Immigrant Stories

This month on Immigrant Stories, hear from Chas and Marco Salmen, who grew up in the Roaring Fork Valley and went on to work as doctors at North Memorial Hospital in Minneapolis. Here, they reflect on working in medicine during the pandemic and the death of George Floyd. This interview is in two parts. Click this post to hear both.

For the last seven years, Elizabeth Velasco, a medical translator, has been helping Spanish speaking members of our communities navigate hospitals and clinics. This month on Immigrant Stories, she describes how the COVID pandemic has impacted the Latinx communities in Garfield, Pitkin, and Eagle counties.

Brisa Chavez is Garfield County's 2020 recipient of the Humanitarian Award for Community Empowerment. Here she describes the challenges and threats the Coronavirus poses for immigrant families in the County's communities.

Ernie Gerbaz is the grandson of the Gerbazs and the Arbaneys who came to the Valley in the 1890s. Here he remembers growing up in Coal Basin and the life of Italian immigrants in the early 1900's.

Eric Petrocco was born during the pandemic of 1918 in the mining town of Lime, Colorado. He grew up in Marble and was drafted into the Army in 1941. In this interview, Eric remembers his life in mining towns and his near death experiences as a soldier in World War II.

Roz Turnbull died on July 4th. She was a woman with a generous loving spirit. This month's Immigrant Stories honors her memory with an episode from the archives, speaking with Roz' mother Ditty Perry.

John Goodwin is a career peace officer and retired professor of Criminal Justice at Colorado Mountain College. John reflects on his life, the death of George Floyd and the importance of community centered police work.

Beatriz Soto is and architect, environmentalist and Latino Outreach Coordinator for Wilderness Workshop. She recently co-founded Voces Unidas, a network of Latino and Latina leaders in Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle counties. Beatriz talks about traveling to the US with her parents as a two year old and adapting to new places. She also talks about work with Wilderness Workshop, Voces Unidas, and the impact of COVID-19 on the valley's Latinos.

Lucia Ponce Campbell grew amidst the Nicaraguan Revolution and started teaching literacy classes when she was thirteen. Today she teaches young immigrant students English at Glenwood Springs Middle School. Tune in as she describes how she and valley residents help students learn English using their journey stories.

Nancy Bo Flood is a child therapist and celebrated author of 20 books, many of them for children. Tune in as Nancy reflects on her life, her work in the Navajo Nation and the power of storytelling.