Puerto Rican – Chicagolandia

Hada Matías

Interviewed June 21, 2023

Hada Matías was born in Dover, New Jersey and grew up in Elgin, Illinois. In this interview, she examines her family’s Puerto Rican heritage and her own racial identity. She shares insights into her childhood and her growth as a trans woman and a human being. She also explains the challenges and joys of being trans in the United States today.

In this clip, Hada explains her family’s origins in Puerto Rico and shares memories from her uncle’s restaurant, Pat’s Grill.

In this clip, Hada explains how her feminity became a problem in her family, forcing her to hide herself.

In this clip, Hada explains how she went from “living in survival mode” to finding identity, healthcare, and community.

In this powerful clip, Hada shares the joys and challenges of being trans. She also talks about the importance of mutual respect and education, as well as the specific relationship between the cisgender Latinx and trans communities.

In this clip, Hada explains how, at age 17, she traveled to Japan to fulfill a lifelong dream. She also talks about the worries and lessons that came from a recent trip to visit family in Puerto Rico.

All, Elgin, English, Kane County, Puerto Rican, Story, Video Based

Tony Figueroa

Waukegan community leader, interviewed 2022

Tony Figueroa describes his parents’ lives in Puerto Rico and their arrival to Waukegan, Illinois in the 1940s. The Figueroas were among the earliest Puerto Rican migrants to the Chicago area.

Tony Figueroa describes his father’s experience working in foundries in Waukegan. He remembers the vibrant African American neighborhood where he and many other Puerto Ricans lived.

Tony Figueroa describes the founding of the Puerto Rican Society in the 1950s and its development into one of Waukegan’s most important organizations under the leadership of Edwin Montano and others.

English, Lake County, Puerto Rican, Story, Video Based, Waukegan