Interview with Gabriela Gamboa, March 8, 2014, Madison, Wisconsin

SASHA REYES: Hello thank you for coming here, thank you for being here and doing this interview with us.

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Thank you for inviting me. It's a pleasure, I feel humbled, thank you.

SASHA REYES: Can you tell us your name, date of birth, and place of birth?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Seriously you need my date of birth? My name is Gabriela Gamboa, I was born on November 29, 1970, and I born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

SASHA REYES: What are the names of your parents, and what are their occupations?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: My dad, he passed away, he used to be a manager, and his name was José Ramón Gamboa López and my mother it's María del Carmen Gamboa González, and she has a business in Mexico.

SASHA REYES: Do you have any siblings, and what are their names?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Yes, I have 6 siblings, 3 sisters, and 3 brothers. Yeah. I'm one of the little ones.. My older sister is María del Carmen Gamboa González. 00:01:00Another one of my sister's is Christina Isabel Gamboa González. Claudia Gamboa González. José Ramón Gamboa González. Francisco Javier Gamboa González. And Luis Carlos Gamboa González.

SASHA REYES: When did you immigrate from Mexico to the United States, and why did you do that?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: I came in December 2003, and I came because-- it's kind of like a long story, I was looking for the father of my kids. Yeah.

SASHA REYES: What was your biggest challenge as a new immigrant to Green Bay?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Well that's funny because I told my mother, "I'm coming back in three months." And my mother was kind of like, "Are you sure?" Yes, I'm just looking for the father of my kids, and I want an answer and see what is going on and I say, just take care of my apartment and I will be back. So as soon as I 00:02:00get to United States, in Green Bay, it was horrible for me. It was a horrible experience because December kind of like, it's not green and without the kind of like knowing of the snow what kind of shoes to use and what kind of clothes to use and it was a horrible experience for me, for my kids and for myself so I was ready to get back. But as soon as I got here, I don't know something happened. It's-- I'm coming from a, I cannot say that my family was a wealthy family but we were living pretty well.

I always worked at the business family, my brothers and my sisters, my mother, we always worked together. So when I come here and I was with the father of my kids and I said, you know what, I want to stay with him, you know, I want to be here. So anyway, the thing is, he said, do you want to go get a job, what you going to do. And I was kind of like, yeah maybe. Let's try so, first thing, I 00:03:00start driving in the snow and a lot of things like that. Yeah scary. And my kids were so happy just seeing dad but, well at first time I'm like, I'm going back to home, you know, and later seeing my kids that they were in love with dad, I was kind of like, I need to stay here because of them, you know, and I don't want to leave my kids. I need my kids, but they need dad. So, sometimes you have to think about things that you need to sacrifice but you will never sacrifice your kids. Well I will never sacrifice my kids, you know. And because of my own life and my personal life? No I will not. So okay so, for whatever reason I started working in here, in a factory. In a factory and coming from working with a family and I was used to working in an office and always wearing pretty nice skirts and looking pretty because we are doing a cellphone, cells, you know, contracts and everything and you have to looks pretty and be at a desk and 00:04:00receiving the people in the office and everything and when you come here, you found reality, a different reality than you never thought about it. In my life, coming from a, a dad who spoiled you a lot. Your mother too and you were just with them and they were your world. They were everything so it was tough and I'm like-- my mother came for me and kind of like three months, four months after and she said, "You are coming with me" and I say, "No I am not" and she said, "Why not?" because I am not. I decided to stay here because a lot of people was kind of like laughing at me, They say, they call me names like, I was kind of like a show-off, I was so, kind of like, that was not my place, you know, you're never going to succeed in here and you are never going to be able to be in a line and working fast and opening boxes and wearing shoes, tennis shoes and a hat and like a-- looking like a labor worker and, but I always went with makeup 00:05:00so you know, they were-- you don't belong to this place and I'm like-- I knew that I didn't belong to that place but I want to show them that I was able to do it so and I did it, I did it so it's a lot of little things in that part. Yeah.

SASHA REYES: Would you say that the biggest challenge is getting accustomed to the United States?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: My biggest challenge was myself, I was my biggest challenge because I didn't believe in myself. I needed to believe that I was able to do something, and I'm like what are the things I was capable to do. Because always you have your dad, you have your mom in there and they were doing everything for you, and you never realize it-- hey there are not here. This is you and that's it. So, that was the biggest challenge. Myself.

SASHA REYES: Do you have any family in Wisconsin?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Yes, I have a brother.

SASHA REYES: As a child do you remember a story, memory, or certain characteristic that would later shape your activism role in the future?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: My dad, my mother, yes, they were a good example for me, and they are the best thing that ever happened to me. My parents.

SASHA REYES: How did they influence your activism?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Don't ever give up, no matter what. I mean it's not just about being active with the community, because in Mexico it's different, you don't work with communities you don't work for the people, but you work for a thing, you have a goal. And you have to succeed in that time it was our circle, this is you had to be somebody. No matter what and in our country, it is hard to try to be somebody, and that is why when you come to the United States you say, this is so simple this is so easy. I'm a, black rice and with the white ones you know 00:07:00so-- and my country was kind of like you can say a little bit harder, but not impossible. And I was doing something with my family but always I never saw my father kind of like complaining about things, kind of like being-- I didn't know if we were rich or were poor, if we were, I don't know, we were happy you know, and we were kind of like the best family ever. For me, seriously, like seeing my dad in the kitchen making bread for us, and my mother working or sometimes my father working and my mother there making, taking out a bread from the oven and sitting with us at the table, that was kind of like awesome.

SASHA REYES: How did you transition from immigrant to activism in Wisconsin?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Interesting question, I did it because of myself, again. It sounds sometimes, kind of selfish, but to be able to help others you have to 00:08:00think about yourself, you have to think, which ones are your needs and you are able to see the needs of others. Coming to the United States it was kind of like a hard decision, but at the same time I couldn't say no. I couldn't say, you know what, no I don't need this, but somehow, I wanted to. I wanted to suffer, I wanted to pass through all these things to be able to understand the world, to be able to understand immigrants, and be part of them. And say, "Oh my God! This is what it is. This is something serious." And like being here seeing your coworkers and they were not able to speak English, and me neither. So I was kind of like, "Seriously, this is it? I have to do something." Sometimes people say, 00:09:00"Well, talk to them, tell them they have to do this and that," I don't do that. I show people how to do it, if they want to follow me, cool. But I want to be an example, I want to do it but I don't want to tell you what to do. If you want to do it, you will do it, because you want it and I do it because I believe in myself and I know how much-- how important I am. I am a very, very important person. I am a VIP person. Yeah and it is just because I am so happy, and because I learn, then it was so cool everything that happened to me. At the moment when I decided to come, I didn't know what would happen to me, and it gives me, who I am. And I can value not just the rest of the people, I can value myself and my kids. I am a good example for my kids and my kids are the most 00:10:00important things in my life, and I am doing this because of me, first thing, second thing because of them and I want them to be proud of me, as I was proud of my parents.

SASHA REYES: Can you talk about what do you do? What your work is?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Okay well I, when I start in the United States I volunteer for different organizations. One of the organizations that I've been volunteering since 2007, is the Hispanic organization, they call it Hispanic Community Council of Northeast Wisconsin. Also, I volunteer for the Multicultural Center, and around that time, I meet the mayor, Jim Smith. And he invited me to be part of this organization of the Hispanic Community Council, at that time he also invited me to be part of his team. And I needed to say... My English was really short, more than it is now, believe it or not, but I was able to communicate so he say, he invited me to be part of his team. He said, "You need to work with 00:11:00me," and I was like, "No, I don't think so." And for some reason whenever the mayor was going, I was there. Whatever, I don't know what was happening at that time, but I was there just to be there and we were having pictures and everything with the mayor and it was cool for him to offer me that. To me it means a lot because, it's not just because I'm a, I don't know, it's not, you don't have to be ugly, or pretty, or big, or small, they put their eyes on you because they think that your smart. And that's why he talked to me and he said he would like to become part of his team, and I say, "I don't think so." And he asked me, "Why?" And I say, "Do you really want to know why?" Yes.

And I meet him at his office. Can I trust you with somebody with a friend, one of my teachers an English teacher and she said "yeah" so I talked to my teacher 00:12:00previous of this meeting and I told her what I will talk to the mayor, and she says, "Are you sure? Do you know what is going to happen to you if--" and I said, "I trust him, and I need to be honest, because being honest with the rest of the world it's being honest with myself, and I need it. I don't care, I'm not scared, I'm not scared about anything. Because If I still live afraid about something, I'm never going to do anything. I want to be public, if they want to judge me because I'm illegal, well so be it." So I went to the mayor's office, and I told him I'm illegal. He goes, "What! Are you sure that you are telling me that you want me to know this?" Yes. So I want you to keep your distance from me, because I am not convenient for you right now. But I will, I promise I will, and I am going to make you proud of me because I going to do something, I am going to be someone pretty soon.

It is just something that, it's just, you have to, you have to move yourself 00:13:00from the shadows, and it's not fair to be in the shadows all the time. Like because I am illegal, yes, so what? You have to be very careful you don't let I.C.E. that you are illegal, right. But some people that you trust, and it's like I knew that I can trust him, and I knew that I saw a lot of people behind me who at any moment would protect me. But, I am not so trustful about them, I trust myself, and I knew that something would happen in my life and something would push me to be who I am and where I am right now. But like yeah going back to the topic, I, in the organization the Hispanic organization give me the chance to help the students. It's a lot of volunteers that work in there and we like to make money and raise money for scholarships, and we try to help youths. We focus on a program we call it freedom, La Libertad. We help girls like you 00:14:00that want to keep going to college, but they don't have, maybe the chance, talking about money or maybe their parents don't support them, or we try to create programs to talk to parents about the importance's of education. So that's very important to me this organization and besides that, I have a job right now as an interpreter, believe it or not, and I work for a company here in Green Bay. And it is a pretty cool job, because also being an interpreter helped me to help people. I normally let them pay me, but I feel so helpful, I used to do it without pay but now I can make my money now. But it was so cool and it's still cool right now, you know. It's just been-- other people came out of the appointments because this is something that you don't charge to the patient. I work for clinics and hospitals, so you don't charge to the patient. If there is 00:15:00an issue, our pay is covered. So when the patient comes out they are so thankful with you, there like, "Oh thank you so much Gabby" and I'm like it's my job, you know, I feel so cool, you know, it's just amazing. What amazes me more, was when I came here in 2003, I didn't have any English, and I was so scared. I needed to, I don't know, to whatever store and buy things for me, for my kids, personal stuff, you know what I'm talking about so and your like, really I'm going to ask somebody to help me when I go to the store, or am I always going to go to the Mexican store. You know what, no, this is the United States, do what you have to do. You have to learn English. And I did it, and I pushed myself and I'm 00:16:00communicating with a lot of people. I have been invited to different schools, to talk to students about my life. And sometimes I say, "Why do you guys want to know about my life?" And I didn't realize, now I know, yes I have been doing a lot and I wanted to people know that if I did it, you can do it, and it doesn't matter how old you are. I was kind of like, 33-- 33 years old I think when I started learning English and yeah look at me.

SASHA REYES: Do you ever have like patients in your clinic that like you talk to about your other jobs?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: From the Hispanic organization? Yes, because they are Latinos and I always try to invite people and I always tell them, you know what I volunteer that it is very important for us to volunteer and I try to, kind of 00:17:00talk to them when I have a chance a little bit about volunteering jobs, and which one is important of volunteering, and why you should do it. So it is so grateful to be able to help somebody and like spending, sometimes I spend a lot of time of my life volunteering, but it's a good sensation at the end of the day. Sometimes you get upset or angry and you're like seriously! But it's, at the same time if you put everything on a scale it's just amazing and being able to go with your kids and volunteer, it's just, it's an amazing sensation. So I talk to patients, I talk to people about this experience and some people show kind of interest and some of them they don't care, but who cares if they don't care, I do care. And if maybe one of them listens to me that's cool and that's enough.

SASHA REYES: Was there anyone help you through the transition to come to the 00:18:00United States?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Well, the father of my kids, it's my ex-husband now, he was kind of like, he helped me come over. But the interesting thing is when we come over, I remember you know those Latino parties, they invited me to a baby shower. And I have never been to a baby shower before, so they said it's pretty cool this is family, blah, blah, blah. Okay, I went there. So-- they were kind of like wild because in my family we did not have that, we were just my circle, my family, sisters, siblings, my siblings and my parents and that's it. So like I said, just to be a selfish person but anyway. Another experience I meet somebody, a lady, her name is Sandra Magola, Sandy, she is my American mother. That was pretty cool because she was kind of like talking to me that was like 00:19:00March 2004, and she was talking and saying things. And I was doing my best responding in English. "La comida está lista [The food is ready]." That's not English, it's just, Gaby! You know again she understood so that was cool. So Sandy fell in love with me and I fell in love with Sandy. And she went to my house, she wanted to visit me, and she said, "Can I visit you?" and I got scared. I think she want to come to my house with my kids and my family. And she say-- I have a girlfriend that she want to meet me. Girlfriend? Girlfriend? Look for "girlfriend." Ahh! She's lesbian! But no, she means a girl, friend, female. But now I know. But at the time I told her, "You scared me!" But at the time I 00:20:00couldn't communicate with her, I was just so afraid of her coming to my house and she was awesome. It was the best thing that ever happened in my life, because as I say, she is my American mother. And she cleaned her house, literally like that and she put all her furniture in my house. She talked to her friends, they give me dishes, they give me, oh my God! I was like, it's just, Why? And she said, "it's because I love you and because I want you to succeed here." And I'm like, that was kind of like, it's still, just, it's just, it touch you. Like why you got to do it? Why? Just because-- Okay! Well as I said, Sandy was one of the key of my life, and also it was another lady, Dawn. She was 00:21:00my first English tutor, and I had Shawn Garrison, Connie Garner-- she is still my tutor. These people are kind of like amazing, it's a program in Green Bay, they call it Little Green Bay, they literally the give English classes to us without cost. The cost was 15 dollars in 2004 and I am still taking my classes, you know, without pay. So, I always tell them, you know what because they don't, I know they don't need my money, they don't need me and they don't need anything from me, but I promise something that I will "Pay it Forward." And I love that movie, I don't know if you--

SASHA REYES: I've seen it!

GABRIELA GAMBOA: It is an amazing movie! And it's like don't pay them, they don't need that. That is why they are helping. Don't pay me, let's pay forward 00:22:00and that will be it's just amazing thinking about paying forward. And it's like these people have been very important, sometimes I had a lot of things in my past that hurt me, but it's something that I have been learning a lot from those things. Sometime people they tell you don't look to the past, ever. Well, I am, I totally disagree with that, you have to look to your past to be able to realize how much you have been growing, and say, "You know what, thank you, thank you past because this is who I am now. It's awesome to see also I love the father of my kids he is an amazing man, I divorced him, but you have to be honest, you have to be honest. And he was part of who I am right now, everything that happened to me, good, bad, happiness, sadness.

People who laughed at me they say, "You're never going to succeed in the factory 00:23:00packing" and I say, "You'll see" and I didn't believe it myself either. But I remember one day I was working in the line packing and I was already taking my English classes, and one lady came by me and she say "Hey!" She was just demanding, but she say, "Hey. I hear that you are taking English classes." I said, "Oh my god really? And? I'm in trouble or what?" I was just trying to be a little bit sassy. "Am I in trouble or what?" "Well, I hear that you want to be a line leader." And I'm like, "Oh it's what they say? That I am just taking English classes because I want to be a line leader?" Yes. "So that's going to be hard" and she was just being sassy and I say, "Oh you know what, you can tell them that I don't want to be a line leader, I want to be in that office and you're going to see me there pretty soon." Oh my God! Six months after, they 00:24:00opened up a position for Quality Control, my English was really short. But a lot of people, I don't know why they loved me, I don't know why. My communication was really short and they hired me for Quality Control. Funny thing, Quality Control was in the office, in the first level, for some reason they were moving office and they put the office in there, that was the manager's office. But anyways I was in that office. I wasn't one of them, I was just moved the Quality Control down there and I say, cool, I am in the office and I am proud. You know. It's awesome. Yeah that was the office, and I was like, oh my God, so if you believe in something, say it, say it, because it's going to happen, it's going to happen, Why? Because you want it because it's going to be like that so one day, I say I am going to be legal, and I am legal now, you know. Why? I did it 00:25:00because of my kids. And I remarried and this guy is an awesome guy in my life. Just situations that your life puts you and you have to take it. Some people say, "Oh God please help me!" But God sends you tools, and people doesn't want to see the tools so for me this is part of my tools, this interview it part of my tools and I am using this because I want people to know that tools-- don't wait for a miracle. God is giving you miracles, if you believe in God, God is giving you miracles and tools every single day, every single moment, use it people! It's not an angel that's going to come in front of you, it's not. Or also it's an angel like Sandy, like Connie, like Dawn, like all these people who is behind me, like Ricardo, like whoever and you guys, it's always, you are the angels. We are the angels, so to me-- this is in here, working here, don't wait 00:26:00for something surreal, and it's not surreal because also this is a miracle. Whatever happened to me, this is a miracle, I'm like it's awesome to feel like to be able to talk to you and when they invite me to conference and everything, they give me script and I just write down something and give them ideas. And yeah this is what I would like to say, just at the start I read the first line and say, you know what this is not me. This is who I am, let's talk about it and you invite people to be part of your conference or whatever, because you want to connect with them, you want to tell them how happy you are and like you say, "Uh-- Gaby is really happy--" Really? No! I have a lot of things in my bag, it's a lot of sadness, a lot of rough things in my life, but you know what I don't 00:27:00care. I do care, I don't care. I just have to keep going.

SASHA REYES: What was the first issue you addressed as an activist in Green Bay? And why did you?

GABRIEL GAMBOA: Activist in Green Bay because well okay, being Latino, being Latino was one of the worst things that happened-- for some people. But I used to volunteer for a church, and at the church I was just doing my job. Somehow, I used to be the manager of the rest of the volunteers. They were just Americans. They were Anglos working in there and most of them they were Belgium. And they were kind of like-- some of them welcomed me, but I am just going to touch basis to an experience that happened to me. I was getting ready to eat after a hard 00:28:00day of work, and all the volunteers got together at a table, they prayed and everything and I decided to sit down with my boss, in one of the chairs in the corner and all the people opened a space for all of us, and they said, "Come here sit down here with us." Blah, blah, blah. I was the only Latino, with maybe 60 volunteers, so I'm like, "No I am okay here." "No, no, no come here Gabby, sit down," so I went there and sit down. One of the guys he stand up and he said, "I'm not eating with her," and everybody was like "Oh my God," and he said, "I'm not going to eat with her, she doesn't belong with us, she's not like us," and everybody was whispering and saying and ladies crying. "Oh my God," you know, so the guy stands up and he walks away. And they were kind of like, they try to like, "Oh my God Gabby," they were worried for me, some of them were 00:29:00hugging me, "Oh, I'm sorry Gabby," and all kind of nice things, so when everybody decide to kind of like, I say I want to talk about this. I don't, I don't feel ashamed about this and they say, you shouldn't and no, and I will never feel ashamed about who I am, because I don't have a problem with these types of things, he has a problem and they said, "Yeah Gabby but the priest is going to talk to him" and blah blah blah and I don't need anyone to talk to him, he's going to be on my side pretty soon and they say, "What you mean?" Just give me, give me a chance, give me a chance, you will see what I am talking about. Let's stop with this conversation and we will see. After maybe, let's say 3 months of a tough war with him, he used to hug me. "You're lucky that I am married," he just fell in love with me, and I say, "Didn't you say that you 00:30:00don't like Mexicans or Latinos or whatever? And he say, "You shut up" and no, don't tell me that word. You, you was mean with me, you use to be mean. "I didn't know Latinos were like you" because you didn't give us a chance. Give us a chance, don't judge me for what you think I am. Don't judge for other people, let me be."

SASHA REYES: So what did you tell him, like on convincing him?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Well I just was doing my job. He was so quiet and sort of tough at doing his job and I say, "I need you to do this. Could you please do this and we need to work on this." I was working with him not just telling him what to do, I was working with him and I, but I pushed myself to work with him, I needed to because I had a chance to just tell him, tell people, directing people. But I told my boss, I need this, I want to work with him. You don't need to do this, he said, "You are the manager of them, you don't need to do it, you just need to 00:31:00direct people." Okay I want it. I need it right now and it's not just because of me, this is something he needs to know. It's a chance for him, it's not a chance for me. This is a chance for him. This is my chance, but he needs a chance to know me.

SASHA REYES: So you told him like your life story? Is that how he--

GABRIELA GAMBOA: No, he just learned from my actions, from my attitude. When I was giving him, I opened myself up to him, you know. We were talking, we were doing, we used to set up events for the church and things, for fundraising events and I was just having the chance to talk several times with him and kind of let him know my past and everything, you know, but I don't know what really happened to change his mind but I know that it was me, it was totally me but 00:32:00like I said, "Gaby is not just Gaby, Gaby is Latino, Gaby is representing a lot of people that are missing here. It's cool and it's good and we're not bad people, we're good, just give us a chance."

SASHA REYES: Can you tell me about your involvement in the American Intercultural Center, and how did you connect with the center and what is the role you play there?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Well I'm just one of the faces in there, I am not one of the board but they know that anytime when they need me, I'm there for the Multicultural Center. They put importance of being part of the Multicultural Center. It's hard to have Latinos, you can have Hmong, African Americans, Anglos, people from other cultures, but it is hard to see a Latino down there, so I wanted to be one of the Latinos. We used to have an American guy 00:33:00representing the Latinos organization, yeah. It was cool and he speak Spanish and that was cool, but like seriously letting an American guy represent Latinos? That's not cool so anyways, I decided to be part of them. I am always kind of like in contact with them and working with them somehow. Just because we need to know our needs, like the Somalis it is a big population of Somalis, and here the Hmong community and it's a lot of people from different backgrounds in here, so you always need to know which ones are their expectations, what is the importance of a multicultural center is huge because that way it give you a chance to know because we know our culture like as a Latino, I know what my people need, oh well not all of them know but also knowing what the African 00:34:00Americans expect from us or why they are upset with us. Or why the Somalis are so quiet, and they don't want to look at us in the eyes or a lot of things that we do not know if you join a Multicultural Center, it gives you the chance to know different cultures. And that's pretty cool.

SASHA REYES: Can you speak about your leadership development role in the Green Bay area of Commerce?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Ok, well the chamber of commerce, they just give me a recognition and why they give me this recognition is because I am so active in the community and I-- they know my job and it's the community nominates you and the cool thing is that the Anglo community nominate you, and that's awesome, you know. It's like I say, you are a black rice in the whole pot, you know, with the 00:35:00white rice, and they can see you, so they saw me and I was blown at the time. That was a cool thing, you know. When they called me and the thing is I was in my process of immigration and I was in Mexico when they give me the notice about it and later I was one of the ones in the magazine that will be recognized and I'm like, Oh my God! Really? The did the interview by phone and my son took the picture. That was so cool, that was just kind of like a long-distance recognition but it was awesome and being one of the 20 people that you should know in Green Bay and we were two Latinas in there. A Puerto Rican lady and myself. So that was cool, that was, you want to keep going. It's like I said, you see everything I'm doing-- some people say don't say what you're doing, that 00:36:00is not nice. Blah, blah, blah. No, say it, say it loud! You have too because it's so hard, it's so hard to volunteer and like why are you going to keep it because the rest of the people need to know what you are doing this and they might follow you or they might help you, so that's why they need to know and it's not because you want people to recognize you, that's cool also and other recognitions are welcomed and just whatever recognition people can give me, oh my God! I'm so humbled because it's just an amazing feeling and it means I'm doing something good, and this is good for me, but also for my community. And I do care about the Latino community, but also, I do care about the Anglo community because I decided to come to this country. I decide to be in here, and I wanted to be one of the best ones, you know, and I can make something for 00:37:00myself, I'm doing it.

SASHA REYES: Speak about your leadership development role, but specifically how you began recruiting young professionals, and how you increased accountability?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Well, I will respond to that one the way I understood that question. We are, the Hispanic organization do care about youth, like I have said before and one of the things we try is to create programs not just for the youth, but also for the parents. Because one of the things I talk about to the organization and they agree with me now. Before I always hear people saying, you have to work with the kids to have a good future and I don't agree about that one, to me it's work with the person to have a good future. Who is the person? 00:38:00The parents are the person, and you should care about the parents. Because the parents are-- as a kid I bet you listened more to your parents than you're going to listen to, I don't know, another-- I don't know it's just like if I told you Gaby and you should do this and that, "Yeah, whatever." But if you see your parents being a good example for you, then that is the only thing you need. So now my purpose in life is part of that I want to focus on the parents to have a better future, so focus on the person and you will have a better future. So it's not just about-- for me I don't just focus on kids or the youth. We have to see the whole perspective, and see what are, which ones are our goals. Yeah.

SASHA REYES: So, you created programs and that is how you started recruiting 00:39:00young people?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Yeah, well because as soon as you create programs, one of the programs that we create is, Freedom, Libertad and this is a program, it seems like a beauty pageant, but it's not like a beauty pageant, we can have a lady, you don't care about the way that she looks, but if she's smart, and she wants to keep going, she respects her parents, and it has to be Latina and why we support in this program just girls is because as a women in our countries sometimes it's like you don't have to continue with schools, you are going to get married and have kids and stop life, stop down there. And this is not true, we are more than that, and we need parents to know that. So that's why we tried to create this program and as I say this is not a beauty pageant, but she deserves a crown if she is a lady who is going to go for, wanted to go to 00:40:00college and this is the way that we give them a scholarships like the girl has to be involved in the community, our last queen, our queen for 2013, her name is Mari Celeso, and she belongs to one of the organizations she founded, Voces de la Frontera [Voices of the Border], and we support her a lot so we are proud of her. We had previous, Eva Cruz, also she worked was part of the Boys and Girls Club, and Angélica Sánchez. She is now in the Milwaukee College. All of those girls are girls continuing with their education, and we are proud of he because somehow the whole community, with the money that we were raising, working hard and volunteering, we were able to give her, them a little bit of our help as Latinos and it's cool, it's cool. And also we create a program that is just for fun and we call it Talento Latino [Latino Talent] and there is guys who like to 00:41:00sing, Latinas, and that's pretty cool and it's a Mexican program because it's a family program and the thing is we just give them money to the person who gets the first prize and the money that we raise for the other one is the one that helps to create to give the scholarships for Libertad, also we got, we create the festival we are in charge of the festival for September 16. Or the independence of the Latino countries because we do not just focus on Mexican Independence, we celebrate the Latino Independence so yeah, it's the money that we work hard to make and being able to give scholarships to students.

SASHA REYES: Could you describe the Hispanic information fair, and the Hispanic independence festival, and your roles in these events?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Okay the information fair is we invite people from the community, like maybe hospitals who are interested in the Latino community, of course everything has to be somehow involved with the Latino community. But it's like, for example, you run the program for the garbage, what time we have to pick up the garbage. This is information that as Latinos when we come to the United States, people say why do they need to know about the garbage. Well because otherwise you will have an infraction if you take your garbage Monday at, I don't know, three o'clock when you shouldn't take at the day of the garbage is Tuesday at, you know, those kinds of things and people think that those are little things that people don't need to know, no we don't know. You know, we don't know, you have to take a certain time and certain day the garbage or maybe you cannot party in your front yard, and little things that for people 00:43:00who have lived in here their whole life, those are little things for them. For the Latino community we just came to this country, we don't know we didn't know, so we need to inform these people. Also about different services in the community, that people provide and maybe they don't advertise because they are a non-for profit organization also and we try to connect with different with information and try to put all the tools and this information to the Latino community and we have the support of the radio station now, this local radio station that I'm working with right now and having the support of the radio station it's awesome, you know, it's a lot of help as a non-profit organization, it's so helpful because you are able to give information to the community, somehow as a, as a non-profit organization.

SASHA REYES: Dang so you can't advertise if you're a non-profit?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Well, you can but it's kind of like expensive. Well for the 00:44:00radio station they have a special price for non-profit organizations but working in the radio station is very good and good pay. Yeah, I also work in here, I am one of the DJ's, Loco Torrez and I have a program, Thursday and Saturdays, I just got off from my program it was cool today.

SASHA REYES: That's awesome.

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Yeah! It's really cool, I have to talk a lot, and I don't like that. No but it's cool it's also-- well the festival. Going back to that as I said, the festival, with the money, being able to make the festival, it's a festival where we expect every year around 3,000 people coming for let's say, two days. And it's just pretty cool having all these people. The money they pay at the entrance it's money that we then take for the students. Again, to create those programs, different programs or giving scholarships for the students. Our 00:45:00main focus is create programs for parents and those scholarships for the students.

SASHA REYES: Are there or where there any difficulties trying to establish these events? In the beginning or?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Well it's always money, because the cost of this festival, for example, September 16 festival that one, the cost is $13,000 dollars, and you have to raise that money. You have to raise that money

SASHA REYES: How do you raise the money?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Oh my god, working with all my heart. Working hard, working hard, knocking on doors, to kind of like to donate some money, or you pray and wait until the last moment and say, Oh my God, I hope that it is a good weather and a lot of people come. We have to pay the rent, we have to pay the officers, we have to pay them. One of the cool things is right now we are working in a partnership with La Más Grande, the radio station in here. They are helping us 00:46:00through this, and it is a lot of help. So, this year was my first year that we became, were working as a partnership, we have a partnership with the radio station and with the Latino-- the Hispanic Community Council. So what we did, it's we make a deal with them. They pay everything and they give us something, seriously it's just like that. This guy who came from Minneapolis, his name is David Hernández, he's been a bless for us as Latinos in here because, I don't know this guy is just helping us through all of this and this year was the first year that we didn't have to put this big money; the radio station take care of that. So we just raised the money, he just give us, he say, "How much do you think you need for the students?" And I said, "I need $3,000 dollars" and he was honest with me, we just, they made, I don't know how much, but they gave us 00:47:00$25,000 dollars, so we needed to work and do another event for just $500 dollars, so that was perfect. Also we run sometimes the Consulado Mobile, it's a service for the Mexican Community, this is specific for the Mexican community and this is a service who cannot drive to, let's say Chicago where the Consulado, Mexican Council and the people cannot drive down there so we provide the service in our city and they came in here so it's expensive to run all those festivals, those events like inviting the Consulado Mobile in here, it's four days and you have to volunteer and it's a lot of money. Like for me as a volunteer, I'm also, the time I volunteer, Friday and Thursday but I have to ask for time from work and they don't pay me so it's a lot of sacrifice but somehow you do it because you do care about your community, you know, but yeah, and with the radio station, having this partnership it's amazing because we were able to 00:48:00raise the money without being that worried so it's always good and have good connections.

GABRIELA GAMBOA (Free Response): I want to tell you about a cool story, and this is just because it bothers me somehow. When I came to the United States with my two kids, I want to, school, of course they are not really white and of course their heritage can tell them that they are Latinos.

And they put my kids in a program for Latino kids, in a ESL program and I'm kind of like, what's going on, somehow I wasn't happy about that but I wasn't-- I didn't know what's going on because I just came to the United States. I would say it was kind of like December 15, or something like that 2003, so I left my kids in that school and I keep them in there and January they get back to school from winter vacation time, somehow I say, "You know what no." I need my kids to 00:49:00learn what's going on in this country and they need to go and they need to have that opportunity. My kids didn't born in this country but I decide to bring them in here so they need to have knowledge how to live in here, how are they going to know if they are going to Spanish class. How are they going to learn English, how are they going to learn how live in here, how are they going to learn what to do, what's the culture, who is the president, what's the money? And they say, well I tried in one of the schools and then I hear other people was recommending to me and I decided to take my kids to that school, so they say, " Your kids cannot be in this school" and I say, "Why not?", "because your kids are not bilingual." One of my kids was bilingual already, at that time it was kind of like, let's say March maybe March 2004. And my son was bilingual at the moment 00:50:00and but my little one wasn't. So I want them together at the same school, so they say, "No. Your little one has to go to this school and you old one, yes, he can come to this school but it's going to be hard, this is not for him. This is not for him. No. Because he is not, he's not going to understand, this is, you are taking away the chance for him to learn from his culture" and I say, "No. I will teach him about his heritage and his culture at home. He's in United States please you teach them, what, the way they have to live in the United States," so my sons stayed there. It was hard it was one of the first Latino at that school and it was hard for my son, it was tough because a lot of people look at him different, but also that helped my son to grow. Again, this wonderful lady came into the story because Sandy was able to talk to my kid because my kid was crying a lot because of the way they were treating him at school and my son 00:51:00talked to her about what was happening. Sandy say, "Do you want me to talk to them?" to the kids, to the teachers and my son. "No. just tell me how to handle this," and she talked to him and she teach him how to do it and at the end my son was kind of like-- I love my kids-- he finished being like me, one of his best friends is one of the ones that bullying him really bad and it's one of his best friends until now and they still friends. That's cool and also for Dali, I fight and I say, "No I want him in here with his brother," and Dali was so funny because he say, "Yo no voy hablar inglés, a mi no me gusta tu cochino inglés [I'm not going to speak English, I do not like your filthy English]," and I say, "Dali, you have to." So he went to school he learned, and now it's hard for me to make him speak Spanish. But it was cool, it was cool to be tough, to be 00:52:00brave, to say, "This is what I want for my kids, this is what I need for my kids, this what my kids need in here," because I decide to come to this country and I want them to learn this. Sometimes parents have the problem that their kids are in 9th grade, in whatever grade, and the kids are confused, they don't know even know English or Spanish, what's going on. They don't know either one really well so to me my idea is, you have to fight, you have to do it, if you consider that's the best for your kids, do it. They never going to lose their heritage, like my kids, they are bilingual they can read, and they can write in English and Spanish, they know that they are Mexican, and they are proud of being from Mexico. And they make a lot of jokes about Mexicans also, they are so cool, they are two kids that love different cultures. They have Hmong friends, 00:53:00they have African American friends, the have American friends, they are multicultural kids. So that makes them, you have to be part of what you have right now and in this country.

SASHA REYES: What year was that when he or how old was he? What year was that?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Alex was 9 years old he was little. He's now 19, and Dali was maybe 4 years old. Yeah, so that was tough, they were two little kids, they wanted family, they wanted Christmas with family, and they came to something totally different. A new life, a new thing, a new language, a new school, also kids who didn't know how to deal with Latinos in the school. And maybe they didn't mean to be mean with Alex, but Alex was confused. But good thing that Alex is a really smart kid, and he learned how to handle life here, and he never give up, he's just like his mom and like dad. It's an amazing kid and I am so 00:54:00proud of him.

SASHA REYES: Can you tell us about any other experiences you've had working with other parents to help their children obtain an education?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Yeah well, one of the things, well this is a small city, Green Bay is really small and so people who know me they knew about that my kids went to a school who-- most of the kids there were Anglos so they knew that my kids finished from that school and this lady wanted her daughter to go to that school and somehow she talked to, she communicate to, I don't know how, she is not bilingual, but they brought her an interpreter to talk to them and make her understand that she was taking away the opportunity of her daughter to be with who-- well that's weird but, where she belonged with the Latino community and 00:55:00learn about the culture and-- but she say, "My daughter is born in the United States, this is her country," and it's a big difference if we are talking about my kids. Her daughter born in here and she want her in that school, and she say, she needed to learn this because she born in here and to me it's not just because you born in here. You came in here you have to learn what you have to learn because you're here. It's your decision or it's your parent's decision and now you have to do it right. To me the lady was right but anyway she talked to me because she knew that I, let's say I won that case that situation at that moment and they keep my kids in that school, but she wanted to have her kids in that school so she asked me, "Would you come with me to help me because I think the interpreter didn't help me the way that I wanted to. They don't want my daughter there." I say, "They cannot deny their school for your daughter." The 00:56:00principal at the school say, "No I am not denying, I'm not denying this," and she say, "but I am just telling you that you are taking away this from your daughter," and she say, "I am not taking anything away." The mother was kind of like short in words and also in Spanish and I needed to help her through this and I say, "besides the girl is born in the United States, forget about this whole thing, it's her decision as a parent that her daughter grow with this, that they learn this." She has the right and then, yes, she born in United States, besides that it has to be that way if the mother wanted. Why? Because we want to teach our kids at home what we need to teach them. Okay, we are the ones who are going to tell them about our culture, we are the ones who will be 00:57:00worried about if I want to, for my kid to have two doors open in this case, you are opening more doors when you have, when you are bilingual, so you don't want to shut a door for your kids, just say just speak English at home or just Spanish, so you need your son integrate themselves to this community. Which one is this community? United States. Okay in general Green Bay and it's just you are living in here, so one of the things that you have to learn about the, everything, how to live, how to do, what to do, so yeah, this lady decide, she say, "I'm not taking anything away from daughter, I will take care of that at home and you teach them what I need her to learn and I want her in here." So yeah, the girl is in that school and it's a win, win for us, right. Yeah.

SASHA REYES: How do you see your work continue to impact the Latino Community?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Impact the Latino community, with example, you are the example. You can impact whomever you need to, to me it's something that I learned. To be a good leader it's not demanding or saying what to do. You have to do it. I'm going to be the impact I want to be, because this is what I have and I can be an impact because I know what I am able or capable to do, so yeah I think it comes down to me, you know.

SASHA REYES: Out of all the activism experiences you've been through, what valuable advice would you want to leave behind so that others can continue to fight against injustices?

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Well somehow you decide to come to this country, it's not just about fighting, I don't see things about fights, I don't like that word. I work 00:59:00for the things that I want, I am the one who decided to come to this country legal or illegal, I am the one who wants to stay in this country for a lot of reasons I decide to come here. The only thing that I want people to know and to do is to, do it, but it has to be something because you want it because it is coming from you. But always think about the things you like about being in.... okay it's kind of like confusing, but the impression that I want to leave in this country is me. This is what I want to leave in here and you have to be an example for everyone not just for your kids or for anyone. You have to try to be 01:00:00and everyone should live as an example. To me, I don't want to be better than you or you or you. We are all good. We are the best. But it's me, it's the impression that I have to leave. You have to tell them, don't stay in the shadows just because you think your cute, or your ugly, or you Mexican, or you're from El Salvador, don't stay in the shadows just because you are Latino. Try to do something, you can do it, it's easy to do it in this country. Don't just think about if I can do it, just do it. Just work for that. It's not fight for that, just do it.

SASHA REYES: Out of all the activism experiences that you have been through, what valuable advice would you want to leave behind? So that others can continue to fight against injustices.

GABRIELA GAMBOA: Well again, if you talk about fighting. Well, fight for your rights. Which one's are your rights? Well sometimes we think as Latinos that it 01:01:00is just that I have the rights of this I have-- don't think about fighting, just do it. It's better to do things and if you believe in something, do it. Don't wait for others to do it for you. You have to do it. Fighting, fighting is kind of like a bad word for me. Its, I want to do it because I have the power, I have the courage to do it so be brave and go for, that's the thing you have to go for your goals and which ones are your goals right now. I can be somebody, I want to be somebody, I want to do something and don't think about can I do it? You can do it. Just do it. Don't fight, stop fighting. Just do it.