Herrera, Yolanda
Part 1 of 2 and was recorded at the base of Tumamoc Hill in Tucson, Arizona on March 28th, 2018. It covers the following themes:
A brief sketch of family history. Grandparents and parents occupations.
b. 1952. Childhood in Mission Manor. Neighborhood demographics and sense of community. Playing in the Santa Cruz River. Development of Interstate-10.
Neighborhood activities in 1950s and 1960s Mission Manor. Creation of Mission Manor Park and current state of parks. Businesses in the 1950s and 1960s. Chinese markets.
Attended St. John’s through middle school, Sunnyside for high school. Differences between Catholic and public education.
Language, food, and family dynamics.
Church and religion.
Walking.
Strict family and the challenges of dating. Sense of civic duty.
Work during high school. Urban renewal. Safety.
Declining sense of community in Mission Manor.
Halloween during the 1950s.
Father’s dislike of protest activism.
Vietnam War’s effect on Herrera’s brother.
Lack of identification with Women’s Movement in 1970s.
Employment after high school: West Cap, Apollo Carpets.
Expectation of marriage in high school. Living at home until marriage.
Part 2 of 2 and was recorded at the base of Tumamoc Hill in Tucson, Arizona on April 18th, 2018. It covers the following themes:
Work in the floor covering industry during the early 1970s. Experience as the first female forklift driver in Tucson. Working in male fields. Workplace discrimination, sexual harassment.
Stint as a UPS driver in 1981.
Women’s gradual acceptance in blue collar and police jobs.
Being a multiply-employed, single parent during the 1970s and 1980s.
Welfare application experience in the 1980s.
Sense of community and neighborhood as a young parent in Mission Manor during the 1970s and 1980s.
Mission Manor community in 2018.
Interior design with Floorworks in 1990s. Contrasting workplace experience between 1990s and 1970s.
Dealing with sexual harassment.
Seeking a less stressful life.
Sense of independence and activism.
Volunteering at TMC with alcohol and drug diversion program.
Volunteer on Community Justice Boards in late 1990s.
TCE contamination in Mission Manor water supply. Parents’ and siblings’ activism starting in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Herrara’s role on the United Community Advisory Board from the mid 1990s. Other environmental toxins and municipal abatement programs. 1,4 dioxane. Mediating between government and neighborhood. Federal environmental deregulation under Trump administration.
Urban growth in Tucson. Friendship with Cele Peterson. Historic preservation.
Commercial landscape and community. Trends in homebuilding. Replacement of local builders by national builders. Changes in flooring.