This episode is a special preview of what We Love Buford Highway has been working on this 2022: Buford Highway's first community archive. This archive will have stories told directly from people in the community, people that come to our feeding events, people that make up the Buford Highway we all love. Contrary to this podcast, the people in the community archive are not interviewed, they are simply sharing a story they want to share, and we are simply creating space for them to do so.

In honor of Hispanic/Latino/x Heritage Month, we are sharing a preview of Delfina's story, who emigrated to the US from Guatemala. Paired with excerpts from his interview, our Program Coordinator Daisy Astudillo highlights some important notions and concepts in her story that are worth reflecting on.

We hope you enjoy this taste of the community archive, and we encourage you to share what you think about this format with us wherever you typically find us (Instagram DM, Facebook DM, anywhere else!).

Este episodio es otro avance especial del primer archivo de historias del corredor Buford, un proyecto que la organización We Love Buford Highway ha estado preparando este año. Este archivo tendrá historias contadas directamente de las personas de la comunidad, personas que van a nuestras despensas, que nos ven en eventos y que forman parte del corredor Buford. A diferencia de este podcast, las personas del archivo no son entrevistadas, simplemente están contando alguna historia que ellos decidan contar y nosotros solamente estamos creando un espacio para que puedan preservar estas historias.

En honor al mes de la herencia Hispana/Latina, les dejamos un avance de la historia de  Delfina, quien emigró a Estados Unidos de Guatemala hace 35 años. Paralelo a su historia, nuestra Directora de Participación Comunitaria, Natalia Garzón, resalta algunas nociones y conceptos importantes para que nuestras audiencias puedan reflexionar sobre la historia de Delfina.

Esperamos que disfruten este avance de lo que será el archivo de historias comunitario y los invitamos a que compartan lo que piensan de este formato y que nos escriban si desean compartir su historia con nosotros (por Facebook o Instagram).

Este episodio es un avance especial del primer archivo de historias del corredor Buford, un proyecto que la organización We Love Buford Highway ha estado preparando este año. Este archivo tendrá historias contadas directamente de las personas de la comunidad, personas que van a nuestras despensas, que nos ven en eventos y que forman parte del corredor Buford. A diferencia de este podcast, las personas del archivo no son entrevistadas, simplemente están contando alguna historia que ellos decidan contar y nosotros solamente estamos creando un espacio para que puedan preservar estas historias.

En honor al mes de la herencia Hispana/Latina, les dejamos un avance de la historia de Samuel, quien emigró a Estados Unidos de Venezuela en el 2021. Paralelo a su historia, nuestra Directora de Participación Comunitaria, Natalia Garzón, resalta algunas nociones y conceptos importantes para que nuestras audiencias puedan reflexionar sobre la historia de Samuel.

Esperamos que disfruten este avance de lo que será el archivo de historias comunitario y los invitamos a que compartan lo que piensan de este formato y que nos escriban si desean compartir su historia con nosotros (por Facebook o Instagram).

This episode is a special preview of what We Love Buford Highway has been working on this 2022: Buford Highway's first community archive. This archive will have stories told directly from people in the community, people that come to our feeding events, people that make up the Buford Highway we all love. Contrary to this podcast, the people in the community archive are not interviewed, they are simply sharing a story they want to share, and we are simply creating space for them to do so. 

In honor of Hispanic/Latino/x Heritage Month, we are sharing a preview of Samuel's story, who emigrated to the US from Venezuela. Paired with excerpts from his interview, our Program Coordinator Daisy Astudillo highlights some important notions and concepts in his story that are worth reflecting on. 

We hope you enjoy this taste of the community archive, and we encourage you to share what you think about this format with us wherever you typically find us (Instagram DM, Facebook DM, anywhere else!).

In this episode, Natalia Garzón sits down with Luis Andrés Andino, a Honduran-American educator who empowers students to seek higher education through his job at the Latin American Association. Luis talks about his childhood along Buford Highway, about his background in Criminal Justice, his desire to empower young students, and how he tackles generational beliefs about machismo and mental health in his own life in order to become a better mentor to young adults in the area. 

If you want to better understand how mental health, toxic masculinity, and COVID has impacted mentoring and youth empowerment, this is an episode for you.

If you like this episode, don't forget to share and rate this podcast. 

In this episode, Daisy Astudillo sits with Jonathan Peraza-Campos, a Central American educator, organizer, and researcher based in the Buford Highway corridor. This conversation is really about deconstructing and decolonizing the education system in the area, especially for Latino/x students. Jonathan shares with us what he believes is missing in education systems, what needs to change, and why it is important to move away from Eurocentric forms of education and towards a comprehensive, inclusive, and racially-conscious structure. 

If you are interested in better understanding the complexities of education for multicultural communities in the South, this is an episode for you. 

Please share and rate this podcast, it helps us a lot :)

This is the second part of the conversation with Alejandra Martinez and Jorge Sosa, who wrote and composed "Buford Highway Dreams", an opera about Buford Highway that competed in the 96 Hour Project hosted by the Atlanta Opera in June 2022. In this second portion, Natalia Garzon and the guests of the episode deconstruct the infamous term "The American Dream," using the opera as a way to understand what this term can mean today and how we can find new ways of rethinking it for the migrant communities they represent and identify with. 

This episode sheds light on the distinctions between economic and emotional capital, the changes the operatic world has undergone as a result of recent times (BLM, immigration reforms), and the uplifting lessons we can learn from collaborating with artists and advocates with a common goal. 

If you like this episode don't forget to rate our podcast and share with your friends and family!

And if you want to watch the full performance of "Buford Highway Dreams" visit this link.

In this episode, Natalia Garzon sits down with Alejandra Martinez and Jorge Sosa, who wrote and composed "Buford Highway Dreams" a 10-min opera inspired by the life of Guillermo Cesario, who lives and works on Buford Highway. We interviewed him on this podcast in 2021. This project was done in collaboration with We Love Buford Highway as part of the 96 Hour Opera Project, organized by the Atlanta Opera in June of 2022. This is the first opera ever created about Buford Highway immigrants. 

The two artists talk about the operatic art form, why it is important, how they created "Buford Highway Dreams," and how the themes of the piece complexify the migrant narrative in the area. The first part of this conversation gives a brief overview of the work, the art form, and some of the elements the creators found memorable and meaningful. They also open up conversations about the "American Dream," a concept that deserves more reflection and complexity in our day and age. 

Stick around for Part II of this episode, which will be published later this month. If you'd like to learn more about the artists, you can find Jorge Sosa HERE and Alejandra Martinez HERE. And if you want to watch the 4 part documentary series on the 96 Hour Opera Project you can go explore HERE.

In this episode our new Program Coordinator Daisy Astudillo talks to Alexa Carmona, one of the 3 selected recipients of the Cruz and Associates' Alcanzando un Sueño Scholarship, given to outstanding Latino students who achieved academic success, participated in community service initiatives, and overcame challenges. Many of the applicants attended our local high schools on Buford Highway, and seeing them represent our community was an inspiring experience.

Alexa, who will be attending SCAD and will be a first-generation college graduate in her family, talks about the obstacles and words of wisdom that have helped her navigate her life into adulthood. She talks about her immigrant background, her passion for art, her relationship to her family, and of course, Buford Highway. 

Alexa is our youngest interviewee yet and we are happy to use this platform to shed light on the experiences of younger generations and learn from them about their immigrant experiences in our community. 

In this episode, Natalia Garzón sits down with Kathy Hoyos, a Colombian-American immigration lawyer and partner for the firm Antonini and Cohen, located right on Buford Highway. In this episode, these two Latina women talk about what immigration means to them, the art of storytelling behind law, the power of representation, generational trauma, and where to get the best choriqueso on Buford Highway. 

Make sure you share, rate, and tell us what you think about this episode.