[title slide]
VILLANUEVA: We would like to thank you for being interviewed. So, can you
start with your name, date of birth, and your place of birth?NERIS: My name is Teresita Neris. I was born in Puerto Rico on March 28 of 1952.
VILLANUEVA: What are the names of your parents and what were their occupations?
NERIS: My father's name was Juan Neris and my mother's name was Juana Ortiz. In
Puerto Rico, you know . . . that we use our last names, and then at the end . . . if you are married then you say, "Juana Ortiz de Neris." My father was a farmer/manufacturer employee and my mother was a house wife with twelve kids to 00:01:00support . . . to be a mother to.VILLANUEVA: What brought you to the U.S. from Puerto Rico?
NERIS: My father and my mother brought me to the United States of America. I
came to Chicago in 1965. My mother and my father had 12 kids to support; Puerto Rico was in bad shape. And due to their educational skills and title positions, you know, they were not professionals. You survive in Puerto Rico if you are a professional. They came to America for the American Dream, a better life, so yeah that's how, you know, they brought me here.VILLANUEVA: How do you define community activist?
NERIS: For me an activist is a person that is totally passionate and vigorously
00:02:00passionate to make a change in something. And with an individual system, a group changes something, but always with the goal to better . . . to a better life.VILLANUEVA: Who was your role model as a Latina activist and what
characteristics did you model after this person?NERIS: Actually, the only thing that I can think of is my dad . . . and . . . a
little bit of my mother and my dad. But . . . I believe really deep inside me, I was born with these characteristics myself. But . . . from my daddy I saw 00:03:00patience and kindness and from my mother I saw the drive . . . the motivation. She was very charismatic, she was very eager to move on and she educated us and guided us what I believe, you know, in a very healthy family nucleus. My mother was in charge in other words.VILLANUEVA: And . . . so how do you think that affected your activism?
NERIS: The perseverance that I saw in my mom and the passion that she had inside
herself to drive us to a better life, more education, to protect us, and to -- I 00:04:00don't know -- she used to analyze something, see if it was right or wrong, tell us "this is the right way" and then helped us accomplish that better way.VILLANUEVA: So, how would you identify yourself? As Latina . . . Chicana . . . ?
NERIS: You name it I am. I am a Latina, Puerto Rican, activist, advocate,
liaison, Mexicana, whatever. I have dealt with so many Latinos of different cultures that I know I am Puerto Rican. I was born in Puerto Rico but I kind of relate and get involved and understand them. So, for me a Latina. 00:05:00VILLANUEVA: What school did you attend in Chicago?
NERIS: In Chicago I went to Tuley High School. What is today Roberto Clemente
High School.VILLANUEVA: Do you see any difference between the Latino/Latina community
between Chicago and Sheboygan?NERIS: The environment, the community . . . yes, I see a lot of differences.
Their needs are the same.VILLANUEVA: And what would you say those needs are?
NERIS: The Hispanic community has various needs, especially the immigrant. That
. . . say, Social Security numbers, not all of them have that number. So . . . that is a need to obtain a number so that they can work, they can get a driver's 00:06:00license, they can vote. There are many differences but they need in Sheboygan, the same, in Chicago, the same. Economically they have to work two to three jobs to be able to support themselves and their families. In Sheboygan it's the same thing. Education? Low education because of the same thing. They don't have a social security number they cannot apply for the different grants out there either from the State government or Federal government and they are not able to have enough money to go to college and get an education, so education wise, yes, we have needs and we have barriers. 00:07:00VILLANUEVA: So, what would you say is the major difference between the two?
NERIS: The only thing that I see the difference is here is more peaceful.
Chicago is a really aggressive environment.VILLANUEVA: When did you move to Sheboygan?
NERIS: I moved here in 1994. And it was because my son is in the Special Forces
and his wife is from this town . . . from Sheboygan. They married here, we liked it because of same reason. It's very peaceful, it's a very good place to raise kids. And at the time, my youngest kids? You know, we thought it was best to come here and finish raising our kids. I was in Puerto Rico at that time and we were living in a place with a lot of crime. I wanted the best for my children so we decided to move here. 00:08:00VILLANUEVA: What program did you pursue at the Lakeshore Technical College?
NERIS: I already had a Bachelor's degree from Durango University in Puerto Rico.
But here . . . I entered in criminal justice program and then I switched to get into the civil litigations and I ended up obtaining an individualized technical studies degree. I had a degree as a community legal specialist.VILLANUEVA: Were there influences from your youth?
NERIS: Yes, many. I grew up in Chicago, so I saw a lot of things: drugs, I saw
abused women, I saw a lot of crimes, all kinds of crimes. And me surviving that 00:09:00. . . I think it was a blessing because it kind of got me on this side saved so that with my experiences and things that I saw I would be able to help my family and members of the community.VILLANUEVA: What is your role in the Multicultural Community Advisory Council at
the Lakeshore Technical College?NERIS: I am a member, which benefits I think because ...I am a member there but
at Lake Technological College, they do not have staff that will represent the Hispanic community. They have the Hmong community, they have the German community, other Anglo communities. And they know . . . the staff there . . . they know how their culture works. But in there, they don't have the staff that 00:10:00works with the Hispanic community. So, my input in that committee is of very, very, high need. I need to give my input and tell the Hmongs and the others how our culture is, what our needs are, and how it'll be. My ideas kind of help them come up with programs and other things that the Hispanic communities need.VILLANUEVA: So, are there any similar needs amongst the others that you have
seen in working with them?NERIS: There are needs. We all have needs of education, we all have needs of
money, we all have needs, social needs. But we have a special need. We need to 00:11:00have a social security number to be able to develop ourselves within the educational program. Something that the Anglo community doesn't suffer nor the Hmong. These cultures have their own documentation, you know, in shape, in order but, not the Hispanic community. Most of the members here need that documentation to be able to survive and to be able to get a higher education.VILLANUEVA: Could you describe your involvement with the Latino community prior
to Latinas Unidas of Wisconsin?NERIS: Latinas Unidas of Wisconsin . . . my involvement, I founded the
organization. I was working, at the time, at the job center and I was dealing with Hispanics because of my language skills. So, I noticed that the Hispanics 00:12:00were coming with maybe five or four things that they needed to succeed in the American Dream in America. And so, they needed education, computer skills, English Language skills . . . They needed translations and interpretations, and referrals. So, when I saw that, I saw those. Every individual needed those objectives. So, that's when I said to the women that were working here in the community, that we were like 12 Hispanics working in different areas. So, we met and we said "you know what? We need to establish at least an organization that will back up and support the Hispanic community." Because at that time, we were 00:13:00sending them everywhere to get and obtain that need. This person needed food stamps . . . go over there. This person needed documentation . . . go over here. This person needed to see a doctor . . . go that way. They would send them all around in circles. At Latinas Unidas, we can inform them of all those resources, where they can obtain or kind of accomplish their needs and then they're coming only from one place. And that's why we decide, myself, and other Latino women, to establish an organization that will at least help the Hispanic community. 00:14:00Because, we didn't have anything, not of that unique program.VILLANUEVA: In the Latinas Unidas of Wisconsin website, you mentioned you aimed
to help the Latina/ Latino immigrant communities with the barriers they face while living the American Dream, what does the American Dream mean to you?NERIS: Well, looking at the American Dream, looking at America. In America there
is a democracy and to compare to other countries, America is, for me, the best . . . the best system. And so, people fly over here to try to get a better life. My mother and father did it. They came here, 12 kids, and we obtained more money, more benefits, better education, safer way of life. So, it was kind of a 00:15:00dream, a dream come true. You can get that in America, I don't know how long that's going to last but, compared to other countries America is at the top.VILLANUEVA: How did you decide the name of Latinas Unidas of Wisconsin?
NERIS: We all came to an agreement, we gathered in meeting, about 12 women. And
we decided to go Latinas instead of Latino. See, there was one woman that was against it, the others were okay. One was, "why don't we put Latinos Unidos," and we said well, "because there is not gonna be a man involved in the board." We wanted the board to be all woman. We wanted the staff to be women. Because in 00:16:00the Latino community, the woman is the nucleus of the home, first of all. And the husbands are a type of jealous. I have seen other cultures where husbands are jealous too. But . . . I am talking about the Hispanic community. The man is . . . I wouldn't come to a man that belongs to Latinas Unidas looking for research on breast cancer. I would rather go to a woman that understands because it's a woman like me and I would be sent to another woman doctor. And see, that's why we decided. There are a lot of needs. If we would have been an organization for only education and referrals, fine. But there is a whole life, a whole . . . it's like a package of problems and issues and needs within a 00:17:00family. The woman comes to you kind of being the woman in this family wants to be understood, wants to be comprehended, related to, and we decided "Latinas". . . "Latino", no. And honestly, there are men, husbands of these women that would say "No, I don't want you to go to a man and tell him about your problem, I want you to go to a woman, and tell the woman about the problem. She'll understand you better and besides my jealousy is going to be at a zero level." So, we did say Latinas Unidas and we have kept the board Latinas only, to this point. I 00:18:00don't know if in the future when I'm not here if anyone wants to change the name from "Latinas Unidas" to "Latinos Unidos" but, under my presidential, no.VILLANUEVA: Did you always know that Latinas Unidas would be a nonprofit?
NERIS: Yes, I knew it because we didn't have any money to pay. So, we might as
well go nonprofit. I don't know if there is anything else out there that can help us but, to this point, women in the Hispanic community, cannot pay the same amount of money as a private than a nonprofit. They give me what they think they can afford. And because we receive it as a donation.VILLANUEVA: How much more effective do you think it is than, like--what is the importance of having a nonprofit in a community?
00:19:00NERIS: I believe that being private and all rich and all demanding money, the
people are not open. They are open to a group of people that know what they are feeling, they know their needs, and they know they're going to come open and they don't have to pay 500 dollars to be open, money that they don't have. So, that will open the doors to all types of social network of people.VILLANUEVA: What role does the president of Latinas Unidas of Wisconsin Play?
NERIS: I have to hear the women because I was talking to my vice president the
00:20:00other day and I said that we are ignorant. We are ignorant in many, many, systems. We don't know the law, we don't know medicine, we don't have a high education. So, we are ignorant in different things. So, I am telling them go to school and get knowledge. That's why I went to school and got more knowledge, to learn about the legal system.I do go ahead and steer the women . . . motivate the women. We talk about the
programs; we want to have a productive program in education like learning English, taking the GED. The GED now is new. Everything has to be computerized 00:21:00and I have more knowledge than some of the rest of the staff. So, I can give them a little bit of knowledge every day. "Learn this, this is the way it goes," tell the woman this is what she needs, this is how we can go about it. So, kind of like an advocate more than a president.VILLANUEVA: How long do you think it took you to learn how to take that role on
with confidence?NERIS: Actually, it has taken more than thirty years. You know, I sometimes
don't know all the answers, but like I motivate and analyze things and see is . . . this is where my mother comes in place . . . is this the right thing or the wrong thing? And we go with kind of a thing, a gut in my stomach, I feel it . . 00:22:00. is this the right way to go? And, if we find in the middle it's not the right thing, then take it to the right place and change it. But, I had been working with the Hispanic community since 1986 actually. So, that's many years and little by little I been learning myself, you know, social life...group of peoples. And so today I can learn something new and I don't keep it I give it to the rest of the staff and we learn.VILLANUEVA: The website mentions that Latinas Unidas of Wisconsin specializes in
providing a bilingual multicultural bridge between the Hispanic/Latino client and the agencies that meet immediate needs. In what ways does the organization 00:23:00accomplish this?NERIS: By accompanying the people to the job centers, health and human services,
lawyers, clinics, chiropractors, dentists. In Sheboygan, the private and the public do not have enough people to understand interpreting is something- the courts and the jails especially -- they don't understand, they want you to interpret. But you have to say exactly what they are saying and interpret word by word. But to go around the system to see if you are able to accomplish a 00:24:00service, that's another thing. So, we're doing that.VILLANUEVA: Was there a selection process to decide what services to offer, or
do you have to prioritize any service?NERIS: Oh yes. I worked my two years at the job center and then I was able to
notice that the people that were coming here they had a common need, all of them, so education, English skills, computer. They didn't know how to use the computer. Most of them totally never seen a computer in their lives, referrals. So, it took me two years of process to say hey I have seen this in common in so many Hispanics, let's take this and make an objective under a nonprofit organization. And that's how we did it. But it took me two years here, but since 00:25:001986 that I have been working with the Hispanic community. I started in San Diego, California . . . all the way here after I graduated from college. So, I have noticed there too the same common needs that we have here and that we have in Chicago and Puerto Rico.VILLANUEVA: Do you teach any classes?
NERIS: Right now, I'm teaching GED. The new 2014 GED, that they forgot about
making a book for the Hispanic community. So, I have called the department of instructions, I have called Joseph Leibham, our senator, and I have told them "how did he . . . did they, fail to make a book for the Hispanic community?" 00:26:00They have the book for the English speakers and now I have my students on hold for GED because they don't have a book that they can get prepared for. And Beth . . . at the Department of (Public) Instruction, says that the GED department . . . that they're probably going to finish making one at the end of this year. So, I asked them, "Why," and "How could you forget forty million people, Hispanics in this country, and you forget to make this system." In English, they create a book for them, "We have everything in English, not Spanish". So, I have tried to bring in this Hispanic community to see if we can start translating that book and see if they can prepare themselves, so they can go to Local 00:27:00Government Center and get their GED preparation.I visited LGC and they told me the same thing, "that you forgot to inform me."
But I know why now, because you knew that I was gonna tell them, "sit a Hispanic next to the English and he can translate a book and make the book at the same time you're making the English book, make the Spanish book!" That's why you forgot me! And then now, I had to tell Martha, "Don't take the test". Because, if she would have taken the test in December, when she was ready, the 2014 GED process now would not have acknowledged her test and she would have wasted her time. Now they don't have the book and they do not want us to use this book that we were using. Now what?! My question for the senator, if they have the test, 00:28:00"Oh we do have the test, you can come and take the test in Spanish", then where is the book? If you have a test, you have to have a resource where you got the information to construct the test. So, if you don't have the book, why do you have the test? They didn't have no answer to that. So, I told Sue at LGC, "Why didn't you inform me?" And I'm glad I came with Martha . . . because now she has to go home, she was all encouraged and motivated to take her first test and she went home because she was told that now she needed to know how to take it on a computer and that the book was not made. So, she doesn't know where to get the information from to prepare herself. And I've called the publishers because they 00:29:00gave you a list of publishers, none of them have a book. I've called Washington DC, they don't have a book. Because they have the GED testing services in Washington DC; they don't have a book. I said "why?" They said, "Oh we have vouchers". "Oh, the test . . . an example". The test is one fourth of what is going to come in a test . . . one fourth! I said, "Well I am not setting up my students for failure because if I give them that information they are only studying for one fourth, so what about the other three fourths? They're going to fail." So no, I'm not going to send them to fail. I'm not going to send them. I'm not going to set them up for failure. I want a book!VILLANUEVA: What's the most radical work you're engaged in?
00:30:00NERIS: Define radical, for you . . . I hate that word, what is it? And I tell
you why I don't like it. Because there is an organization here, and when I went to look for a job . . . because within my job at Latinas Unidas I try to get a job too. Because see, most of the money that is coming from Latinas Unidas because of the lack of donations around here, is coming from my pocket. So, the thing is that coming to get a job for myself, so I can get more money . . . so I can help the Hispanic community, this Hispanic guy said that he didn't want radical women around his agency and he didn't hire me. So, depending on what radical is defined as because I felt insulted when he used it in that tone of 00:31:00voice . . . and he did not hire me for the job. He didn't know then, the meaning of radical, and he used that word to kind of offend us because probably he felt intimidated. But if it is an aggressive move, if the definition of radical is an aggressive move that I have made to accomplish something to better, you know, the system, I became a board of education member. And I collected like four hundred signatures that you need to be involved in there. To with my influence, was going to get a charter school. I went in there and I participated for three years. So that was one of the radical moves I made . . . and that the money for this organization is coming out of my pocket. I work and I provide 00:32:00transportation. I provide light, energy, food and computers to the community that comes here. You know in about two hours here, there is going to come a lady that I need to sign some documents, legal, I am a public notary too. I have to sign those documents. And when they come in I can tell they're hungry. I make a sandwich, I give them coffee, I help them. And I am glad that I went and I got that degree, as a community legal specialist. Because that way I am able to help them better.VILLANUEVA: What's the most impactful activism you've done and why?
00:33:00NERIS: I have gone to college. I have come to college to learn more about the
legal system. So that they can help the community members, citizenship, court, divorces, safe harbor, transportation, get people out of jail, help them pay for when they retain someone, help the mother.VILLANUEVA: How have you've been supported by your family and friends throughout
your activism?NERIS: A hundred percent. My daughter, she's pregnant, she's going to have a
baby in July but she would have been here. I have two daughters, one is an 00:34:00accountant, certified by the state accountant and she's the one that carries the paperwork of Latinas Unidas. She married a lawyer from immigration . . . he's also helping me. And the other one is a treasurer, and she helps me. She has given money to the organization too. And my son, he's in the Special Forces, he's also helping the world. And my oldest daughter, I have five kids, Special Forces is my oldest son. And my oldest daughter is a nurse, a certified nurse. My CPA daughter and this other daughter, she works at IT. They all provide us 00:35:00with clothing, food, money, paperwork. They'll help me and my son too, the one, the youngest one that is here. And my son, I tell him, "Can you take this lady, can you take Sandy, can you go pick her up or something?" He'll do that for me, or myself. So, we're all helping the community.VILLANUEVA: So, you have a lot of help from your family with Latinas Unidas?
NERIS: Family and the community.
VILLANUEVA: Could you have predicted how much help your family would have given you?
NERIS: No, I was going on a vision but I know that the women that were coming
00:36:00are nice people and that they would support me.VILLANUEVA: Would you change anything about the journey you've taken thus far?
NERIS: No, there is nothing to change. I haven't asked that question but, I
don't think I would change anything, this is me.