Catalog ID:
ORH-006-0005
Creator:
Franco, Jose Humberto
Archives Field 21:
AUDIO Click to Play
Scope & Content:
Born in 1952 in Cayey, Puerto Rico, Jose Humberto Franco moved to Bridgeport in 1968 with his mother and three brothers when was 15 years old. His mother came initially in 1966 for his oldest brother to receive cancer treatment. Humberto Franco's mother returned in 1968,subsequently divorced his father, and moved the four boys to Bridgeport. Humberto Franco's oldest brother unfortunately succumbed to his leukemia a year after their permanent move to Bridgeport in 1969, at around 19-20 years old.
The family lived in a few different neighborhoods. First, they lived on West Avenue on the West Side, before moving to Father Panik Village on the East Side. Humberto Franco and his mother were able to buy a house collectively in 1975 in the West Side, which stayed in the family for two generations.
Humberto Franco attended Bassick High School, and after graduation in 1972, went to work for Bryant Electric, like his mother and second oldest brother. Bryant Electric evidently hired multiple Latinx folks, as Humberto Franco worked with not only other Puerto Ricans, but also Cubans and Mexicans. He stayed with the company for sixteen years, before leaving when the
company closed its Bridgeport factory in 1988. From there, Humberto Franco worked at Sikorsky Aircraft until 1995, then transitioned to DuPont and Siemens Healthcare before ultimately retiring in 2018.
Humberto Franco describes a difficult transition to Bridgeport, including but not limited to the eventual passing of his brother, multiple socioeconomic transitions, complicated encounters with racism in the United States, and sexual harassment experienced by his mother* upon moving to Bridgeport. Humberto Franco discusses his mixed feelings towards the United States: frustration at what he endured upon arriving to Bridgeport, appreciation for having been able to mobilize socioeconomically (for his sake and the sake of his wife and daughters), and disagreement with contemporary critiques of the United States' perpetuation of institutionalized racism (such as CRT/critical race theory).
*Researchers, please be advised that some listeners may find these details disturbing
The family lived in a few different neighborhoods. First, they lived on West Avenue on the West Side, before moving to Father Panik Village on the East Side. Humberto Franco and his mother were able to buy a house collectively in 1975 in the West Side, which stayed in the family for two generations.
Humberto Franco attended Bassick High School, and after graduation in 1972, went to work for Bryant Electric, like his mother and second oldest brother. Bryant Electric evidently hired multiple Latinx folks, as Humberto Franco worked with not only other Puerto Ricans, but also Cubans and Mexicans. He stayed with the company for sixteen years, before leaving when the
company closed its Bridgeport factory in 1988. From there, Humberto Franco worked at Sikorsky Aircraft until 1995, then transitioned to DuPont and Siemens Healthcare before ultimately retiring in 2018.
Humberto Franco describes a difficult transition to Bridgeport, including but not limited to the eventual passing of his brother, multiple socioeconomic transitions, complicated encounters with racism in the United States, and sexual harassment experienced by his mother* upon moving to Bridgeport. Humberto Franco discusses his mixed feelings towards the United States: frustration at what he endured upon arriving to Bridgeport, appreciation for having been able to mobilize socioeconomically (for his sake and the sake of his wife and daughters), and disagreement with contemporary critiques of the United States' perpetuation of institutionalized racism (such as CRT/critical race theory).
*Researchers, please be advised that some listeners may find these details disturbing
Interviewer:
Interviewed by Amanda Rivera
Dates of Creation:
2024-02-19
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