VENTANAS  DE LA VIDA MIGRANTE

THE WINDOWS SEEN IN THE PICTURE ABOVE ARE PART OF THE LARGE DOORS IN OUR BEAUTIFUL CAPITOL BUILDING IN SALEM, OREGON.  IN 2009 OUR STATE CELEBRATED 150 YEARS OF STATEHOOD.  EVERY ONE WHO  COMES TO OUR BEAVER STATE BRINGS A BIT OF THEIR BIRTH PLACE.  THE INCLUSION OF PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT PLACES IN THE USA AND THE WORLD MAKES OREGON A VIBRANT AND FORWARD LOOKING STATE.  IT WAS THESE QUALITIES THAT PERSUADED MIGRANTS IN THE 1940’S TO STAY AND MAKE THEIR HOME.  MOST MIGRANTS OF A SPECIAL ERA LOOK BACK WITH GRATITUDE, APPRECIATION AND WITH ROMANCE; A ROMANCE THAT CENTERS ON RELATIONSHIPS.  THE RESEARCH THAT IS ONGOING FOCUSES ON A TIME PERIOD THAT IS SPECIAL AND WILL NEVER BE REPEATED AGAIN.  THE WINDOWS OF INFORMATION WHICH ARE DEVOTED TO THE “TEJANOS-MEXICANOS” FROM 1937 TO 1960 REPRESENT A SMALL SLIVER OF INFORMATION THAT LIKE A DOUGLAS-FIR TREE HAS AS MANY RINGS AS IT HAS STORIES.  THERE ARE WINDOWS WITH A TITLE,  A PHOTO, STORY, AN ORAL ACCOUNT AND A FEW VIDEO CLIPS OF PEOPLE, PLACES, ITEMS, AND CELEBRATIONS THAT MAKES “VENTANAS DE LA VIDA MIGRATE” A PRIVILEGE TO SHARE.

ON BEHALF OF ALL THE MIGRANT FAMILIES WHO MADE MARION COUNTY THEIR HOME AND WHO HAVE KINDLY INVITED ME TO THEIR HOMES TO REFLECT ON A LIFE THAT CEMENTED OUR BELIEFS, CUSTOMS, LANGUAGE AND OTHER QUALITIES IN A MANNER THAT ONLY OREGON AND TEJANOS-MEXICANOS CAN CLAIM….GRACIAS…THANK YOU…”OREGON” AND MAY FUTURE BIRTHDAYS BRING MORE PROSPERITY AND BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION ON THE EVOLUTION OF A TERRITORY THAT NOT LONG AGO WAS LESS THAN 400 MILES FROM OLD MEXICO.

THE WINDOWS ON THE DOORS OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING ARE TRANSPARENT AND CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR RECIPROCITY AND INCLUSION.  THEREFORE THIS PROJECT REPRESENTS AN IMPORTANT DIMENSION IN OREGON’S HISTORY AND ALSO RECOGNIZES THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PEOPLE FROM A DIFFERENT TIME PERIOD AS THEY TOO CAN TELL THEIR STORY.  TIME IS LINEAR AND IS INFINITIVE AND OTHER GROUPS SUCH AS THE “TEJANOS-MEXICANOS” WILL LOOK BACK IN THEIR OWN WAY AND WILL RECALL AND TELL THEIR OWN STORY THROUGH THEIR EYES…AND THE TRADITIONAL OPENING OF A STORY OF “ONCE UPON A TIME”….WILL BE REPEATED MANY TIMES.

ENJOY THE “VENTANAS DE LA VIDA MIGRANTE”