Fall 2023
3rd Edition
NOVIDADES A Newsletter Published By
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elcome to our NOVIDADES fall newsletter from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) at Fresno State. We are happy to feature many of our events and programs throughout the Summer and the first part of the Fall Semester. The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (JCAST), of which PBBI is proudly a part, as our Institute (PBBI) is a program of three colleges: JCAST, CAH (College of Arts and Humanities), and COSS (College of Social Science), sent four students to the University of the Azores and hosted four students from the University of the Azores. These were month-long internships. It was a magnificent experience for the students and many folks in our Portuguese-American community who were able to connect with them. It was fantastic to see the media coverage of this exchange program and many community members on both NOVIDADESA Newsletter on both sides of the Atlantic who received the students in their homes. We hope to continue with this program and to expand other disciplines. This is truly a unique opportunity that extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Our Central California Portuguese-American Oral History Project, with over 70 recordings registered that are now being transcribed and worked to be placed on the PBBI oral history page of the Fresno State’s Library Special Collections, is the most extensive Portuguese-American Oral History Collection in the Western United States. We have just launched our second documentary, and we will continue to gather oral histories and work on other documentaries and publications based on this growing collection. Bruma Publications, the publishing arm of PBBI continues its partnership with Edições Letras Lavadas in the Azores, and our collection of publications is growing. Both of our two new online platforms, https://novidadesnewsletter.news/ and https:// filamentosarteseletras.art/ have been great tools to connect with the Portuguese-American community, with the islands, with our students, faculty, staff, and administration, as well as connect communities in various parts of the US and Canada. We are looking forward to continuing with a very innovative lecture and conference series that builds bridges and brings new ideas and opportunities to our students, staff, faculty, administration, and the community at large. All our events, online and in-person, are always open to the public. Stay tuned as we look forward to bringing more information regarding such programs as our Cátedra Natália Correia (already in action), ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance), The Cagarro Colloquium, the Alfred Lewis Reading Series, the HUB/PBBI project of teaching language and culture through short stories, and an upcoming Young Portuguese-American Leadership Academy with the sponsorship of the California Portuguese-American Coalition, among many other exciting projects. We thank the Luso-American Development Foundation for their continued support, as well as community members, and our very successful 2023 Crowdfunding grassroots community fundraiser that collected over 26 thousand in donations. Thanks to all who have worked diligently on behalf of the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute at Fresno State.
Diniz Borges
Founding Director
in this issue
Director’s Message Oral History Books from PBBI Untold Stories PBBI events summary PEOple are talking
Passing the Torch: An Oral History Essay by Alisha Calixtro Lopez Nancy Marie Cardoso was born in June of 1985 in Artesia, California, given the birth name of Nancy Marie Nunez. She says that there is no real story behind her name other than the fact that her mother worked with a woman who had that name. Nancy’s earliest memories of the Portuguese-American community were of how much her parents were involved. Seeing how her father was the president of the Hall, she spent so much time there running around and playing to the point where she had the layout memorized. Being so involved with the community, she thought everyone lived like that, not realizing it was only due to her Portuguese-American descent. Her parents migrated to the United States separately because they migrated before meeting one another. Relatives, knowing that they could succeed in California helped Nancy’s mother leave Terceira at the age of 14. In the hopes of a better life, she went to high school, stayed in Tulare, and worked in the dairies until she married. Nancy’s father came to California at the age of 16, looking to escape the army’s drafting in the 60’s. Most of her father’s family stayed behind in Terceira, while some went to Boston, Massachusetts. Her father never did school here, but he began to work in hopes of a better life. Nancy’s father initially came to Tulare, but her father’s few relatives in Artesia promised him and his sibling jobs, so they soon moved there. After Nancy’s mother and father got married, her mother soon moved to Artesia to be with her now husband.
Her mother constantly reminds Nancy that she went to high school in the United States to learn English, not really learning the curriculum. Her mother finds it essential to mention this because Nancy is a high school teacher, and without the help of teachers, her mother wouldn’t have learned the language. This being also the case, her mother mentioned how difficult it was to work due to the lack of communication and how, in the Azores, they had little money and used eggs as a form of money. Her dad not going to school here made it a more difficult transition since he didn’t know any English, but eventually began his own business with the little amount of English he knew. This makes her proud of her parents for going through this and thriving, making a life for themselves even in the most challenging situations. Nancy believes it was essential that she was brought up with a strong sense of the Portuguese American community. She was always very involved to the point where her parents enrolled her in anything age-appropriate that involved the community. She does the same thing with her kids so they can grow up with a strong sense of Portuguese American community. Her parents would always speak Portuguese within the home and wanted her to
Novidades, 3rd Edition
reply in Portuguese as well, to the point where when Nancy got older and began to respond to them in English, they weren’t so happy about it. Her mother would only make Portuguese food within the home, and she continues this by making Portuguese food for her kids and husband, allowing her to carry on the torch.
Nancy winning the little queen as a kid was the beginning of a tradition in her family being involved in that once they’re of age. She had also been the director of the folklore group in Tulare that helps and supports events and bands, allowing them to keep the dance and skits alive. She loves keeping the traditions and culture alive to the point where her son is now growing up in the Hall like she did as a kid. Which is now bringing back memories of her childhood in the Hall. Nancy has been to Terceira about ten times, and as a kid, it was more to visit relatives. However, as she got older and went with cousins, she had a broader viewpoint and began to see things in a different light. Nancy’s parents and siblings had significant involvement in the Portuguese-American community back in Artesia, but they moved to Tulare when she was three, so she doesn’t remember that. Once they got to Tulare, they began getting involved in the Tulare and Visalia communities where she was raised in the Hall. Nancy saw it as more of a lifestyle because of this rather than an experience. Nancy being the little queen in the Visalia Festa was a massive highlight for her, and seeing how involved her kids are in the community is a proud moment for her. Knowing that they are taking in their culture and making it a lifestyle is something she is very proud of, not just within her family, but she is pleased to see it within the entire community. In seeing it as a lifestyle, she is constantly busy and is used to being active and on the go, thinking it has shaped her personality. She thinks it makes her more well-rounded and correlates with her job because it allows her to do all these different things. Nancy understands that although she was born in California, she sees herself as Portuguese because her culture means everything to her. She doesn’t want it to be something bottled away and wants it to be something known, allowing it to shine through. She one day wants to see this within her kids as well. She currently considers the Portuguese-American community flourishing because it used to be those who immigrated carrying on the traditions. Still, now, it is the first generation who has taken it upon their shoulders to carry the torch. She hopes to see this continue throughout future generations, wishing to know the love and passion for their culture to live on and thrive for years.
Books from PBBI Bruma Publications from the Press at California State University Fresno has published four books with Letras Lavadas in Ponta Delgada, Açores. These four books are part of an ongoing publication series that Bruma Publications from the Portuguese beyond Borders Institute is committed to publishing, including an upcoming translation of a book focusing on the History of the Azores and translation of contemporary Portuguese and lusophone poets and anthologies. The books are available in Portugal through the online service of Letras Lavadas and in many bookstores in the Azores for those who visit the islands. You can now get these books in the US through the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute at Fresno State. We can deliver anywhere through the US mail service. Please look at the books and the prices. All Checks must be made to Fresno State Foundation. Payment must be received in advance. Please allow three weeks from the date the order is received for shipping and handling. We want to thank SATA and especially its representative here in California, Zeto Carvalho, and friends in the community who have collaborated on the transportation of the books to Central California.
Second PBBI Documentary of the Series Untold Stories The Central San Joaquim Valley, in California, has been home to a large community of immigrants that, throughout the last hundred and 150 years, have made their way from the islands of the Azores in the North Atlantic to this fertile American Valley. Here in Central California, these immigrants and their descendants continued with their traditions and culture and incorporated elements of the American dream into the celebrations brought over by the various waves of immigration. Untold Stories: The Portuguese Festa in Central California is a sh ort documentary on these religious and cultural celebrations that, in many towns of the Central Valley, have become symbols of identity, cultural manifestations, solidarity, social bondage, and above all, creators of bridges with other ethnicities and cultures. Through the storyline of the elements composing a typical FESTA, one becomes acquainted with how, through a strong alliance between tradition and innovation, a festival that began in Portugal in medieval times still has a strong presence in California’s 21st century.
PBBI events summary During the Summer and the first part of the Fall of 2023 PBBI, Fresno State had a pact lecture and conference series with partners in the community, such as the California Portuguese-American Coalition, PALCUS, The Azorean Immigrant’s Association, the Direção Regional das Comunidades, the Luso- American Education Foundation, the Carnegie Museum of Kings County, and the Tulare City Historical Museum, among others we were able to put forth a very productive summer program and Fall programs. We are happy to document some of the events here in NOVIDADES.
Novidades, 3rd Edition
PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT PBBI-FRESNO STATE: Here are a couple of testimonials about PBBI-Fresno State. If you would like to give us your opinion, please send us an e-mail to dborges@mail.fresnostate.edu “The future of PBBI-Fresno is very bright. The Oral History program plans to include more community partnerships and publications, the archival process continues at the Fresno State Library Portuguese American Collection, and preparation for the 2024 Lecture and Conference Series is underway, with exciting presentations that I look forward to listening to. This is a one-of-a-kind program, not just in California but in the US.“
“The PBBI at Fresno State is preeminent in its invaluable documentation of the history and culture of Luso/a America, particularly in California. Its creative and thorough promotion of our achievements, whether from immigrants to America from the Lusophone world or the subsequent generations, fills an often-overlooked gap in the national story. Moreover, PBBI features an admirable breadth of inclusion, providing platforms, programs, and documentation for those in the sciences, education, business, or the arts. I have participated with great joy and appreciation in several events. I send kudos to those doing the invaluable work of celebrating and organizing no less than a rich part of the American story.”
Jim Costa (Member of Congress)
“The Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) came into my life early in 2019, when I was asked to do a reading of my work at Fresno State in what would turn out to be one of the first of such events under the newly created moniker. It was glorious! Since then, I have been both a giver and recipient of the multi-talented offerings from Diniz Borges and PBBI. Being a third-generation Portuguese American, with much pride in my ancestry but still missing a great deal of knowledge concerning both the Acores and mainland Portugal, I continue to be amazed at the offerings of PBBI over the past three years. Please keep the flow of knowledge coming in the years to come, Mr. Borges, and whomever needs encouragement along those lines. My respect and awe!“
Katherine Vaz, author Her forthcoming novel Above the Salt will be out on November 7th. “The Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute from Fresno State emerged just before the pandemic and in many ways has become a great forum engaging Portuguese Americans isolated in their home in a national conversation on topics of interest to all of us as an ethnic community. The initiatives have contributed to making us more aware of our history and the great potential we have in our hands as a community. May the PBBI continue its pioneering service, having an online university where we all take great courses about us for free.”
Sam Pereira (Poet and Educator) Onésimo Almeida, Brown University
Novidades, 3rd Edition “PBBI-FLAD’s Portuguese Oral History Project at Fresno State benefits the students at our Media, Communications, and Journalism Department significantly. It provides valuable hands-on experience for our students, where they learn how to produce professional video interviews and gain an understanding of working on a client project while also learning about the Portuguese culture and the Portuguese-American Legacy in California. It provides our students with a wealth of information and experiences that contribute to the mainstreaming of the Portuguese-American culture in California. “
Candace Egan, Professor at the Media, Communication and Journalism Department at Fresno State
PBBI-Fresno States brings us together and fosters a sense of identity and community. Esmeralda Cabral, Portuguese-Canadian Author
UNTOLD STORIES
Portuguese-Americans Along The 99 Corridor
“I think that spirit--I love to travel--is part of that spirit of the Portuguese during the years of the discoveries when they got on ships, when everyone thought the end of the world was flat.”
Richard Machad, Agricultural Businessman “You can’t ever take the boy off the farm. came to come to the U.S., we did that.” Agriculture is still a big part of my life.”
Follow us on our digital platform www.novidadesnewsletter.news
“Life was very difficult and challenging. You worked very hard just to survive. So when opportunities “You can’t ever take the boy off the farm. came to come to the U.S., we did that.”
