day (see fig. 1). The photo was taken between the years 1974 and 1974 making her about 30-31 years of age in this photo. The author of the photo is unknown, but the photo was done professionally along with many other photos shortly after my grandmother found the safety blanket she needed to leave her husband with her five children. This artifact resonates with me very deeply because my great grandmother was the one to break a cycle of being stuck in toxic marriages, being abused in various forms, being controlled, and having to stick to the traditional ideologies of a housewife. Because of that, she gave my grandmother the strength and advice to leave her abusive husband, my grandfather who is her son, and my mom the confidence to leave my father who was also abusive. And because of that she has shown me to look at people in a different way so that I am not putting myself into a potentially abusive situation regarding romantic relationships.

Figure 1

In regards to America, there tends to be a theme, the struggle of women being able to leave a dangerous relationship; especially with kids, due to the lack of anything to fall back on. A major thing that helped women obtain a security blanket was the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, this act ensured women could obtain credit without encountering discrimination or barriers against their gender or marital status. Many women’s rights groups had made the issue public to other women to work in getting the act passed. These groups also “had worked together to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.” (O’Dea, 2019, paragraph 2). These women’s groups had provided their own experiences with attempting to obtain credit in support of the act. In 1974, the act was passed and provided women with the right to obtain credit without discrimination, while each women used this act differently, my great grandmother used it to leave her abusive husband with her five boys without the fear of becoming homeless or going back to her husband. Two years later the act was amended, this ensured to prevent credit discrimination due to factors of “age, race, color, religion, national origin, and receipt of public assistance” (O’Dea, 2019, paragraph 3).

Artifact #2

My second artifact is also a photo but of a more sentimental value (see fig. 2), it is of my father who I have not been able to see since I was twelve. The photo was taken in Union City, IN on August 19th, 2016, by me, Alicia Marin. This photo was taken approximately six months before my father was deported. He had come to America, illegally, at the age of twenty and was about 45-46 years old when he was deported. This artifact ties into my history of the small amount of time I was able to spend with my father while learning about his hardships and the situations he faced in America. Having this experience has opened my mind to various perspectives of others’ lives that I would not have had without my father in my life.

Figure 2

Immigration has always been an issue in America, and it has brought about some historical moments, the more recent ones include former president Donald Trump’s wall at the border and project Lonestar in Texas which is currently ongoing. These moments are a product of the migration of those from other countries, in this case, Mexico. There has been a gradual increase of immigrants from Mexico to America and for a variety of reasons. A main is for work, according to the article, Mexican Immigration to the United States: Continuities and Change, “In general, the profile of Mexican immigration as a distinctly working-class movement dominated by agricultural workers from small towns and by skilled and unskilled laborers from large cities strengthens over time” (Durand, Messey, Zenteno, 2001, pg.122). Many Mexicans, especially undocumented, work in an agricultural field. Mainly because it is an easy field to pay under the table, always provides work, and requires a large group of people to run smoothly. But we see a trend, immigrants doing demanding manual labor for little money due to lack of citizenship for a chance at a better life or safety, just as my father.

Conclusion

Learning about my great grandmother’s history has helped me understand even more about the struggles women endured in history. I have learned to appreciate the rights I have now as a woman even though I did not have to endure the hardships to obtain them. To know that women such as my grandmother had to fight for simple things in life sucks, but now when rights around women become threatened, I take a different approach in advocating for those rights to stay implemented. In regards to my dad, his life provided me with multiple perspectives of America’s society. My father’s barriers in life have shown me that advocation is important in just about anything you do. And for me to make my own history and make some type of change, I must advocate just as my father did for himself. Overall, I learned their history plays a bigger role in my history than I had realized and now that I am aware I am able to look at my life differently. I am not just living a life, I am making history, even if it is small.

Bibliography

Durand, J., Massey, D. S., & Zenteno, R. M. (2001). Mexican immigration to the United States: Continuities and changes. Latin American Research Review, 36(1), 107–127. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0023879100018859

Marin, Alicia. Man Getting His Photo Taken Outside. August 19, 2016.

O’Dea, Suzanne. “Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974.” In From Suffrage to the Senate: America’s Political Women. Grey House Publishing, 2019. Accessed November 10, 2023. https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6NDc5NDU1MA==?aid=17685.

Unknown. Young Woman Getting Professional Photos.1974-1975.