Angel Garcia and Selena Garcia

00:01 My name is Selena Garcia. I am 22 years old. Today is Monday, September 20th. We are in Wilmington, North Carolina. My interview partner is name on Hill. He is my boss, isn't there? His final group. My name is Angel Garcia. I am 36 years old today is day is Monday. September 20th. We are recording in Wilmington, North Carolina. My interview partner is Selena and I am her colleague as a Hispanic.

00:32 St.joe. I know we just met each other like this year, which I thought was really interesting, considering I asked you to do this with me. But when, and where were you born? Yes, so I was born in Managua, Nicaragua in 1985. So Central America right in the middle of the continent, in the mist of Civil War. Tell my childhood memories are pretty turbulent and violent, but I love my country country. Actually, it's meaningless. And now what the enemy means land of lakes and volcanoes. So I thought that was pretty. Pretty awesome. Always are your parents from there? They have your family. Always been from there, as well. Yeah. Both parents are from Managua.

01:29 And we traced back, probably.

01:34 Outside my mother's family is right outside of the capital in a city called Caruso and my father's. That's where I get my grandfather's side of the family, is where I get my indigenous side from the total. They got tribe of Southern Annika Daiwa, but probably will go back to her. My grandfather grandmother is probably the oldest out of my Tariq family, so long, as I know, I sound feel like multiple years, so funny enough my mother so I can cut a. So there is a city called Lydia and did, he is cool as to that, which is funny because as will talk privately in a little bit, we both.

02:30 Are part of of this Faith which is commonly or I should say bold really prefer to us, you know, Santa t.i. Which is which Witchcraft. And that's one of the main Traditions. I think the faith indigenous afro diasporic faith in a place where mainstream is Christianity and Catholicism. So that tradition come from on my triarco house. So always the tradition of going to the Elder, the Elder being the highest-ranking woman in the family. That's normally a tradition. I was lucky to be

03:14 Living with elder until 2011 when she passed. So it's fun. It's fun to have everybody. Come to you rather than you go to places and Vanessa and I get tired of going out a lot or going to people but what was it like growing it growing up in it? Like I know you said that sometimes it was hard especially with the way that they referred to like. What year like faith is. Well, I think I had a pretty house. A do you send household pretty typical household my father and my granddad would work Monday through Saturday.

03:59 You know, I'm 7:38 a.m. All the way to 6 7 p.m. So I was essentially with my grandma Mina until I went to school and came back being second.

04:18 Ms of 80s. And the only male until my brother was born in 20.

04:30 What year was he? His 20 years younger than me. So, that always has a little different, I guess Dynamic to the family. So it was always, I have to be the role model. I have to do what men are supposed to do. The provider etcetera, etcetera. So it's always All Eyez on Me.

04:56 But at the end you not think my when it comes to the house hole, we weren't rich, not necessarily poor, but I never had, I never miss food. Even sometimes it will be a pretty in a tortilla with cheese and growing up. My will be like, oh my gosh, this is so sad. Now days is like when I get time. So it's time for your face is melancholic. But like I said before, it's a pretty violent. A lot of gangs. I I actually was I walked with the neighborhood gang, which is that then one of the reasons why I am here today, I think of my mother and migrated to the states to Miami, Florida in the year 1987 when I was too.

05:51 So, my Recollections of my mom before I met her in 2000, we're just phone calls, snail, mail, letters, photo albums, things like that, my older sister, so I can make sure I'm second debate, my older sister funny, a migrated when I was five. So it's actually since 5 I be in the oldest, right? And so again, the enhance responsibility to care for my sister's, take them to school, walk them to school, do the homework with them at that, but I was getting too involved thing, and straight life. And I think my my dad and my mom said, you know,

06:39 If not now it's going to get dangerous for him. And I'm fortunate that I'm here. Where did you think you would see yourself when you were in that time? Where did you think you would be at now? So, I know for for a fact that I would be either boxing cuz my dad is a boxing promoter. I play basketball play for the junior national team was Mike that way. So, I will be probably some sort of coach at a look at a public university in Nicaragua. If not, you know, overseas in Costa Rica or Mexico, but definitely one of those two lesbian

07:31 I've grown with athletes my whole life until basketball. Boxing has been my passion. I would say.

07:42 I'm pretty nerdy. So.

07:46 My II did schooling until tenth grade and I was from 5th grade up the best student in my school. So that game that came that that's a, that's a blessing that I have until I probably could be teaching, which is not far from what I'm doing now. So, you know, you were like walking with this Lake will physically Industries season.

08:19 The conflict in a very well could be that made you really go towards that. I think protection gangsing, where I'm from a different than the certificate definition of gangs or even what we see in.

08:40 America's social political climate for us. It was more of a somehow Generations before us there was this Turf War so you can call him eventually the political designation of the neighborhoods, which is funny because it was almost like a little Bolder meaning between neighborhoods and those beef. I do, you know, somebody cheated on somebody else. Somebody robbed. Somebody doesn't mean a deal gone wrong. Those type of things. Any became a well, if you're walking with those people, you are not welcome here. They will come in people from different neighborhoods or neighboring. Communities will

09:38 What's the word? Vandalize, other neighborhood? So, I thought, in those type of things in, when I joined, it was more of a, let's protect our neighborhood from those type of actions and the younger ones. Younger, especially boys, younger boys would be bullied by the older neighbor in a group. So I have to walk 9 blocks to go to school and in those nine blocks. I will cross over the neighborhood. So sometimes it was still nice school supplies, or if I'm drinking soda that will steal my sodas. I remember I remember being my mother sent me.

10:38 A baseball hat with the Atlanta Braves and she lives in Atlanta for a few years. And of course, I mean, I listening to my dad who said, hey, don't take stuff out, especially things that look nice. I put it on just to show off to my friends were playing basketball, had a local court. And two guys just came in.

11:06 Just drive me right there and then just took that away from me and it looks to say my dad had a few things to say, I still feel.

11:16 The belt in the back but those are the things that Drew me into it like liquid my mom or what? My dad got me. Cuz it's almost like a token of their love is a cool because at least I didn't have the childhood that nowadays. Let's say my siblings had, I didn't have because we had to work and we have to care for one another as early as I remember 11, 12 years. You're already working doing something for the house, you know, doing running the errands. There was not a where you would consider a childhood, right? And so your parents would put a lot of

12:10 Expectations, are you at the very least to always help especially if you're the older sibling and to eventually do what you're told and saw that piece I think was

12:26 What gives me now perspective, it's

12:33 Knowing knowing what to do or no, and was supposed to mean quotes. What the right thing is. Sometimes is boring. Sometimes, it's just responsibility asking you to bid this complain about it. And, you know, that's, that's if anything's my childhood left me that memory is, you know, what to do, even though it's not the, you know, to do or the sexy thing to do. Sometimes it will lead you into a better place in the future.

13:07 Yeah, so how did your faith evolve over time though? Because I grew up in a

13:18 So my, my immediate family.

13:22 We're all evangelicals Jehovah's Witnesses and my grandmother. The Elder of the family. Send me the Catholic church and

13:40 So I grew up Catholic, I grew up Roman Catholic. And since I have memory and I was here, and I'll start boy between fourth grade and seventh grade. Until I figure out that you can, I have family and then I put. But when I finally understood what that meant, probably 10 years ago, my mother and my grandmother had already passed and inside the meaning of that is that as I evolve into my current Faith tradition, which is enough for a diet, afro diasporic tradition, call you Felicia.

14:20 Catholicism. And if I were to share, are known to be a syncretism, meaning that they are in a symbiotic relationship, a precious relationship, and on the list, but they aligned based on beliefs and, and

14:42 And so, it was almost as if my grandmother was preparing me for my spiritual Evolution, because being any other of my family's Faith would have completely took me the different way.

15:00 And so, when I got here, my mother a, practitioner a priestess, you, you're under my roof to practice what I practice. And the first couple years, very skeptical and a sigh is started. Evolving spiritually, meaning feeling the intuition feeling the company. When I was alone, feeling the voices and almost a attraction for Natural Energy. It's when I finally started making sense of

15:40 I love my grandma was up to something. Something in my name. It's another q because I'm the only angel in my family, the only angel after my disease. And so later in life. When I was a teenager. I found out that there is just believe that I can be here in Carnation at Monk.

16:04 And I know you said that at first, you were pretty skeptical when it first started, but now since you're deeper into that, has there ever been a time where, like, you felt your faith being tested?

16:14 I think.

16:18 Like what were the challenges did? It affect your face? Like that is impacted. Anyway, I don't think of anything special you in the world that we lived. In faith is what keeps me grounded. I don't think that my faith is tested is back with my face. My faith test me to be my best self at all times. And so I have never

16:50 I have never. How do I put it?

16:54 Regardless of which face, right? My face had never did, you know being away every right? Yeah. It's about. Is this the face that I'm supposed to follow until

17:08 I don't necessarily even when I try to make sense of Christianity is not for me and is not for me. And anyway, I mean, no, my moral compass has my personal values. The way that I see Justice equity in the world. It's not this doesn't align until I can be respectful. Absolutely.

17:39 But the fact that I'm not here to,

17:42 Evangelize people are turn you into my face. It's what I love about my faith. The most saying. I like I said, it is not. My faith has never been weak. I've been tested my decisions have been tested by my faith, which at the end makes me a better person. I myself have struggled because I was raised Catholic and it's not that he didn't like you like I participated did everything I needed to do. To Grandma took me to like all the classes. So they being injured, 24/7, honestly, feel like I feel like you like, I like I just didn't feel like I belonged in it and then tried Christianity on my own. This is like no one else in my family. Really does that that congratulated for doing, they taking that stuff that happened through is just like it just doesn't feel right like it's still just feels empty.

18:42 I think gas leak is one of the things I want to know. It was like the most profound like spiritual moment that you've had good. He said he haven't really had like the weakness but when the time when you felt like the strongest connection, so my title in the face, it's a one-year term allow or nother world word will be babalawo and the word bow. Women's The Interpreter of the secrets and the probably some of the most profound almost like validations that I'm doing. The right thing is when I'm able to heal others, I think

19:24 Every chance I get to interrupt pain.

19:31 Or someone's struggle with life in general. Every time I'm able to participate in the healing process of a person is beautiful. And I always, I always tell people that what I do, what I can provide, its.

19:55 It is a is a mix of everything that I've studied and everything that I say I do to to remain responsible for my face, but also my connection with my spirit and my spiritual guide. And so if I can use that, which I consider a gift or talent for the good of the people, I was pretty profound. I've been lucky week. We call got kids or got children in, Spanish will be a Hollows and I have whenever I initiate somebody or whenever somebody choose me to be their spiritual guide and I have currently six of them and my six got children.

20:43 From the moment. I met him to where they are. Now, that's pretty profound. I just to see not Nigel's their spiritual Evolution, brother, healing, the fact that they continue to. Anyway, I experienced their Journey, that doesn't change the fact that they have the mental strength in the resiliency to keep going in and going to be happy for the mundane things to enjoy the grind. It's, it's that's pretty profound to me.

21:20 How have you incorporated into your life, like into, like your work and everything you do, because you're involved in central. You just recently joined the game and it seems like you're already doing a lot of stuff with helping like the senior center Center, honestly.

21:43 I have to I've chosen, right. And I think the US dust is very elusive Nest is a butchers in in a place where we can ourselves perpetuate, the cycle of Oppression and, and professionalism. The idea of professionalism is, it says, it's an oppressive cycle. I think a lot of people will tell you, especially in colleges and universities, you know, you have to choose to be a professional in your personal. Keep your personal compartmentalize you. It is Silas you. And to your question. One of the things that I do is I myself at all times.

22:22 And I find it to be exhausting trying to be two, three, four, people just to please somebody else. I've made it here. I've made it here with my talents, with my sacrifices, and the time and commitment from my mentors, my family, my ancestors. And to be honest, trying to be somebody who I'm not. It's just a slap in their faces. So I choose to be me. If I am. I try not to. I don't look forward to be accepted. I don't look to be validated because I validate my own Journey, first and foremost and those who surround or or those who come to me, they they get to see me for who I am and I think that's her. That's my commitment to them for them to see me in my good and my bad and ugly. And if you

23:20 If you accept me for who I am.

23:23 Like I said, I'm sure my gifts will be off of service to you. And if you don't get out, I'll be happy with your favorite place. I know you said that you were just reassured by yourself in your favor. But if there's ever been any discrimination have you don't, what? There is one of the things that we teach, especially when people see, or are starting to experience a spirituality is that they feel positive presence and negative press and try. And so, when we say, my advice when people feel negative present, if not to return the negativity with more negativity and just to be humble, just to be respectful and name in it. Right? And so whenever I feel either discriminate against or attacked I named it, you know, it's a

24:23 Let's use the context of his of a face that spiritually. What it, what is a faith? What he's our religion shouldn't miss a day. Tomorrow. If it's a set of values that allows for a more respectful and dignity and Humanity at editor and all the things that the different faiths gospel for. Right? And so discrimination hate, oppression, doesn't necessarily fall under any of those values until I call it out. I use my intellect. I use my perspective. I use my experience to say,

25:01 You lack intellectual.

25:04 Integrity and you are pressing me goes against what you yourself, are practicing. And so, I don't let it.

25:16 I don't let it affect me as much as possible. If it is direct discrimination. Like I said, I call it. I use what I need to use. I don't think about retaliation until is a matter of, you know, Colleen. I don't like police either. So I try not to, but going going, what using what I got to do. Sometimes I got to carry that carry the burden, so that others, and especially those that come next behind me, don't have to experience that. So sometimes if I have to engage in HR processes, I'll do. It is not about me. It's not about me because now I have a daughter, and so if I have waited it, if I'm waiting until she is where I'm at now, then I feel

26:10 Until it is, it is now that I have to act and the other thing is it's it's people in and I'm sure most of us have her. Those people say, choose your battles. You have to choose your battles. Now. I choose I choose everybody. Everybody is worth fighting what I choose and what I mentioned, what I have control of its the angle that I approach every bottle. And so again by doing that I stay true to myself and I don't, you know, I don't rank situations. That's another thing that that if anything Rankin situations, right? Like, which one is you, no more playing the oppression Olympics, right? That that can be detrimental to my face. And so rather I choose haters. Hate oppression is oppression. Whether it attacked me directly or not. It attacks. Someone's definitely in Des Worth Fighting For.

27:09 And I know you spend know you just said it's not always about you. But I'mma make this about you. Oh, shoot. What's a general Mosley misconception? People have about you and sister to learn about this side of angel.

27:22 I think I have to ask that question more often. I don't know, and I think you've heard me say this before.

27:31 Is not necessary, but I don't care what people say about me.

27:36 It's just that if I don't give them reasons to or tools, if I don't equip them to talk about me, shoot head on me. That's as validating for my existence. Right. But I think people may think that I am that my life has been easy or that I am.

27:58 Maybe an egomaniac me, you'll always see that I'm always giving my samples, right? I'm a Storyteller. Kratz. I'm always saying me, me me me, but if people chooses to see that as a, I'm a thing, but I'm choosing is not to project into your story. I'm choosing to tell you my experience so that you can see a connection and if you connect we're in business, but that's something that I have chosen to do. It's not for everybody, but I'm role modeling for us.

28:32 And now for those that are like listening to this possibly years from now that might have like a connection with what you're saying. Is there any wisdom that you would want to give to them or advice?

28:45 Yeah, I would say, don't stop dreaming, don't give in to comfort. Don't I would say try your very best not to get to a point of regret don't regret anything. I own your experience. As whether those have been positive or detrimental to do better. I would say it is never too late to engage in healing and as your engaging healing healing others. One of my spiritual like people that look up to his doctor, Mudd Martha Molina, Vega in New York, and she says, don't ever.

29:33 Or I should say. I always see yourself in others because that can be used as I can be a brother if a family member, so someone experiencing homelessness someone without a job. Someone experiencing any of the other impressive systems in the world. Don't think that just because you're not experiencing that you're more than better than the old. Is he was helping others. It's is a pearl of wisdom that I will throw out there and if it works for you, I take sale cash up. Thank you so much for having this talk with me. I really appreciate it because it helped me out feel like a different part of you, not to get to hear more about your spiritual Nest. Cuz it's not like you said mainstream. It's nice to be able to see someone going back to their roots and ancestral ties because I feel like it now. It is to return to forget them. Everything is always going so fast with how we live our life.

30:33 Sound Society. They don't think they ever really go back and look and reflect on those from the past.

30:41 You got it.

30:46 Bonus?