Catalog ID:
ORH-006-0013
Creator:
Cajigas, Magaly
Archives Field 21:
AUDIO: No Audio Available at this Time
Scope & Content:
Date of interviews:
-Part 1: Tuesday, January 16, 2024
-Part 2: February 12, 2024
Location of interview: online via TheirStory (Parts 1 and 2)
Duration:
-Part 1: 1 hour, 1 minute, 30 seconds
-Part 2: 1 hour, 42 seconds
Part 1 Summary
In the first part of this oral history, Magaly Cajigas covers a wide range of topics. Born September 29, 1977 in New Haven, Magaly's parents migrated from the towns of Cayey (dad) and Coamo (mom) in Puerto Rico to New Haven. Her father initially went to New York before joining friends to settle in New Haven in the early 1970s, while her mother moved straight to New Haven to live with her brothers (who'd been working as laborers in Hamden) before meeting Magaly's father and marrying him in 1971.
Magaly then discusses growing up in New Haven, living primarily in the Hill neighborhood, and experiencing some upward mobility when her father won the lottery in the early 1980s and was able to purchase a home in the Hill. Magaly also discussed the racial makeup of her neighborhood and its shifts over time, as well as her experiences attending bilingual education classes the first few years of her schooling. The conversation shifts to reflections on major spots of community for Puerto Ricans in New Haven, such as churches and the Coamo Social Club, where the Miss Puerto Rico Pageant started and has recently been revived. Magaly concludes the first part of her oral history with her experiences attending Southern Connecticut State University and building community with other Latinés in the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS).
-0:00-6:12 = Parents moving to New Haven from PR and NY, maternal uncles coming to New Haven first and more or less giving the all clear for the rest of the family to come
-6:13-15:35 = growing up in New Haven (mostly the Hill), dad winning the lottery and its impact on their social mobility (being able to afford a home in the Hill), parents jobs (dad worked at Electric Boat for 30+ years, mom worked at YWCA)
-15:36 - 28:41 = racial makeup of the neighborhood, attending bilingual ed classes her first few years of school (kindergarten through fourth grade), racial demographic shifts of the neighborhood she grew up (including the renovation of her high school)
-28:42-36:54 = major spots of congregation/communion for Puerto Ricans ? religious institutions like St. Peter's, St. Rose; establishment of Coamo Social Club to host things like the Miss Puerto Rico pageant; some of the major Puerto Rican leaders in New Haven
-36:55 - 50:28 = more in-depth convo about the history of the Miss Puerto Rico pageant and its recent revival (including her own participation)
-50:29-1:01:28 = attending college at Southern Connecticut State University, and being a part of OLAS (Organization of Latin American Students)
Part 2 Summary
In the second part of her oral history, Magaly walks through her life after graduating from Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), with a degree in communications in December 1994. First, she worked for Leadership Education and Athletics in Partnership (LEAP), a nonprofit organization providing tutoring, arts programming, and other extracurriculars for students in New Haven, ranging from kindergarten through high school. While labor-intensive, Magaly looks back at her four years working in their development office with fondness, as she was serving Puerto Rican and African American students not unlike herself in the Hill (as well as the Westille, Newhalville, and Fair Haven neighborhoods), providing them with educational opportunities and support networks she wishes she would've had at their age.
From there, Magaly transitioned into a few other jobs in New Haven (Knights of Columbus, then Yale New Haven Hospital) before working seven years as an institutional advancement officer at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Magaly also recalls her time here with great affection, recalling her extensive work with alumni affairs at the community college, as well as supporting the Latiné student organization, the Association of Latin American Students (ALAS). Building on her time with OLAS at SCSU, she was grateful to provide mentorship to current generations of Latiné students, while returning to school herself to receive her masters in Business Administration from Walden University.
Following an administrative shift at Housatonic, Magaly went back and forth working between New Haven and Bridgeport, working at the United Way of Greater New Haven, the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition, and Ion Bank, before obtaining her current position at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, as a development manager.
Magaly concludes the second session of her oral history by discussing her work with Puerto Ricans United, Inc. Until 2010, Puerto Rican parades in New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport, and other cities were linked together by a state chapter. Around 2010, infighting caused fractures, prompting cities to break off from one another. In 2015, Joe Rodriguez recruited Magaly and her husband, as well as 14 other volunteers, to bring back the Puerto Rican parade and festival back to New Haven. The festival has successfully returned to the city, and has provided Magaly and other members of the board with the opportunity to provide programming that, from her perspective, wouldn't have been possible with previous administrations. For example, she cites honoring community figures like Alisa Bowens-Mercado, director, choreographer, and owner of Alisa's House of Salsa, who, as an African-American woman, has been warmly embraced as an honorary Boricua for her community work with salsa. Cajigas concludes with emphasizing her desire to support other Latina wishing to become professionals.
-Part 1: Tuesday, January 16, 2024
-Part 2: February 12, 2024
Location of interview: online via TheirStory (Parts 1 and 2)
Duration:
-Part 1: 1 hour, 1 minute, 30 seconds
-Part 2: 1 hour, 42 seconds
Part 1 Summary
In the first part of this oral history, Magaly Cajigas covers a wide range of topics. Born September 29, 1977 in New Haven, Magaly's parents migrated from the towns of Cayey (dad) and Coamo (mom) in Puerto Rico to New Haven. Her father initially went to New York before joining friends to settle in New Haven in the early 1970s, while her mother moved straight to New Haven to live with her brothers (who'd been working as laborers in Hamden) before meeting Magaly's father and marrying him in 1971.
Magaly then discusses growing up in New Haven, living primarily in the Hill neighborhood, and experiencing some upward mobility when her father won the lottery in the early 1980s and was able to purchase a home in the Hill. Magaly also discussed the racial makeup of her neighborhood and its shifts over time, as well as her experiences attending bilingual education classes the first few years of her schooling. The conversation shifts to reflections on major spots of community for Puerto Ricans in New Haven, such as churches and the Coamo Social Club, where the Miss Puerto Rico Pageant started and has recently been revived. Magaly concludes the first part of her oral history with her experiences attending Southern Connecticut State University and building community with other Latinés in the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS).
-0:00-6:12 = Parents moving to New Haven from PR and NY, maternal uncles coming to New Haven first and more or less giving the all clear for the rest of the family to come
-6:13-15:35 = growing up in New Haven (mostly the Hill), dad winning the lottery and its impact on their social mobility (being able to afford a home in the Hill), parents jobs (dad worked at Electric Boat for 30+ years, mom worked at YWCA)
-15:36 - 28:41 = racial makeup of the neighborhood, attending bilingual ed classes her first few years of school (kindergarten through fourth grade), racial demographic shifts of the neighborhood she grew up (including the renovation of her high school)
-28:42-36:54 = major spots of congregation/communion for Puerto Ricans ? religious institutions like St. Peter's, St. Rose; establishment of Coamo Social Club to host things like the Miss Puerto Rico pageant; some of the major Puerto Rican leaders in New Haven
-36:55 - 50:28 = more in-depth convo about the history of the Miss Puerto Rico pageant and its recent revival (including her own participation)
-50:29-1:01:28 = attending college at Southern Connecticut State University, and being a part of OLAS (Organization of Latin American Students)
Part 2 Summary
In the second part of her oral history, Magaly walks through her life after graduating from Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), with a degree in communications in December 1994. First, she worked for Leadership Education and Athletics in Partnership (LEAP), a nonprofit organization providing tutoring, arts programming, and other extracurriculars for students in New Haven, ranging from kindergarten through high school. While labor-intensive, Magaly looks back at her four years working in their development office with fondness, as she was serving Puerto Rican and African American students not unlike herself in the Hill (as well as the Westille, Newhalville, and Fair Haven neighborhoods), providing them with educational opportunities and support networks she wishes she would've had at their age.
From there, Magaly transitioned into a few other jobs in New Haven (Knights of Columbus, then Yale New Haven Hospital) before working seven years as an institutional advancement officer at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Magaly also recalls her time here with great affection, recalling her extensive work with alumni affairs at the community college, as well as supporting the Latiné student organization, the Association of Latin American Students (ALAS). Building on her time with OLAS at SCSU, she was grateful to provide mentorship to current generations of Latiné students, while returning to school herself to receive her masters in Business Administration from Walden University.
Following an administrative shift at Housatonic, Magaly went back and forth working between New Haven and Bridgeport, working at the United Way of Greater New Haven, the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition, and Ion Bank, before obtaining her current position at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, as a development manager.
Magaly concludes the second session of her oral history by discussing her work with Puerto Ricans United, Inc. Until 2010, Puerto Rican parades in New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport, and other cities were linked together by a state chapter. Around 2010, infighting caused fractures, prompting cities to break off from one another. In 2015, Joe Rodriguez recruited Magaly and her husband, as well as 14 other volunteers, to bring back the Puerto Rican parade and festival back to New Haven. The festival has successfully returned to the city, and has provided Magaly and other members of the board with the opportunity to provide programming that, from her perspective, wouldn't have been possible with previous administrations. For example, she cites honoring community figures like Alisa Bowens-Mercado, director, choreographer, and owner of Alisa's House of Salsa, who, as an African-American woman, has been warmly embraced as an honorary Boricua for her community work with salsa. Cajigas concludes with emphasizing her desire to support other Latina wishing to become professionals.
Interviewer:
Amanda Rivera
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