SBCC Vaquero Voices

Episode 24 - Alondra Gonzales

Episode Summary

Akil and Hong welcome Alondra to the show to talk about the Food Pantry transitioning into the Basic Needs Center, what it was like conducting food deliveries at the height of the pandemic a few months after the birth of her baby, and growing up in Santa Barbara; from there, the trio discuss Mexican candy, Yona Redz, and Dia de Los Muertos.

Episode Notes

Mentioned in this episode:

SBCC Basic Needs Center - https://www.sbcc.edu/equity/foodpantry.php

Parking Lot Food Pick-Up - https://keyt.com/news/santa-barbara-s-county/2020/04/29/food-pantry-drive-thru-helps-santa-barbara-city-college-students-during-covid-19/

Food Bank of Santa Barbara - https://foodbanksbc.org/

CalFresh - https://www.getcalfresh.org/

Bracero Program - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracero_program

SBCC EOPS - https://www.sbcc.edu/eopscare/

Incarcerated students earn degrees from Cal State LA - https://news.calstatela.edu/2021/10/07/incarcerated-students-earn-cal-state-la-degrees-at-first-of-its-kind-commencement-in-a-california-state-prison/

Mexican Candy Primer - https://www.seriouseats.com/mexican-snacks-introduction

Mexican Candy Primer 2 - https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/best-mexican-candy

Conchas - https://www.acozykitchen.com/conchas-pan-dulce

Fruta Loca - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsJQxbzgOV8

Coco - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_(2017_film)

Alebrijes - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alebrije

 Adolfo Corral - https://www.edhat.com/news/mary-jane-adolfo-corral

Lead in Mexican Candy - https://www.kltv.com/story/2702425/candy-containing-lead-found-at-local-grocery-stores/

Yona Redz - https://www.yonaredz.com/

Las Cronicas del Taco - https://www.netflix.com/title/81040704

Los Originales Tacos Arabes de Puebla - https://www.yelp.com/biz/los-originales-tacos-arabes-de-puebla-los-angeles

Red Pozole - https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/posole-rojo-recipe-2119122

Cabo Seafood Grill and Cantina - https://www.caboox.com/

Día de los Muertos - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

St. Francis Dam - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Francis_Dam

Chinese Ancestor Worship - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestor_veneration_in_China

The Book of Life - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Life_(2014_film)

Marigold Cultural Significance - 

http://heritagegarden.uic.edu/marigold-tagetes

Episode Transcription

Captions provided by Zoom

 

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Hong Lieu: hello, and welcome to another episode of SBCC Vaquero Voices - a podcast highlighting unique voices that comprise our campus culture, and how we're all working together to serve our students and the community at large. As usual, i'm joined by my co host to Akil hill.

 

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Akil Hill: what's good.

 

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Hong Lieu: And today, we are honored to welcome alondra Gonzalez to the show welcome alondra.

 

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Akil Hill: Well, welcome.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Thank you for having me it was about time to be quite honest i've been waiting.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: For my key oh hey, would you be interested my boy i've been waiting.

 

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Hong Lieu: Waiting we're excited.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The future we're.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: going to be featured in this.

 

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Hong Lieu: here.

 

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Hong Lieu: we're happy to have you here.

 

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Akil Hill: Absolutely we're definitely happy to have you here, and then you know what we say, is everything is how it's supposed to be so it's meant for you right now in this moment.

 

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Akil Hill: Yes, you.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: know before I go somewhere.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right, yes, say that.

 

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Hong Lieu: God would say that the timing is good, though, because you know recently you underwent you know the transition from being the food pantry should now the basic need Center.

 

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Hong Lieu: So with that comes with like an expansion of scope, I mean a kind of just implies you're doing a lot more a lot more going on, so if you.

 

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Hong Lieu: Can kind of break down what that tradition is like or what what is different now or maybe not as different you just realize that you serve the comedian so many ways, just on what you were doing already you know so.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right, so if for those y'all don't remember the food pantry actually literally started as a small little pantry like a couple shows have been lps to what it is today it's an actual.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: almost like a shopping experience for folks when they come in a check in register and grab their basket and grab all the items that they want to take home for the day and.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Even before this particular Center the basic needs Center which located and ECC 14.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And it used to be a trailer and before that little trailer it was like almost like a little shack where you were limited to only getting four items right so now that folks.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: are able to get even one item of everything you can basically Center with literally two to three grocery is filled with food, vegetables and.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: fruits and what super cool now is that the food pantry garden is right behind us so we're actually bringing stuff from there.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: On to the basic needs Center and folks get really excited to know that some of those fruits and vegetables that they're taking is grown in our own sacred land super cool to even have that available bit.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I think need centers that just a food pantry are taking donations for loves closet and that's something that started from the idea of previous.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: dude who thought that it'd be a good idea to have a gentle use those for other students right and in times of need, so we are currently taking donations and it should be.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And we use and or new because our to give students, a better quality of things that we're offering now before he used to be like.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: rundown clothes, or some type of trash that we were holding and we don't want to do that anymore, we want to really give the students, a better experience and what we're.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: offering them and then the last service that we are offering is calfresh so calfresh is a federal.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: program be able to buy food from the grocery stores or the farmers market on a monthly basis where they get money loaded into an e BT card, which is kind of like a debit card that they can use and so those are the services, but everything is expanded from there.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And you know we we love to see our students come in every day they didn't know where the food pantry and the basic needs centers at and slowly but surely they are you know.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So it's cool to see that are coming in in in finding out and being super impressive how huge the food pantry now looks and if you haven't seen it you go into our instagram pages and see.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: videos of what it looks like inside but let alone, you should come over and check it out for yourself as well.

 

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Hong Lieu: yeah I definitely walk through there yesterday I was like y'all are stacked now y'all loaded like.

 

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Hong Lieu: um you got fresh baguettes you got like all kinds of cakes and pastries and you to end you got the staple foods too so it's like a mix of like.

 

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Hong Lieu: Essential foods, along with like extra like treats you know, like because that was the stuff that was always missing when I was when we would get food growing up was like you only get the basics, you only get the.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: staples.

 

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Hong Lieu: You don't have room for anything else but y'all got the truth there to that little extra bonuses there that's that's kind of that helps people lot is to have a little that little bonus on top is always a.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: nice day and we do have the microwaves and utensils and even a.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: cured machine if folks want to make themselves of coffee, we have to cut their the creamer that sugar so it's more so if the student is hungry, they can eat right then and there or combine it and.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: warm up fruit just yesterday a student came by and said, you know, I was up in the cafeteria and they were trying to charge me $1 for an apple when I can just come to the food pantry.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And grab as many apples, as I want no charge myth in the misconception from some since.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Our international students, they believe that somehow if they take food from the food pantry they're going to get charged at some point.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And we always have to reassure them that and then nothing starch to them and that they should feel welcome to come every single time and pick whatever they need, we are trying to fight.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: This food security across campus and, of course, across the state and across the nation right we shouldn't have a or B and that goes from K, all the way to the universe, but you know so.

 

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Akil Hill: What.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I really struggle.

 

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Akil Hill: The struggle is definitely real out there and what I really like that you guys have done just an amazing job at is really dignifying the process of.

 

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Akil Hill: You know those who may be in need, you know just making it feel like just like look, you know, like we're all in this together.

 

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Akil Hill: We all go through it at certain points in times in our in our lives and you guys have done just an amazing job at dignifying that and then.

 

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Akil Hill: I would you know tell the listeners make sure you go by, like if you ever on campus you have to swing through that I mean it is literally like supermarket sweep up in there, you know it just it feels I walked in and like i'm not.

 

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Akil Hill: I don't share a lot but literally I almost cried y'all like it just the fact that I, I saw how it's set up down there and.

 

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Akil Hill: I know how what I felt when I walked in, and I know how other students probably are feeling when they walked in like it's an emotional thing you know.

 

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Akil Hill: Because you know for people who've been in situations and have been raised in environments where you're waiting on something that come in.

 

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Akil Hill: To in order for you to get something to eat like here you are a college student and you just roll in and and, and I mean it's just amazing it's just amazing work it's a such an honor to work at an institution that actually centers that.

 

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Hong Lieu: And for college, yes, like yeah you you feel like you're kind of an adult so sometimes you're not as willing to ask for help.

 

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Hong Lieu: You think kind of like oh yeah I can handle this I gotta handle.

 

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Hong Lieu: yeah you got to handle you might have had popcorn to dinner last night and that's it, you know so.

 

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Hong Lieu: So it it, you know he going in there you're not you're not asking for a handout when you go there you're doing you're doing them a favor alondra favor because all that food goes to waste it no and graphs.

 

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Hong Lieu: So.

 

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Hong Lieu: So going in there grabbing food there's there's no there's nothing no back end process involved there's no money needs to change hands.

 

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Hong Lieu: there's no status there's no status checks you go in you show your ID give me your number you get what you want, you know and that's and that's what it should be balanced it's just a bad spread the wealth.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Because yes and and to be quite honest, I could literally be here for the next hour and a half and share with y'all all the testimonies of folks that come through those doors.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Because they're so grateful and they're so genuine about being appreciative of what we're doing, and you know and i'm not going to put all the shine on me.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Because I wouldn't be able to be doing what i'm doing without my program assistant Randy.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Without my student workers, with the support of roxanne email, with the support of akil that has helped roxanne bring some of the items into the office so it's literally a team work for us to really make this happen.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And I think I need to emphasize that, because a lot of the times we forget that a lot of the services that do happen on campus is because of the help of a lot of our student workers right.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And don't forget to give them.

 

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Akil Hill: kudos and yeah.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I really need to highlight that because throughout the pandemic, it was my team of student work and myself that fit our school in our Community through the free food distributions and.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Maybe some folks don't know that it was really that those student workers that gave up their summers.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: That gave up having to go out with their friends, so they can be safe, to come back on school and be able to provide those services, so I want to give my team kudos.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The previous staff, the current Staff and any volunteer in between that made it their choice and their decision to come and help us out so.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: We would like to feed everybody, but we also like to appreciate my team and I buy them food all the time for that reason, because I appreciate them every single day there were there.

 

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Akil Hill: yeah I um I worked, one of the the food distributions over coded and you know, like again right, we have to really be honor what you just said that we have students and and.

 

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Akil Hill: Staff out here that was in the height of the pandemic risking their own safeties to to deliver food to other people in the Community, and I, you know.

 

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Akil Hill: I worked, one of them, and I saw how many cars came through, and of course the day that I was funny the day that I worked.

 

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Akil Hill: People were giving out, it was one of the items was milk, so there was like gallons so I was like dang why get the data we got to give out gallons of milk that's the boxes are heavy.

 

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Akil Hill: But, but again like literally we got to really understand that right like people literally risked their own safety.

 

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Akil Hill: You know and, and so I also wanted to say to another thought that I had in mind too is you know, sometimes we go through things on at work, about you're feeling like you know a little upset or.

 

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Akil Hill: depressed about your job or what's going on in your office like legitimately what I would challenge everyone on this campus to do is if you're feeling that way go volunteer your time in these spaces.

 

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Akil Hill: It will receptor you, without a doubt, so that you know we have to elevate you and and what you do, as well as the student workers and the hourly worker isn't because it really is servicing the people.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right, it is.

 

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Hong Lieu: And in terms of SPC being like a piece that Community will we were all we all started the the stay at home to work from home after the pandemic first hit.

 

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Hong Lieu: I mean really your food distributions were the only kind of piece that was still reaching out in the Community, you know I mean when we were also doing our work, we were all still holding it down and.

 

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Hong Lieu: and keeping things going and it's doing the best we can, but in terms of that outreach element, we had to put a lot of that a whole because of you know, because of the big concerns is that.

 

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Hong Lieu: Your food distributions during the whole time we were we were we were at home, whatever I mean you, you are you keeping that going, and you are, and it was open all it was it was young men for students but at same time if a car pulled up when you're not trying to.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: turn people away, you know yeah I mean.

 

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Hong Lieu: They came because they needed it and you provided it and in terms of goodwill for the Community and stuff like y'all were that true olive branch.

 

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Hong Lieu: still holding down so say hey SPC still here we're still working for y'all we all our services are still going like in terms of that that that first piece of like.

 

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Hong Lieu: You know that in person interaction y'all were the ones holding down for a long time through through that through that time so.

 

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Hong Lieu: So much appreciated for all the work y'all did I mean if you could speak on that a little bit in terms of.

 

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Hong Lieu: How that pivot even went down, I mean, how did y'all just do right away that was how you want to do it, and then in terms of how you decided to do you know the parking lot the car drops, I mean that's a lot of.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: A breakdown or an eight.

 

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Hong Lieu: yeah well.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know what I was actually I had just given birth two weeks before the shutdown happen, so I was on maternity leave, and you know.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Other for had just passed to so we our department was pretty much in question, we didn't know what we were going to do we didn't know what we're this next steps you know.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: There was a lot of uncertainty, to say the least, and so, for sure we knew that we couldn't stop feeding our students right like.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: food insecurity doesn't just end during the pandemic or a shutdown and then we hear.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Those stories about the grocery stores, you know you having to way.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Food ready now so luckily, you know our partners with the food bank of Santa Barbara are amazing and they really step their game up by calling in the National Guard, and having these pre packaged boxes of food for the Community.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So you know we reached out and they said, we can do your site becoming an emergency food distribution, but that also meant, you know serving our Community, the first time, we held a distribution, I was two months post.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Having my daughter so she was barely born and I got up and went to work right because I was like.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The school needs me my my people need me, and so it was at the turnaround on West campus and it was a mess that this was the first time before things were pre packaged so we had a pre package everything.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: within an hour and we were talking about about 10 different pallets of everything not sorted.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: fruits, vegetables and then the line of cars literally went out all the way to cliff so it was i'm not lying, we might have stirred about 150 cars that day.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And we still turned around about another 50 because we had ran down completely so that alone that's when we knew.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: We have to figure something out, we have to have a plan and roxanne me calls which security.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: With campus to make sure that we have had a space for for us that we can hold these distributions for however long we didn't know they were going to be so many of them, though I think if I count.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: They were a little bit over 100 food distributions that we then we did all together, so we ended up doing.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: lot five one in on West campus or right behind the IDC Center a building and it was the bottom, the bottom parking lot because we thought about.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Whether right like if it's too if it's raining at least were covered if it's too hot or not burning either so that worked out perfectly we started putting signs up and making flyers the food bank started, including our location in their own.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: flyers in in their on their webpage so that's how Community members started hearing about us and we started off with 75 boxes that we were handing out.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Along with fruits and vegetables and those were non perishable items in those boxes, a lot of canned goods and dry dry dry goods as well.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But then we saw that you know the demand was higher so we went from 75.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: To 125 to 150 to two distributions handing out 150 boxes and then from that we even had to exceed that and started buying extra food to make extra bags.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So it all in on I can't even tell you the the actual number or the number of pounds of food that we actually gave out because it's a lot a lot, a lot of food.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So during this pandemic the food Bank did not charge us to hand out these boxes, it was kind of like we're helping them they're helping us and we're just helping the entire Community.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And that's how it went but at some point the usda was providing these boxes that some of the.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The workers that were on campus like grounds, keeping and and maintenance, they were calling them the five star boxes because, like a keel said they were happy because they included a bag of milk a whole bag of potatoes, a whole bag of.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: any type of fruit and then it included dairy eggs cheese like awful great box that nothing was expire or soon to be expired, it was really great quality.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: In these boxes were probably like the most the most.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: demanded boxes right because they could literally feed a family for a couple of days, and they were able to wait till the next week to come back and get another one, and something you mentioned.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: was about not turning anyone away and that's a model that we actually work by and live by right my grew up.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Poor they didn't even finish, I think, for fifth grade So for me to say no to food it's hard.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So I never ever I always tell my staff don't have to turn anybody away when it comes down to food, nobody should should be able to be denied.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Any of that right, so it says like it wasn't hard for us to welcome people it's never hard for us right we see somebody walking by kind of lost in front of the food pantry.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: We just invite them and come and check it out, you don't have to grab anything and it's not making you any less for grabbing something for free.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I always tell when I do make presentations always tell folks it might not be that you're in need, it might be that you just regarding your wallet.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And you're hungry, how can you really focus in in class when your stomach's talking to you and is letting you know, like feed me something anything so we do have a lot of on the go stacks for folks that just need that for the moment.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: and not necessarily a whole meal for the day right so like you said you also mentioned right it's not is to give them a dignified experience.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: With a very respectful ways in being super invite inviting to So if you were to ever come into and I don't know if they read it this way yesterday Hong.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: you'll hear Randy or another, the students will welcome you and be like hey hi welcome come on in sometimes you hear like five different hi hi welcome right because I really encourage them to to be very.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: kind and even behind the facemask to smile at all times and so far I know we haven't had any any.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Higher to clients coming in, or you know, trying to say I don't want to wear facemask we do have to remind them make sure you.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Put it all the way in top of your nose and when I, but other than that you know everybody's just appreciative team and being there and have that opportunity, you know, and they do share with us their feedback how they feel.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: for having those services available so that's why you know, I think that folks really need to come by and check it out, and not only.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Not just to check it out, but I mean I think teachers need to know what's available to let their students know.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: oftentimes students really don't know I mean let's be real Sometimes I get so many emails they don't open them and they lose the opportunity to.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: learn the resources on campus so sometimes.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: i'd be telling you i've been sending emails but if you're not opening them that you wouldn't know what's on campus so even for teachers to know.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The counselors everybody should know what services exist on campus right so even me when I was a student worker and I made it almost like my.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Like a goal for me to know what resources existed, because sometimes you don't know what's doing.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You might come across that isn't just looking for food, but once you learn their story you're like wow are you part of these programs, have you checked this out, have you talked to this person.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right so just knowing those things it's it's super important I mean if you're in the college and you're you're a teacher or staff or administrator you should know everything pretty well in order to to pass the word around.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And let folks know you know what's available to them, but yeah the food distributions were crazy.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: There were days, where our backs were hurting because those 20 pound boxes, we were carrying them sometimes you know, for whatever reason, when it comes down to finals or midterms.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: It was me and three other people, we had to do the whole shebang by ourselves right so.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: that's what i'm telling you I commend my staff were always pulling through and Randy specifically I don't think Randy has missed a day since spring of 2020 not one day he's always been there every single time for everything in anything randy's always there so kudos to Randy and.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: If you guys don't know who Randy is have you been getting those who distribution emails with with the flyer it's it's the young black men in the picture that's Randy right there he's always say why do you keep using my picture my wife keep giving us a $1,000 smile.

 

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Akil Hill: yeah.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: that's my we're going to keep putting you on the flyers.

 

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Hong Lieu: or a great photo and shout out to Randy and shout out to you, I mean, as a new mother I when my son was two months old, I can tell you my own name if someone.

 

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Hong Lieu: asks, let alone, try to run.

 

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Hong Lieu: Try to run a program that so.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But you know word even go into the distributions That was my mate time because I had been locked in a home with my daughter, and then my 11 year old having to do zoom with her and.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: meetings and all of the work so going to work was actually my own time of meantime getting to go outside and I think a lot of those students, workers share the same that for them, it was a time to actually interact with other people, because otherwise be stuck at home yeah.

 

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Hong Lieu: that's a good point but you know you mentioned a lot of things that really resonated with me, because you know that my mom.

 

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Hong Lieu: She can't read or write in any language, English Chinese like she has zero education, like the completely illiterate can right, I mean.

 

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Hong Lieu: So, in terms of services for her when she was just coming up when she first got to La and stuff was like.

 

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Hong Lieu: She needed everyone's help to fill out paperwork my dad was very limited education as well, so we leaned on a lot of people lean on a lot of this and that.

 

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Hong Lieu: And it was hard for folks who are used to doing things by themselves and used to be judged by the quality of their own work.

 

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Hong Lieu: To kind of reach out for help you know, like my mom would do that with people that she knew that came from Vietnam with her, but in terms of someone new so so.

 

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Hong Lieu: Getting on welfare and those kind of things doing that paperwork, I mean that was a lot to ask it was a big ask and it took it took us a while, for we started getting that assistance.

 

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Hong Lieu: I mean it was helpful when it happened, but I mean the stacks of paper they make you fill out to do this and that.

 

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Hong Lieu: I mean, so you help them folks to with calfresh you having food there for folks I mean, these are these are those basic steps that.

 

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Hong Lieu: You know you talk about learning someone's story that first step first little step in people aren't willing to share their story right away now they're hesitant they're still got the guard up and you haven't those pieces there to kind of drop a guard just a little bit.

 

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Hong Lieu: It may be willing to talk about a little bit that maybe next time see him a little bit more, and then maybe next time seem they're willing to apply for calfresh if they need it, you know it's those kind.

 

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Hong Lieu: of things where where it's a it's a long process, you know it's a marathon not a sprint.

 

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Hong Lieu: Sometimes people think the work is just like oh yeah we have the service don't realize what a great services is and then boom that's it, but there are a lot of.

 

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Hong Lieu: factors that people there's a lot of things if you come in with first that you kind of get through a breakdown and a lot of times you know, for me, always was always talking to people.

 

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Hong Lieu: and learning their story and that's that's when the guard comes out is when they see that we connect on and.

 

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Hong Lieu: that's where that's where that equality guns and people talking about equity and the snap but.

 

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Hong Lieu: You, the quality aspect is is person to person when they feel it and then that's when when people kind of open up kind of feel a certain ways, but before that there's always going to be a guard on either side.

 

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Hong Lieu: Right and your setup sounds like it's just kind of built to kind of break those barriers down and it's just it's just a really essential search the campus.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: really is wrong, and you know what I was a student not.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: That long ago I graduated only in 2016 right, so I was a student and I was hungry student and I had applied to calfresh as well, so it's always letting them know that part of me.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: By me also being vulnerable and letting them know you know, I was a struggling student and apparent all that once you know, but I made it through and I made it this far and so can you.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right so it's always reassuring them that when they're in the right hands.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And that asking for help is the hardest thing, and I think that goes for a lot of people right like a lot of us it's super hard to ask for help.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So just even doing that i'd like to commend them for for even reaching and asking, and you know being curious about it, and you know not feeling like they're being a burden and we should never make a student feel like they're being a burden to any of us at any given point okay.

 

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Akil Hill: No wonder, can you spend a little bit on calfresh just for the people who may not know what that's really about.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah so calfresh is it's a program that helps students buy.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Food right, and they have to meet an eligibility criteria and one of them is being a student so whether they're a part time student a full time student and they are mentally fit.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: In also they can work, not necessarily be working, but are able to work and also, they have to meet or have an exception and exemption can be whether they're working 20 hours a week, a week yet an average of that if they are a parent if they're getting.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: pell grants and they're getting cal grants if they are lps students dsp s students if there's different exceptions that can make them be eligible off the BAT if they're living with their parents, they have to be at least 22 years old, to apply on their own.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But the application itself it's only 10 minutes on you just said back in the days, it was a stack of papers having to go to social services.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know we're lucky and grateful for for now how things work and we can do an application online now and it takes literally 10 minutes straightforward.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Questions about the the application about who they are, where they're working what their expenses are what their income is and then.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Social services reaches out to them within the next two to three weeks.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: holds a 30 minute phone interview with them and if eligible than though there'll be approved and receive an ebit card with money, right now, a family of one or a household of one.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: can get up to 100 know $250 a month with the groceries and that's just the family of one if you're a parent and have dependence that are younger than 18 you know the money goes more and more, and so the only thing is that international students and folks with without a.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: undocumented folks won't be able to apply, but they undocumented parents or students can apply on behalf of others.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: let's say their children are residence or citizens they can apply on behalf of them and and the benefits would would go to the to the children's, but they are.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: In a sense, you know, asking for the resources for them and what else, and you know, I think that the the hardest.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: part or I should say the berries that students face when applying for calfresh is that they do have to upload their documents.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: To social services, and they have 30 days from the day they upload them from the day they.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: actually submit the application, but I do advise that they do it within the same week that they apply only because, since epidemic they do get a lot of calfresh applications and.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know if they if they submit them, the sooner the better, and then that way, by the time.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The county calls them for an interview, they can have everything in order and things will be a little bit smoother for them if a student does not get an actual rent receipt that doesn't have their name.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: on it, I have a template where they can put in their information and that counts as a rent receive a bill receive income received anything like that I have templates for students, that they can use in.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Instead of you know the actual documents that other people would get instead so you know, I think that folks it doesn't hurt to apply.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Before this Biden Presidency if you didn't have documented status in the US, it would, it was considered public charge, but that has changed as of.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The Presidency went by it and came in so folks should not be scared to apply as a matter of fact, a couple weeks ago I help the student and she had lots of great questions.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And then she said i'm asking for a friend, because she's too scared to ask even to ask think about that on to even ask him, be scared if they can.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: apply or even qualify for these benefits right so then once I reassured her like no don't be scared you know nothing.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Nothing will ever come back to you and haunt you later on right and that's because, and I know this for a fact because I go to these trainings and updated.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Meetings every week with DSS, and so I know i've been trained my staff has been trained.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: By now i'm the only one who's actually doing calfresh appointments and I do in person and virtually.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And I know that sometimes the application itself it's only 10 minutes, but every case is different and sometimes.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: They could go up to 30 minutes if they have questions if they have doubts if sometimes personal stories come in between, while we're trying to get this application.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: ready to be sent, and whatnot and sometimes in all honesty it's not just food that their food insecurity that they're facing they have a lot of other.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: barriers that they're also facing right so it's speaking with them about what other resources might help them do they need to go to.

 

215

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Health and wellness do they need to speak to an academic counselor do they need to go to a program they never.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: looked into financial aid so that's, this is the key point where i'm telling you that it's super important and.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: If you're providing services outside of school they you should know about all these other resources as well on campus and off campus because a lot of folks.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: don't understand that if they don't feel comfortable doing outside of campus or vice versa, they they can find same resources outside as well, and we are just one of many, many places where somebody can apply for calfresh.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: A lot of nonprofits are helping folks do it as well, and even when I am in the Community and somebody in the word even POPs out.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: i'll become an advisor right then and they're like Oh well, did you know that you can do this, this and that, and you can apply and get some of these benefits, you know so it's not my job really doesn't even end.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: At the basic needs Center right I carry my knowledge outside and I bring all that knowledge back to my neighborhood and I try to help my folks out over here as well.

 

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Hong Lieu: And it's good that you know about all the little wrinkles about like if you're a documented you apply for your kids about you know rent your renters template.

 

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Hong Lieu: Because I remember those those things you know my mom didn't have a car till I was about six or seventh grade, so we would take the bus or get a ride to social services.

 

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Hong Lieu: And then, if you felt the paper out helps out the paperwork and if you're missing something.

 

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Hong Lieu: You got to go home and then come back you know, and then, and then the pickups were like that, too, when you pick up food stamps, and I mean now the card, but.

 

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Hong Lieu: When those food stamps you'd have to go and pick up and wait in line stand, I mean so so having someone like you, who knows kind of the wrinkles and and like Oh, if you run into this be prepared for this like prepping folks because.

 

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Hong Lieu: people think that the process is is this crazy big old thing like it used to be.

 

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Hong Lieu: And it sounds like it's not as bad as it was, but it also sounds like if you don't know the little tricks here and there, it could still be a problem, so it's good to have someone like you, that can really advise to get that info.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah it's good I mean I like doing that part because again folks don't know that they are eligible for it right, because they don't know the program they don't know that.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Before used to be called stamps before that it was welfare before that they call it food stamps and you Hong you probably remember being known that you were on welfare and food stamps you know, there was a stigma behind.

 

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Hong Lieu: Oh yeah.

 

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Right.

 

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Hong Lieu: Out of the purse yeah oh yeah because the cash.

 

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Hong Lieu: Other differently, it was like.

 

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Hong Lieu: yeah agreed.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah so you know it's it's all those things and and you know, being able to to have these services on campus it's such a benefit because again we're talking about food insecurity.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: That goes beyond just a food pantry right, I think one time I help the student, this was January, she said, I have not been able to buy groceries since October 14.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Can you imagine that, and this is a student who is trying to be successful.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: In college away from her parents right that she has to put all her money towards expenses and whatnot and not being able to buy groceries for that long I don't know how she's getting by another student talked about how she trained her body to only eat once a day.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Think about that.

 

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Hong Lieu: I mean yeah yeah i've been through that training and and it's yeah it definitely you definitely feel like you talked about brain sluggishness think of that where it affects you.

 

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Hong Lieu: Like you don't know it at the time but.

 

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Hong Lieu: But you kind of do know certain feelings like.

 

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Hong Lieu: You feel certain ways, you might be a little more depressed than usual, and you think oh it's not because of this, but they all mean the body holistically it all it all ties in so.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah so you know after those meetings I definitely count my blessings right and I and i'm thankful I have everything that I do have because I I empathize with the students and that do struggle.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right and that they sometimes feel like the person, they can connect with is the only person that's really hearing them out.

 

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Hong Lieu: So so say going on that counting your blessings where you came from, and everything, if you want to speak a little bit about what brought you to sbc and your path, I mean it sounds like you've been here a while as a student and.

 

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Hong Lieu: and ongoing but in terms of of your path that led you to where you are today.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah so i'm actually born and raised in Santa Barbara.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right, so I came i've been here my whole life I was made in Mexico literally because my mom came when pregnant and she had me here in the US.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And my parents are immigrants, like you, hung I was a professional interpreter and translator at the age of five having to fill out people work and translate for my parents and and doing all that and, for some reason.

 

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: They depended on me more than than the my older brothers, because my older brothers were able to stay home and I had to go with them everywhere me and my sister right as being women we couldn't we couldn't stay home that we had to go and.

 

253

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Do all the errands and doing all that my dad luckily he made the choice to going to adult ED and learning the language and he said, but you know why I learned there right because I learned this I can defend myself, so you go figure the experiences that he had to go through.

 

254

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: He was a farm worker when he first got here my grandparents were part of the vessel program and one of my great great grandparents came in the 20s to.

 

255

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Work in the in the railroads along the southwest right so i've had a history of of my ancestors being here, but it wasn't until the generation of my parents that those.

 

256

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: them and my uncles and aunts were the ones actually migrated to the US.

 

257

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: To make a life out here, I have a whole lot of family back in Mexico, and I do go whenever I can right to to go back to my stomping grounds and to visit my family and and whatnot but here it was difficult, I mean being done.

 

258

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: To my brothers were born in Mexico as well.

 

259

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: They had to get I remember the day we were in teaching and I was like for four years old and.

 

260

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I didn't remember why we were there, and why my uncle pick me and my mom and my sister and my parents my dad and my brother stayed in a hotel.

 

261

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And I was wondering what's going on, I thought we were going home together right, so I come home couple of days later, they made it home and I realized that they were getting crossed right.

 

262

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Illegally as people say.

 

263

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But I didn't know a lot of that and, and you know my oldest brother didn't know any English when he was 12 and it was crazy because he was so I felt like put it like this, I I met him and tj for the first time right, so I didn't even know this brother existed in Mexico.

 

264

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: and

 

265

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Then fast forward time right i'm growing up here in Santa Barbara I went to party school, which was back then very it was a lot of white kids you know, there was a.

 

266

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: small number of Mexican kids or Spanish speaking kids and back then, it was still the dual language program where they were still teaching a little bit of Spanish and some English, but then it was now that I think about it.

 

267

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: They used to separate all the Spanish speaking kids from the English speaking kicks so since back then they were already doing this.

 

268

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Separation and putting these folks here those folks there and I didn't know not until I became a parent myself, but when you sign a student of.

 

269

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: For kindergarten if you put the your child's first language is something other than English, you will be an esl or an ld student up until you reclassified.

 

270

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And I didn't know how bad I was going to affect my education after elementary school.

 

271

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: My parents never probably didn't even know what that meant didn't ask or they weren't even informed about it.

 

272

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So when I went to junior high I was super excited because I was doing really good in math I was doing I thought it was going to excel as a student.

 

273

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: first day of class i'm in an esl English i'm in an esl math I mean everything esl so i'm looking around i'm like wow i'm the only one who speaks English nobody else speaks English in here, so the first.

 

274

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: assignment that we're doing in class, I mean this is like kindergarten questions so i'm like i'm going to ace this class right i'm thinking i'm gonna have to have a 4.0.

 

275

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: and speak up to high school after this and the teacher realizes right that I speak English and that I know how to read and write and she said you're in the wrong class so.

 

276

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: My first year of junior high I was kind of like they were trying to figure out where I had to go, because they messed up my my.

 

277

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: My sixth grade portfolio to where, although I was still considered esl I was fluent in English, writing and reading so that happened in seventh grade eighth grade comes around same thing happened, I was putting these esl classes, so I think I was really robbed from me.

 

278

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Achieving or being even in the honors and ap classes, because of this situation and what happens in high school I get put again an esl classes sounds like who the hell is working, these.

 

279

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah no it's really messing with me so, then you figure what happened in high school right high school i'm trying to find my identity, things are happening back at home that are then i'm you know acting out now in high school and you know I end up hanging out with people that were really.

 

280

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Taking me to know really succeed, so instead of prepping myself to.

 

281

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Go to college or the university nobody talked about us to us specifically about that right my parents were expecting me to do all that, but they weren't showing me how to do it because they themselves.

 

282

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Never had that chance or opportunity so it's hard for them and.

 

283

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I was preparing to go to prison instead of going to college and it's easier to join a gang and get accepted than it is easier to.

 

284

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: get accepted on a four year university when your transcript has said that you've been an esl student and barely passing here in there.

 

285

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right, so my experiences in junior high and high school.

 

286

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: weren't the best when it came to academics and then let's talk about you know the institution racism, I remember a waste of premises student.

 

287

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: ratted me out because for T shirt I had a brown pride shirt and he felt offended by it, and this is a student that the whole school know was a waste of premises, but I got in trouble and I got my shirt taken away.

 

288

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And the assistant principal told me, you need to have your parents come in, if you want your shirt bag and at that point, I said, you know what I got money, I can go buy another one and i'll bring it back tomorrow again.

 

289

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right, so it was a lot of I went to some art goes in you know, it was very divided and everybody and everything was invited to some who got the green lawn and who got the dark hallways.

 

290

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right and and you know even even now that I think about it, excuse me.

 

291

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: They used to have dismissal, back then, so when you had this missile man that you can leave campus for the whole hour and a half since we were on the on the block schedule these classes are an hour and a half, and you only have four.

 

292

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And so I had dismissal after lunch, what is the team do when they have nothing else to do after 12pm for the rest of that day.

 

293

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Oh yeah i'm not gonna go home and study i'll tell you that much yeah.

 

294

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: i'm not gonna stick around and try to clean up.

 

295

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The ones that have been painted by graffiti no I didn't do any of that.

 

296

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So I feel like that in itself also hurt me I wish I would have had some classes, so I could have stayed in school and probably thought, a little bit about my future so fast forward time later.

 

297

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I didn't go back to college until I had my first daughter.

 

298

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And that was in 2012 because I attempted or right after high school, but that was not it for me, as it is for a lot of students either you're not prepared or you honestly believe college is not for you.

 

299

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But you know I couldn't and now with the child, I was like where do I go where else, but here Community college.

 

300

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I joined ethiopia's and for the first time I asked for help and that's how I got to ups before that I didn't ask for help, I thought I had it on my own.

 

301

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I was super no self esteem, no self confidence if I knew that there was a class where I had to give a presentation I dropped it immediately.

 

302

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: There was no way I was going to get in front of people and talk, no, no, never and so, then when I came back in 2012 is that every entry student.

 

303

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I met with counselors GM a student educational plan what was should have been a two year plan honestly became a 10 year plan and a lot of that because something.

 

304

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: happened in school that I never thought I was it was going to happen, and that is that I became a nerd and I love school.

 

305

00:41:26.160 --> 00:41:33.870

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And I fell in love with the education and I fell in love with all the classes, I was taking, not all of them, but for the most part right things like um.

 

306

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Ethnic studies chicano studies, I was able to to rewire my brain to know that I was actually smart I had been smart right but I had been told.

 

307

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Through junior high and high school that I was in smart enough for certain classes and at this point, I was like wow I can do this and.

 

308

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: With programs like ethiopia's and tap express to success right, I met a lot of great people that really paved the way for me to.

 

309

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: In reminded me that I had it and I was, and I can do it, so I ended up graduating in 2016 with seven associate degrees and one certificate.

 

310

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And that is because I started taking so many classes, I loved all the sociology classes, all the ethnic studies classes.

 

311

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I didn't know because I was there for so long that I was even going to get these menu, but I did, and then I transferred to cal state Channel Islands, where I got my BA in chicano studies in Spanish and.

 

312

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I had been a student worker in the for the last seven years i've been a student worker first, before I became an hourly for expresses success and I think it was an expressive success, where.

 

313

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The calling for me wanting to come back and do my career at SPC happen because I enjoyed helping students and at that time I was still doing my undergrad so.

 

314

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I felt like I connected still with students and I was even cheering for them to transfer and being able to see students.

 

315

00:42:57.810 --> 00:43:06.060

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: time later and be like hey remember, I met you an express the success guess what i'm graduating when the effort they had come and tell me, you know I don't think I can do this.

 

316

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And it was I think again right, it was reminding them that, if I can do it with my background and on all the struggles I face and and be.

 

317

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: They can do it too so something that I, you know I remind folks is like don't wait for something big to happen, like having children.

 

318

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: for you to decide that you want to make something with your life like doing now, when you're young doing now, where the opportunities are there.

 

319

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The promises there for students to get two years or free college right when I was.

 

320

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: In high school that didn't exist so i'm looking forward to going to San Marcos back in a couple weeks and talk to a group of girls and reminding them that the promises there that services are there, and you know always advocating of.

 

321

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Something I wish somebody that looked like me came to talk to me.

 

322

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But yeah that's how i'm at city college now.

 

323

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Akil Hill: wow.

 

324

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Hong Lieu: And let me, let me ask this question because I asked a lot of folks that are come from similar backgrounds like I got friends, I have friends right now.

 

325

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Hong Lieu: friends who just barely going back to school now i'm 42 barely going back to school, one of them was graduated and went back got her PhD and she got her PhD in but just now.

 

326

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Hong Lieu: I mean my I guess is the question is and it's probably an unanswerable one but.

 

327

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Hong Lieu: Is there way to reach those other folks you know the homies and everyone everyone in the streets.

 

328

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Hong Lieu: How do you convince them that school, I mean you talked about all I never thought of having it became a nurse, but the truth is all a lot of those fools are nerds you know, like a lot of the burners but it's not it doesn't speak to them.

 

329

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Hong Lieu: Like like.

 

330

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Hong Lieu: Like telling them to go schools like nah I got a job I like like one of my homies is like worked a bunch of jobs that had a couple kids then came back and went to school.

 

331

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Hong Lieu: Another guy he joined the army got out worked a couple of jobs here there is that because school never spoke to them at that on that level when when.

 

332

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Hong Lieu: Now that now they come around to like Oh, this is actually pretty cool like it works for me, but.

 

333

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Hong Lieu: How do you break that barrier and make school cool like I try to think about it, like like.

 

334

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Hong Lieu: It almost didn't speak, because they don't speak the same language like because you don't you're not I don't know what it is, but it's like.

 

335

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Hong Lieu: It just doesn't speak the folks at a certain level and it in the I wish there was a way like like you say you going back and speaking and maybe that'll, be it, but.

 

336

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Hong Lieu: But I don't know how to get young folks that are that are tuned to that lifestyle that you know, in the cool stuff you know partying this and they're like.

 

337

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Hong Lieu: Like, how do you convince them that school is a piece of that not that it takes over your life that it has to do that.

 

338

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Hong Lieu: But that it just taking a couple classes here and there, and and maybe it takes you six years, seven years, whatever to get a degree.

 

339

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Hong Lieu: But if you worked on that as well you know, like like it is a viable path that I mean a lot of a lot of it is that.

 

340

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Hong Lieu: People are making a lot of money when they're young you know doing whatever they're doing like like the streets or even working around of job where they make you know 5060 year they're like oh man, I make plenty of money, I don't need.

 

341

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Hong Lieu: But, but like what What I mean is there a way is it possible, like do you see a way.

 

342

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Hong Lieu: Is the way forward, you know.

 

343

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I think so, you know something that I always stress I when I speak to people in my neighborhood or younger students is that you don't have to dumb yourself down.

 

344

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Just so you can fit in first and foremost right like I knew I was a smart person and at some points you know I don't think I ever done myself down, but I tell if you're going to be running the streets doing X y&z.

 

345

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You need to know matt first and foremost, you can't get jacked by people, so you need to know you're.

 

346

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Hong Lieu: mad.

 

347

00:46:18.840 --> 00:46:29.880

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: At the very least right so i'm like don't dumb yourself down just because you're living a certain lifestyle, it should be the other way around, if you're going to be a gangster you better be the smartest gangster.

 

348

00:46:30.270 --> 00:46:30.960

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right so.

 

349

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So, reminding them that they have those abilities and other than that you know I do tell them college may not be.

 

350

00:46:39.240 --> 00:46:47.100

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The right time for you right now but it's there for when you're ready at any given time I wasn't ready for college at 18.

 

351

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But I was ready when I was struggling and I found myself living paycheck to paycheck and it is, it is intimidating.

 

352

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right coming back and now on top of education school bills your family you're carrying a lot of weight, but that's why I say don't wait for other circumstances to happen.

 

353

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: for you to want to now make changes, you want to be ready now for those changes later on to happen and be ready for that so when we're talking about home these right that are you know people in my neighborhood that.

 

354

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I would, if I were to go back to the park, where I used to hang out with and if I were to see some of the guys from when I used to hang out there still there, you know it, it hurts my heart and it breaks my heart.

 

355

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Because that meant that nobody really guided them that you shouldn't have to be doing this lifestyle for the rest of your life.

 

356

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: right that there are other generations, unfortunately, that are going to come after but they you shouldn't believe it's just you know disheartening to think that.

 

357

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: that's all they're going to do and i'm not gonna lie at some point in my life, I thought that was gonna be my life but that's all I was ever going to do.

 

358

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know, unfortunately tragedies happen, so my my friends started getting killed, some of them started dying from overdoses.

 

359

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: My really good friends aren't going to prison, and all that smartness just kind of went away and and you know we lost lines in vain, they never got the opportunity to grow.

 

360

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: go to school, do something with their lives, so it is hard to get to them, but when they are in prison, what do they have other than time in their hands.

 

361

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: They have nothing else to do, but to get into their education, I just heard last week that a class graduated from.

 

362

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Lancaster and they were all inmates who got their bachelor's degree from cal state la under the communications department, so we know that that they're smart right let's not let's not.

 

363

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: forget that they're still humans, and they can be smart in every way, shape or form but that there's never been somebody to remind them how smart they can be in everything they can do with that.

 

364

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Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: right and it has to come from somebody that looks like them or that they can mirror, because you know somebody comes looking all Nice in a suit they'll be like well how can I ever achieved that.

 

365

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Akil Hill: Is yeah yeah that's that's the piece to that is really I think at the root of everything right and.

 

366

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Akil Hill: When you were talking in London alondra It made me think about when you were saying you know who knows what look what happened, I became a nerd.

 

367

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Akil Hill: And I you know I fell in love with school I think what I really took from that statement is that you fell in love with belonging.

 

368

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Akil Hill: You were in a space where you felt like you, you belong there and that's the piece that's really at the heart of this issue when we're talking about people that are on the margins is.

 

369

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Akil Hill: them feeling like they belong here, so you can't tell me other people that come from affluent backgrounds don't party and don't waste their.

 

370

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Akil Hill: Their life away either, but the difference is people they see the institution as serving them so once they get their act together, they say, all these institutions are meant for me where us where people on the margins are colored people see the institution not being for them.

 

371

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Akil Hill: And so, once we can change the our perception or once the light is shown shown to us that these institutions are made for us, then we can reach out to the to the home, these are people that are are out on the margin, so to speak, so.

 

372

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Akil Hill: super motivating email address.

 

373

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Hong Lieu: yeah that's that's the piece is that it comes to everyone, eventually, you know you get locked up, and it wakes you up, you have a kid wakes be kind of wakes you up in terms of other possibilities.

 

374

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Hong Lieu: I just wish that there was a way to to get to folks earlier because I, I can see it where if you're on the street, and you know the routine of the streets, I mean you're very intelligent, be able to.

 

375

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Hong Lieu: If you're under age to be able to convince someone to buy you a beer and liquor store that takes a lot of smarts it's public speaking there's a lot of there's a lot of you know there's a lot of things there that in that regard, but.

 

376

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Hong Lieu: Put that person in a classroom all of a sudden.

 

377

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Hong Lieu: No one looks like them, no one put starting their pants irons it out gets it all crease and clean like that no one's no one's no one's rolling like that.

 

378

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Hong Lieu: And you don't feel comfortable and everyone's looking at you like you're crazy and of course it's not gonna it's not going to stick.

 

379

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Hong Lieu: So I wish there were more folks like you're saying more folks that he kind of like cuz leaning on that I wish I wish we could just play like.

 

380

00:51:08.100 --> 00:51:15.750

Hong Lieu: My art lebow like our level cranking when when people walk in so people feel more comfortable and people know like like we're with it we understand what's going on.

 

381

00:51:15.960 --> 00:51:16.230

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know.

 

382

00:51:16.260 --> 00:51:19.260

Hong Lieu: We know what's going on in the street it's not like we.

 

383

00:51:20.220 --> 00:51:32.430

Hong Lieu: Like lift ourselves up out of it we're still in it, but we're here to and it's all a part of it, you know, like that I wish there was there was more of that bridge piece, because I feel like that, I mean getting the folks before they have that like wake up.

 

384

00:51:32.790 --> 00:51:36.600

Hong Lieu: You know it's like right that's that's that's the goal, but you know who knows yeah.

 

385

00:51:36.660 --> 00:51:40.440

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But I honestly think that should start in elementary school.

 

386

00:51:40.770 --> 00:51:50.610

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Why are we trying to reach out folks when they're in high school already right when maybe they're already been pushed out of the educational system and they're no longer in high school they're no longer in junior high.

 

387

00:51:50.940 --> 00:51:58.470

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right like we I think we need to definitely partner up with the elementary school system and with the junior high system and with the high school says yeah.

 

388

00:51:58.920 --> 00:52:07.140

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Because we don't want to lose anybody along the way right and it definitely um any even even with a food pantry and the basic needs Center.

 

389

00:52:08.040 --> 00:52:12.360

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Believe it or not, but if you, if I were to give you the numbers or the average numbers of.

 

390

00:52:12.870 --> 00:52:23.280

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: ethnicity wise the folks that come through the door white and Hispanic Latinos are hand on hand right so it's, not to say that the people that are struggling the most look a certain way.

 

391

00:52:23.700 --> 00:52:28.950

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know the struggle is real and it's all around, and it goes, also with education.

 

392

00:52:29.460 --> 00:52:41.520

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: and children, the children that are struggling the most in elementary are not necessarily your colored students all the time they are struggling the most because a lot of the times, you know learning disabilities are not identified.

 

393

00:52:41.820 --> 00:52:43.980

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Parents are not asking questions.

 

394

00:52:44.910 --> 00:53:01.770

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: There may be a language barrier right so there's a lot of factors that play into why a student can't be successful, so when I go to school to my daughter's school to have lunch with their at times there's parents that don't even care to turn my way or say hi to me dead honest.

 

395

00:53:02.130 --> 00:53:03.960

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right I call them the yoga months.

 

396

00:53:03.990 --> 00:53:07.770

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Because they all wear yoga pants and they never care to say hi great but.

 

397

00:53:07.800 --> 00:53:17.190

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know I don't care when I go the people that are saying hi to me, are all the kids because I asked the kids how are you doing today what's going on with you.

 

398

00:53:17.400 --> 00:53:22.260

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: what's your favorite thing that you do in school i'm asking them how they're doing, and nobody else is asking them.

 

399

00:53:22.980 --> 00:53:28.800

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right so there's skills that I do at city college with the students, I do them at the elementary school level and.

 

400

00:53:29.130 --> 00:53:38.580

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: They honestly when I come in sit down with my daughter have lunch, all of a sudden, I have like 20 kids all around us asking me why am I lips, the way they are wearing my eyebrows the way they are.

 

401

00:53:38.940 --> 00:53:45.570

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And it's cool to have this conversation with them, because it goes to show their maybe they haven't come across somebody that looks like me.

 

402

00:53:45.930 --> 00:53:52.290

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right and they, for the first time they're like well this month crazy but she's cool at the same time and she's asking me how i'm doing today.

 

403

00:53:52.710 --> 00:54:01.710

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: kids are always getting Brady when they're in elementary school because of the smallest little things right and they're already feeling like a kilt just said that they don't belong.

 

404

00:54:02.010 --> 00:54:11.490

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Because they're always getting picked on in class in the yard during lunch during extracurricular activities they're always getting picked on and that's always a constant reminder.

 

405

00:54:12.150 --> 00:54:20.100

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: That maybe school is not for them, even though school is always going to be for them right, so I mean that we can have a whole podcast.

 

406

00:54:20.310 --> 00:54:22.800

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Oh yeah my other folks you know about.

 

407

00:54:23.130 --> 00:54:26.820

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know G education in children, and you know their way up to.

 

408

00:54:27.390 --> 00:54:32.880

Hong Lieu: it's definitely not uncommon so definitely ongoing conversation will continue to have it episode episode and with.

 

409

00:54:32.880 --> 00:54:40.320

Hong Lieu: You as well, but uh but for the time being let's let's move on and we'll get on to some of the some of the fun stuff food culture.

 

410

00:54:41.100 --> 00:54:43.650

Hong Lieu: wanna if you want to kick us off if you are the first guest.

 

411

00:54:44.010 --> 00:54:53.760

Hong Lieu: who came with like a syllabus I prerequisites like you were dropping dropping gifts for the for the host performance full disclosure we went to the basics and yesterday to pick up.

 

412

00:54:54.090 --> 00:54:58.890

Hong Lieu: pick up a little longer was gonna be talking about, and if you want to want to kick us off, it is just taking.

 

413

00:54:59.580 --> 00:55:08.070

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So, again right breaking bread is super important to me, and although I didn't send you with like nutritious food or any of that stuff you know I did send you with some of my.

 

414

00:55:08.070 --> 00:55:17.820

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: favorite snacks or goodies that I grew up with, and that we have I have stories, and so this song about that, so I gifted Hong in in a queue.

 

415

00:55:18.480 --> 00:55:28.980

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: A lot of candy that I grew up eating and it's Mexican candy, to be exact, and it's a lot of different candy I think 90% of what I gave them as.

 

416

00:55:29.370 --> 00:55:39.270

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: chill a tomboy and the other 2% or 10% like sweet stuff you know but but we grew up with with eating chillin right like my whole pregnancy.

 

417

00:55:39.540 --> 00:55:49.050

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: It was all July that's, the only thing I create this spicy food, and I have if there's nothing else in my in my office, but a bottled up a deal, because that will go on everything and anything.

 

418

00:55:50.040 --> 00:56:03.900

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So yeah so food wise I was telling Hong and killed that when we were little back into that elementary school these candies did not exist at any store, let alone, we had to go to the winter oxnard swamp need or.

 

419

00:56:04.230 --> 00:56:11.820

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Go to La to find Mexican candy or back then, there was a truck that used to come by we used to call it the 30 year or the guy who sells.

 

420

00:56:12.030 --> 00:56:12.690

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: 30 years.

 

421

00:56:13.020 --> 00:56:22.200

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And he used to have candy in the dashboard and you picked Ray what you wanted to buy so that gave me and my sister idea so i've been a professional since I was a kid.

 

422

00:56:23.040 --> 00:56:25.350

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: We were entrepreneurs and we made.

 

423

00:56:25.380 --> 00:56:34.080

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: A candy store out of our home, and that was literally a candy store men, a big basket with a variety of candy and we even had a little.

 

424

00:56:34.530 --> 00:56:40.950

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Paper signed with with the description of each candy and how much each costs from the most expensive 175 cents.

 

425

00:56:41.370 --> 00:56:50.040

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: To the to the most affordable one to five cent candy and we did that, for a couple years my dad used to have a soccer team, so we used to go on Sundays to soccer games.

 

426

00:56:50.370 --> 00:56:59.220

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And we'll take our big basket, so we were the plug when it came down at candy and we actually sold undercover candy at school, even.

 

427

00:56:59.610 --> 00:57:00.060

Hong Lieu: Has.

 

428

00:57:00.150 --> 00:57:00.990

Hong Lieu: Oh yeah.

 

429

00:57:01.050 --> 00:57:07.950

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Oh yeah it was treats transactions in the bus and you got the 50 cent alright, Canada, but the Lucas right.

 

430

00:57:08.790 --> 00:57:11.070

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yo hand in hand them the pilot as.

 

431

00:57:11.130 --> 00:57:11.580

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: on that.

 

432

00:57:12.510 --> 00:57:19.560

Hong Lieu: And you're really understanding, just because you have to folks have to understand now, we live in a world everything's ci l your snacks of chili all your snacks or sour.

 

433

00:57:19.950 --> 00:57:27.000

Hong Lieu: Be at the time, these candies I mean I remember a period before when candy was just sweet, you know and then all of a sudden.

 

434

00:57:27.510 --> 00:57:35.100

Hong Lieu: A viral mango showed up at my on the on the playground, you know what look you've got a guy what does that on that what is that on that lollipop is shaped like a mango but you take a liquid like.

 

435

00:57:35.400 --> 00:57:47.100

Hong Lieu: Oh, my God is so spicy and then you're like oh man is sweet under me minds were blown folks I mean you got to understand, I like that they were not spicy candies, for then we're not setting that was like talkies this everything's like extreme warheads and.

 

436

00:57:47.100 --> 00:57:50.040

Hong Lieu: Everything like like we've taken it a logic stream you see how popular is.

 

437

00:57:50.400 --> 00:57:58.140

Hong Lieu: At the time, these things were new and fresh and they drop in the playground, and it was like it was like you talked about like epidemics you go like this was.

 

438

00:57:58.350 --> 00:58:03.840

Hong Lieu: The spicy candy epidemic, like the Buddha and then one key was show with a big old bag, but yellow 1525 cents 50 cents.

 

439

00:58:04.770 --> 00:58:10.380

Hong Lieu: And they were flying I would I remember i'll be asking my mom like just just give me a couple bucks like and i'd be pricing it out like.

 

440

00:58:10.650 --> 00:58:21.750

Hong Lieu: Okay, the piccoli more packets or five cents each I get 20,000 US dollar I get for lollipops for the mango lollipops with this dollar all man, if I if I save up if I just like save the cash I get one of the yellow Lucas shakers.

 

441

00:58:21.930 --> 00:58:23.250

Hong Lieu: have asked me a couple of days.

 

442

00:58:23.580 --> 00:58:30.000

Hong Lieu: You know, like like this minds were blown like like like a moment like it was like.

 

443

00:58:30.510 --> 00:58:38.580

Hong Lieu: yeah so so you being that source for folks you exposing folks I mean, I can see how popular like your candy shop and your your your hustle was because.

 

444

00:58:38.910 --> 00:58:44.370

Hong Lieu: I mean you can you can keep that stuff in stock like and then the different coming like Oh, I know where you get the bag.

 

445

00:58:45.150 --> 00:58:55.440

Hong Lieu: The bag at this look at the super a over here, so all the kids ride the bike so they're like oh my God it's only like 350 for a whole bag of the state, what do we do, and then and then all of a sudden, like four or five storefronts Papa were like.

 

446

00:58:55.620 --> 00:58:56.070

Hong Lieu: Oh, I did.

 

447

00:58:56.160 --> 00:59:07.350

Hong Lieu: I get my lollipop I get my various bangle for this full metal nothing from this guy over here, and then the the the squeezy Tamil the template no that was squeeze out with the little Plato style noodles that would come out oh.

 

448

00:59:07.770 --> 00:59:08.550

Man, it was I mean it.

 

449

00:59:09.720 --> 00:59:12.060

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: can't be it's called a bill on a baldy.

 

450

00:59:12.270 --> 00:59:14.520

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right, because you have to squeeze it for the little hair.

 

451

00:59:14.520 --> 00:59:16.140

Akil Hill: candy to come out of there you.

 

452

00:59:16.320 --> 00:59:33.000

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: know what I got both of y'all that's old school candy well for the most part, some of its owner, but even then the by, yes, oh that's so old school like man we're talking about, we can take that all the way to the 70s i'm how old, that is, the packaging, you know, been updated but.

 

453

00:59:33.240 --> 00:59:35.040

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: That bullet is like pretty old school.

 

454

00:59:35.190 --> 00:59:41.400

Hong Lieu: yeah there's this this weekend is that that that people want is like a classic but, but what I remember when that spicy candy it that was like.

 

455

00:59:41.580 --> 00:59:46.230

Hong Lieu: I remember before and after it's like that my life will never be the same kind of thing it sounds like.

 

456

00:59:46.500 --> 00:59:55.890

Hong Lieu: my mind was blown because you know I like spicy I love spice so I never had any can't and never had any candy but oh man yeah so so when you drop that candy like on the desk like.

 

458

01:00:02.370 --> 01:00:13.380

Hong Lieu: My brain was just like poo poo poo like the memories are flooding back cuz like it was it was like yeah such a like East la like moment is like just see all those candies again like I feel like a rich guy i'd really.

 

459

01:00:14.550 --> 01:00:15.690

Akil Hill: You know it's funny I.

 

460

01:00:16.110 --> 01:00:25.620

Akil Hill: I grew up in the Midwest and then I moved to Santa Barbara my mother's family side is originally from Santa Barbara and I remember when I moved to Santa Barbara.

 

461

01:00:27.330 --> 01:00:32.940

Akil Hill: was an eighth grade, and there was I would serve a junior high and there is right there, there was to follow market.

 

462

01:00:33.510 --> 01:00:45.930

Akil Hill: And I one of the first distinct things that I remembered is what the candy that the kids are eating were completely different from how it was in the Midwest and they and one of them was the little limon packets.

 

463

01:00:46.980 --> 01:00:47.580

Akil Hill: So I was like.

 

464

01:00:47.610 --> 01:00:54.510

Akil Hill: what's he got pneumonia people don't I didn't know that i'm like what is that, and then the other one was a little gum a little chiclet that you know, like yeah.

 

465

01:00:54.540 --> 01:00:56.550

Akil Hill: I was like a tiny ones I was like what is that but.

 

466

01:00:56.940 --> 01:01:04.860

Akil Hill: I feel I feel Hong and what you guys are saying, like when I explained that i'm like what is this, you know so.

 

467

01:01:06.330 --> 01:01:13.440

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah I remember putting all the candy down and hong grab two of them he's oh yeah these are great he puts in his pocket my another know all of it take.

 

468

01:01:14.970 --> 01:01:16.230

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I got to have everything for.

 

469

01:01:16.710 --> 01:01:24.450

Hong Lieu: me, I felt like a rich guy because, like I said it was always like I was always do calculations in my brain like I have this much money all the salsa good man.

 

470

01:01:24.690 --> 01:01:27.120

Hong Lieu: Yes, I have this much money, I can only get this much.

 

471

01:01:27.270 --> 01:01:33.900

Hong Lieu: And I would make that last I wasn't like three lollipops my mouth, I was like one lollipop now and then wait like an hour so like okay.

 

472

01:01:34.140 --> 01:01:40.680

Hong Lieu: I know the one, and then you know, like, I had to do the space it out, especially when I got that yellow lucas shaking on the one time I did tell a longer that.

 

473

01:01:41.010 --> 01:01:47.700

Hong Lieu: They bet me three bucks I couldn't chug a whole one and I did it, but then I got heartburn and threw up, so it wasn't it wasn't all the way worth it, but I did do it for the record.

 

474

01:01:47.970 --> 01:01:57.360

Hong Lieu: But even that shaker I can make it last for ever, I mean everyone hit you up be like, let me have some we have some so they stick their hands out there, we do the heavy lifting but.

 

475

01:01:57.690 --> 01:02:08.040

Hong Lieu: But, but you would space it out me to make it last you know I mean the peak only mode well thanks for their five cents, there was a single server like that was like in, and now you just have the packet spaced out but oh.

 

476

01:02:08.070 --> 01:02:10.320

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Man yeah I don't have you y'all remember.

 

477

01:02:10.350 --> 01:02:19.650

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: i'm Shelby when she was still with us, she was doing an event with the international ambassadors and she would have have it in the cafeteria where.

 

478

01:02:20.220 --> 01:02:30.090

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You can cut them, and you know give samples of your food from from your from your country right so it's all these tables their flags of all around the world.

 

479

01:02:30.510 --> 01:02:40.950

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And I think that year I was so with express the success and I told her I volunteer So what we put for food, we put i'm going chest, so this week bread.

 

480

01:02:41.160 --> 01:02:41.640

Hong Lieu: Oh yeah.

 

481

01:02:42.150 --> 01:02:51.810

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And, and we also put fruit that loca so now we're trying to be you know better at our diet so it's chopped up fruit for the most part we put watermelon pineapple.

 

482

01:02:52.290 --> 01:02:59.670

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And then we add salsa get these all all around it, we cover the entire fruit within, and then we put chum boy.

 

483

01:03:00.450 --> 01:03:05.310

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: We put it all across and then a bunch of the heat everywhere, so now you're having your fruit.

 

484

01:03:05.850 --> 01:03:14.220

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Your sweet fruit, with the backing and associate these all at once and it's like a part of the opening up when you eat it all together.

 

485

01:03:14.520 --> 01:03:20.940

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And some folks we're looking at is like is that candy in your fruit really yeah but it's not just any candy except I get these.

 

486

01:03:21.270 --> 01:03:30.810

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right, but again, you have to try it and At first it might look a little bit intimidating, with all that vaccine and what on bed, and I mean they can we know it's more on the South side than the spicy side.

 

487

01:03:31.710 --> 01:03:40.740

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But I remember it was a great success super like all of our candy and then we put little baskets have candy have a similar Kenny, that we brought you but you know it was kind of like.

 

488

01:03:43.650 --> 01:03:56.160

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I don't know if you want to say weird, but when they would come by they would say Oh, because we had schools and sugar schools, just to decorate the table, along with the setup it and they said oh it's like Coco.

 

489

01:03:58.920 --> 01:04:11.940

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Coco where Mexican coke was that just all over Mexico is being represented there, but every person that came by that you know what's coming across for the first time they identified our food.

 

490

01:04:12.300 --> 01:04:19.290

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And you know our setup and everything with cocoa, and you know they'll go into my events talk about the other one of those.

 

491

01:04:19.890 --> 01:04:31.620

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But i'm like no we're not just cocoa, you know these fruits and candy our way before Coco ever existed, so I thought that was funny, but we are like No, let me tell you a little bit about our foods and it's not just cocoa.

 

492

01:04:32.070 --> 01:04:40.200

Akil Hill: But it's important to have cocoa, though, because that shows that at least that's how work gets out, it becomes more normalized like with the masses, you know I mean, I think.

 

493

01:04:40.590 --> 01:04:42.330

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah yeah but you know.

 

494

01:04:42.870 --> 01:04:44.280

Akil Hill: But I know that.

 

495

01:04:44.460 --> 01:04:45.570

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah but.

 

496

01:04:46.020 --> 01:04:57.090

Akil Hill: But what i'm saying is like you know when i'm always wouldn't like new movies drops or something that I don't know i'm like I mean it's almost like you're being exposed to something kind of different, and so you want look at it, but we all know, the origins.

 

497

01:04:57.660 --> 01:04:59.430

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah yeah.

 

498

01:04:59.490 --> 01:05:04.770

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah it's not just go go, but no, it was cool I mean like you said, the fact that they were able to identify.

 

499

01:05:04.830 --> 01:05:09.630

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah we didn't have a Mexican flag in our table, but I think that's that appear, the sugar schools, they.

 

500

01:05:09.870 --> 01:05:13.290

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: right away they're like Oh, this is like cocoa, so you must be Mexican.

 

501

01:05:14.850 --> 01:05:15.300

Hong Lieu: that's still.

 

502

01:05:16.080 --> 01:05:18.210

Hong Lieu: that's still a learning moment, though, because how old, are these students.

 

503

01:05:18.210 --> 01:05:23.730

Hong Lieu: Like you, at 90 still so pointing at things like cocoa like no that's like a fifth grade move right here let's go.

 

504

01:05:25.980 --> 01:05:37.860

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: that's that's also been with them a call it isn't that part of the demon California adventure now for a couple years now, I think it's been cold, so they you know they try to be culturally competent I guess by.

 

505

01:05:37.860 --> 01:05:39.630

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Just putting Coco nowadays.

 

506

01:05:40.110 --> 01:05:40.650

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know, but.

 

507

01:05:40.710 --> 01:05:42.960

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I mean something in the movie Coco that it's.

 

508

01:05:44.040 --> 01:05:47.940

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: That is very original and it's the celebrity kids right like the bigger.

 

509

01:05:49.590 --> 01:05:56.400

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know the big bird that was like flying around like that's super original and and i'll talk about the other methods as well, too, but.

 

510

01:05:56.760 --> 01:06:06.210

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But when it comes down to the food, I remember that event was super cool because we did you know see a lot of other folks and what what foods they typically like to eat.

 

511

01:06:07.020 --> 01:06:13.980

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Artists was last minute when I do, what do we do go buy some conscious some candy and we'll do fruit that locker and boom there it is you know something new.

 

512

01:06:14.670 --> 01:06:24.180

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And then we didn't have to cook first of all, you know we were in the office literally chopping everything like hurry up, we have to put all that becky we gotta go, you know, but it worked out and it was and.

 

513

01:06:24.660 --> 01:06:31.170

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: It was super fun to watch a show he's not around anymore, so I don't I don't ever continue that again, but I hope they do it wasn't.

 

514

01:06:32.100 --> 01:06:41.400

Akil Hill: I wouldn't I remember going to your baby shower and you guys set it off, I remember, remember that they broke up the candies everyone was going nuts.

 

515

01:06:41.580 --> 01:06:43.950

Akil Hill: I remember yeah it was cool.

 

516

01:06:43.980 --> 01:06:44.250

Akil Hill: yeah it.

 

517

01:06:44.280 --> 01:06:56.160

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Was super cool I was super surprised, they were scared me when everybody said surprise, I left crying i'm like what the hell just happened, and nobody told me and I didn't even get dressed up for this okay.

 

518

01:06:56.550 --> 01:06:56.820

Akil Hill: So.

 

519

01:06:57.090 --> 01:07:02.850

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I don't like surprises I am I shouldn't told her that I really don't like surprises, but it was so sweet.

 

520

01:07:04.230 --> 01:07:08.520

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: It was super sweet and bitter sweet because that was the last time I saw about four.

 

521

01:07:08.610 --> 01:07:16.050

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah right it happened a couple of days after that, but other than that it was a great celebration and i'm so happy to have pictures to remember it.

 

522

01:07:16.620 --> 01:07:27.390

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And we still have the yet them that I think Casey name pepe and its Center for equity So if you walk into Hong you'll see a big donkey been yet the and that's better.

 

523

01:07:28.140 --> 01:07:29.850

Akil Hill: hi I have a.

 

524

01:07:29.970 --> 01:07:31.140

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Center mascot not.

 

525

01:07:32.340 --> 01:07:37.470

Akil Hill: Have a funny story about the offices around the Mexican candy real quick I I got hooked on.

 

526

01:07:38.880 --> 01:07:39.750

Akil Hill: Pico fresca.

 

527

01:07:40.320 --> 01:07:41.160

Akil Hill: You know the little tiny.

 

528

01:07:41.490 --> 01:07:49.620

Akil Hill: The balls right, and so one day he came into my office and then he's like what are you eating that was like meaning pika fresco he's like what's that I might do you don't know what.

 

529

01:07:50.790 --> 01:08:04.500

Akil Hill: he's like, no, no, so I gave him a couple, and he was either, the first thing he said was legit right he's legit pika fresca and then, so I became is like you know I would always took him up every time I was.

 

530

01:08:05.700 --> 01:08:09.960

Akil Hill: yeah it was a plug man, I was always dropping bags, this is back when he works in ups.

 

531

01:08:10.980 --> 01:08:26.610

Akil Hill: And so, every time I you know, think of picaresque I always think of doleful and how he was he's like he's like I can't stop eating no means like I was you know i'm in bed last night and stuff yeah so Pico fresco is reminds me of or dear beloved Adolfo corral.

 

532

01:08:27.300 --> 01:08:29.280

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Yes, rip my friend.

 

533

01:08:29.340 --> 01:08:38.940

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah so I forgot to mention why we decided to file Chapter seven for candy business is because we know that.

 

534

01:08:40.440 --> 01:08:45.990

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The number one rule everybody says is like don't get high of your own supply right.

 

535

01:08:46.260 --> 01:08:53.280

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So my mom started finding candy wrappers near the bathtub after I would take showers I forget it throw away, but the rappers.

 

536

01:08:54.180 --> 01:08:58.170

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And she was like girl you're eating everything, and I was like damn I am eating everything.

 

537

01:08:58.470 --> 01:09:02.850

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right so little by little, I was eating all the good candy and next scene overnight, you know we have to.

 

538

01:09:02.850 --> 01:09:12.810

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: stop doing this because we were literally doing trips, all the way to something or la to go get bags of candy we're really trying to get the candy nobody can get around over here.

 

539

01:09:13.140 --> 01:09:20.490

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And, and then you know we got older and we're like let's move on to something better, so we went from candy to selling glass bottles, because I was telling.

 

540

01:09:20.790 --> 01:09:32.460

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Hong akil that, back then, there was no elevators or bilateral say would come around Santa Barbara you know that happened years years later, so, then we were selling Gospels as well, but that was the end of our candy business.

 

541

01:09:33.330 --> 01:09:38.430

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But it was a cool experience and the fact that you know, we were able to be the plug at school and in the neighborhood.

 

542

01:09:38.700 --> 01:09:45.720

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: That was super cool to be able to have and I don't think anybody can tell that story, at least not from peabody like me and my sister were known for sending that Lucas.

 

543

01:09:46.470 --> 01:09:54.930

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The yellow little once and I don't know a killer you know, but those Lucas has got taken off the market because apparently they contained a lot of lead.

 

544

01:09:55.230 --> 01:10:06.540

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And to this day, my sister blames that she has anemia because of those she's still adding water and drink them like a shop so hon like you got heartburn this girl would eat like five of them like a shot.

 

545

01:10:08.340 --> 01:10:09.870

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: one after the other, you know.

 

546

01:10:10.500 --> 01:10:15.930

Akil Hill: I remember that I remember that that was on that made me that made like national news I remember watching that on the news.

 

547

01:10:16.020 --> 01:10:20.370

Akil Hill: When they were saying that it contained lad I was like oh hey.

 

548

01:10:20.820 --> 01:10:29.010

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: She was trying to go to like the smallest little towns in Mexico to try to find because it was like I mean i'm literally thinking how hooked she got on these.

 

549

01:10:29.340 --> 01:10:34.710

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: that she was like creating them to the point she was telling my dad can you drive me to the next town, I need to go to the liquor.

 

550

01:10:35.070 --> 01:10:44.040

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: store to find out if they have any right, and you know that thing got taken now she's still trying to find it on Amazon she's crazy she's still trying to find that stuff i'm that girl that's gone gone like.

 

551

01:10:46.950 --> 01:10:49.080

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You already got bad anemia where do you want some more.

 

552

01:10:50.310 --> 01:10:52.770

Hong Lieu: Just have it as a display notice the record.

 

553

01:10:53.970 --> 01:10:54.540

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah.

 

554

01:10:55.560 --> 01:10:55.740

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So.

 

555

01:10:56.790 --> 01:11:07.890

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Yes, and then, when it comes down to um well food, I wanted to talk about a little bit about I don't know I know y'all have probably had I know a keel, for she has had every.

 

556

01:11:09.090 --> 01:11:10.530

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: guess that that go in the world.

 

557

01:11:10.590 --> 01:11:12.330

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: J fox boulevard.

 

558

01:11:12.750 --> 01:11:13.980

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I know you hung.

 

559

01:11:14.160 --> 01:11:14.550

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Oh yeah.

 

560

01:11:14.640 --> 01:11:18.000

Hong Lieu: Well, not at Oxford yet, because it kills your shows me, piece by piece.

 

561

01:11:18.360 --> 01:11:19.740

Hong Lieu: But I definitely I definitely had.

 

562

01:11:20.100 --> 01:11:22.230

Hong Lieu: My suitcase of faculty in La yeah.

 

563

01:11:22.320 --> 01:11:28.980

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Okay yeah that's right your family, but my my friend and homeboy from my neighborhood started off with.

 

564

01:11:29.580 --> 01:11:35.430

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: pop ups here in Santa Barbara last year when the pandemic first hit, and he was selling guess at that goals.

 

565

01:11:35.820 --> 01:11:40.290

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And you know it was he was just announced on his personal instagram and then.

 

566

01:11:40.680 --> 01:11:48.060

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: It was one weekend and the next weekend the lines were you know a little bit longer the weekend after that were ridiculously long we literally one time I.

 

567

01:11:48.390 --> 01:11:57.420

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: went in and I lasted three hours in line just to get you know my order gets at that goes and fast word time now he opened his own join.

 

568

01:11:57.450 --> 01:11:59.010

Hong Lieu: On state street jonah race.

 

569

01:11:59.040 --> 01:12:09.510

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right, and you know i'm super proud of him because again he comes from my neighborhood he lost his parents at a very young age, both of them, so he made this right.

 

570

01:12:10.680 --> 01:12:23.940

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: All on his own and he and his brother, you know manage the entire business with the help of course of the cooks and and the staff there but he's doing such a great job, and then the food is really good and tasty and if you have you gone there.

 

571

01:12:24.480 --> 01:12:28.170

Hong Lieu: i've been trying to, but the lines are still super long like it's still like an.

 

572

01:12:28.200 --> 01:12:30.630

Hong Lieu: hour better yeah way better.

 

573

01:12:30.750 --> 01:12:39.120

Hong Lieu: They did the brita week last last week at a burrito I was like Okay, let me try try that our weight i'm like oh man I can't do this right now.

 

574

01:12:39.540 --> 01:12:42.270

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: it's good Now you can order online and pick it up oh.

 

575

01:12:42.420 --> 01:12:51.150

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: he's you don't have to like order there what it is more inconveniences then obviously there's not many tables, so if you're trying to eat there something you have to take it at.

 

576

01:12:52.560 --> 01:12:53.220

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: That um.

 

577

01:12:53.640 --> 01:12:58.890

Hong Lieu: yeah I don't mind waiting, because the bed the beauty of so piping hot, but I like that, like five minutes to chill so I don't.

 

578

01:12:59.940 --> 01:13:01.410

Hong Lieu: Like dependent sippin so.

 

579

01:13:01.920 --> 01:13:04.140

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: He just started doing the goat one.

 

580

01:13:04.470 --> 01:13:07.440

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Oh no but now, with the weekends, he does go.

 

581

01:13:07.470 --> 01:13:10.650

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Be as well, and so forth, what.

 

582

01:13:10.830 --> 01:13:12.210

Akil Hill: Are you are, you are you go.

 

583

01:13:13.170 --> 01:13:20.970

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I don't know my parents mess that up for me, we go to Mexico one year and they're letting us play with the baby go.

 

584

01:13:21.960 --> 01:13:23.040

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: uh yeah.

 

585

01:13:23.070 --> 01:13:24.390

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah was dinner.

 

586

01:13:24.750 --> 01:13:28.290

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah you know, and then they tell it, and then they give me like the little.

 

587

01:13:28.350 --> 01:13:31.830

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The little tail am I, what kind of.

 

588

01:13:31.920 --> 01:13:33.600

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: terrorizing ptsd.

 

589

01:13:36.270 --> 01:13:38.700

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah but I didn't have dinner that night.

 

590

01:13:39.000 --> 01:13:41.970

Hong Lieu: My parents have yeah you can pet chicken for a while and they.

 

591

01:13:41.970 --> 01:13:42.960

Akil Hill: Just like data like.

 

592

01:13:43.140 --> 01:13:45.780

Hong Lieu: chopping it set off plucking it and then throwing in the soup like.

 

593

01:13:46.410 --> 01:13:50.340

Hong Lieu: But I played I played it i'm a savage like that I couldn't help myself look good.

 

594

01:13:51.480 --> 01:13:58.020

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: For my first encounter with with the little go, you know and then they're letting us play with the i'm thinking we're gonna keep it as a pen.

 

595

01:13:58.020 --> 01:14:01.140

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: ya know they tell us that that's our dinner like know that brooklyn.

 

596

01:14:01.170 --> 01:14:01.500

yeah.

 

597

01:14:02.580 --> 01:14:04.050

Akil Hill: That would do you that would do you.

 

598

01:14:04.080 --> 01:14:05.670

Akil Hill: I get I get it, I get that.

 

599

01:14:05.910 --> 01:14:08.820

Hong Lieu: And the goat has a different level of chicken man because that's that's.

 

600

01:14:08.820 --> 01:14:10.020

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Another yeah yeah.

 

601

01:14:11.310 --> 01:14:15.120

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah but I don't know you tell me a kill how, how is the goat.

 

602

01:14:16.560 --> 01:14:17.430

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Have you had those.

 

603

01:14:18.000 --> 01:14:28.770

Akil Hill: i'd be happy to go to taco but Rosa who works in a mission and records one day she she said hey do you like go and I was like yeah like go, you know.

 

604

01:14:29.940 --> 01:14:41.970

Akil Hill: So she brought me some go and it was in the sauce it was like slow cook the ribs or so on, it was like fresh fresh you know recently it was fresh go let's just say that was fresco super amazing.

 

605

01:14:42.990 --> 01:14:44.430

Akil Hill: And yeah I mean I.

 

606

01:14:44.700 --> 01:14:58.920

Akil Hill: go in lamb that was there, like my defaults I would love some gold love somebody and I think that's because of the circles, you know kind of navigate in you know bemis some deep lemon lemon golder like the meats.

 

607

01:14:59.520 --> 01:15:06.600

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah I don't know if y'all have seen that i'm show on netflix the Doc was chronicles.

 

608

01:15:07.020 --> 01:15:07.320

Hong Lieu: Oh yeah.

 

609

01:15:07.380 --> 01:15:09.540

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: We all seen that one yeah actually all of them.

 

610

01:15:09.720 --> 01:15:09.930

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But.

 

611

01:15:10.140 --> 01:15:14.430

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But even with the first one, it gives you a little bit of the rundown of the history about back.

 

612

01:15:14.430 --> 01:15:20.670

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: With me he goes and that how originator right from folks coming from from the from the Middle East and.

 

613

01:15:20.670 --> 01:15:21.120

Akil Hill: You know.

 

614

01:15:21.240 --> 01:15:23.280

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I mean it's literally the same concept.

 

615

01:15:23.310 --> 01:15:25.740

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know that they're doing that dacosta pastore.

 

616

01:15:25.800 --> 01:15:27.780

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yo is the same concept with the lamb.

 

617

01:15:27.840 --> 01:15:30.630

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right, how they how they how they do it in the throne point.

 

618

01:15:30.630 --> 01:15:31.920

Akil Hill: What you know.

 

619

01:15:32.340 --> 01:15:39.270

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So it's so many similarities, you know you know we can say that we love that goes, but we also have to give credit where that came from, you know that.

 

620

01:15:39.300 --> 01:15:40.020

Akil Hill: yeah they don't.

 

621

01:15:40.050 --> 01:15:42.990

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: They don't know that or understand where that where that really hasn't been and.

 

622

01:15:43.080 --> 01:15:45.450

Akil Hill: I think it was it Turks thing was the terms.

 

623

01:15:45.720 --> 01:15:53.670

Hong Lieu: yeah cuz they're still they still have tacos that obvious to there's a standard latest tacos that obvious they do like the old like Middle Eastern spicing and stuff so I.

 

624

01:15:54.510 --> 01:15:55.170

Hong Lieu: Try to keep it.

 

625

01:15:55.680 --> 01:15:56.730

Hong Lieu: Keep it true to that yeah.

 

626

01:15:57.030 --> 01:16:01.890

Hong Lieu: yeah that's, it is a little thicker to the try to do like a semi flatbread but it's still masa based stuff.

 

627

01:16:02.460 --> 01:16:03.000

Hong Lieu: Okay.

 

628

01:16:03.870 --> 01:16:13.410

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Well now, now I mean things have obviously you know change and went up and I just saw a picture that roxanne send me and Dorothy is like ran like hot cheetos read.

 

629

01:16:13.770 --> 01:16:23.100

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And I know you didn't girl um I guess what i'm about to eat right now for dinner a freakin cup of noodle why you're having these like looking tacos with a frickin flaming hot cheetos.

 

630

01:16:23.130 --> 01:16:25.230

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: 30 year looking oh wait.

 

631

01:16:26.040 --> 01:16:30.900

Hong Lieu: wait till you get like the the beauty of Rama they kill gets would they be used it costs to pay for the cup of noodles.

 

632

01:16:30.930 --> 01:16:34.980

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah yea though I had one of those those are those are yeah they hit this.

 

633

01:16:35.520 --> 01:16:38.520

Hong Lieu: I don't want to know how much sodium is it all together, but I still eat it.

 

634

01:16:41.460 --> 01:16:53.880

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Now those are good, too, but you know when it comes down to food here in Santa Barbara oh in about yonder read, I know that I killed his and drink alcohol and I don't know you hung but they sell really good meacham others.

 

635

01:16:54.210 --> 01:16:58.860

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And then on top they'll do like a movie gets a package like this big.

 

636

01:16:59.040 --> 01:17:03.480

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Little already yes it's so cute let me see i'll find a picture of it.

 

637

01:17:04.200 --> 01:17:04.980

Hong Lieu: i'll check it out.

 

638

01:17:05.220 --> 01:17:14.490

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And if you like, spicy Hong you're going to like them, because they they'll chop to jalapenos slices in there, so they're definitely spicy too.

 

639

01:17:15.150 --> 01:17:26.310

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So those those are pretty good, but other than that I think my other favorite place to eat, and I am not saying that just to say it's probably my mom's kitchen I think she gets down when it comes down to cooking Mexican food.

 

640

01:17:27.000 --> 01:17:34.530

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: like no other and and I can, I can tell you this much that my all my friends know my mom for her Red Bull solely.

 

641

01:17:34.770 --> 01:17:43.080

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: it's so boring, you know and every time they come they'll they'll pretend like they're not hungry once they know it's possibly okay i'll take a little bit like seem.

 

642

01:17:43.440 --> 01:17:44.760

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: To take something go.

 

643

01:17:45.030 --> 01:17:45.930

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Everything know what do you mean.

 

644

01:17:47.280 --> 01:17:47.700

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: In here.

 

645

01:17:47.940 --> 01:17:49.740

Hong Lieu: they're asking for little stars do can I get a couple of.

 

646

01:17:52.380 --> 01:17:53.130

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Everything.

 

647

01:17:53.880 --> 01:17:55.920

Akil Hill: To speak on that I can speak on that.

 

648

01:17:57.180 --> 01:17:59.070

Akil Hill: Because alondra.

 

649

01:18:00.210 --> 01:18:06.120

Akil Hill: dropped off a huge part of solely for roxanne's birthday wasn't it for actions per day.

 

650

01:18:06.150 --> 01:18:08.310

Akil Hill: yeah and listen.

 

651

01:18:09.930 --> 01:18:27.960

Akil Hill: i'm telling you and, if it was so good, I I was like eating pistole all night like through the night, I think I, my first time I went down, I think I went down like three bowls of first night woke up for breakfast it was like I didn't want anything other than what she had brought you know.

 

652

01:18:29.070 --> 01:18:30.180

Akil Hill: it's yeah so.

 

653

01:18:30.270 --> 01:18:36.480

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Her mom yeah my mom really thought y'all were having a gathering so she made a big pot like to feel.

 

654

01:18:36.510 --> 01:18:36.870

Akil Hill: We were.

 

655

01:18:37.230 --> 01:18:37.650

15.

 

656

01:18:39.510 --> 01:18:42.570

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And then the next day, when I was like damn rock sentence and you need.

 

657

01:18:42.570 --> 01:18:51.030

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: pictures that she liked it i'm a dad mom my mom did he fail today and then she's like no, I think I made a good and then roxanne finally sends me a picture right.

 

658

01:18:51.390 --> 01:18:54.240

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Now they did you like it should a girl on my my third book i'm on.

 

659

01:18:54.540 --> 01:18:55.020

Hong Lieu: board.

 

660

01:18:55.080 --> 01:18:57.510

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah you did she got down know.

 

661

01:18:58.410 --> 01:19:04.410

Akil Hill: She probably took a picture, because I was it was a surprise to tell me to stop eating it she's like hey I need this in the picture you stop eating.

 

662

01:19:05.880 --> 01:19:07.620

Akil Hill: I was going in on that man no joke.

 

663

01:19:08.370 --> 01:19:10.530

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah but other than that actually makes everything pretty.

 

664

01:19:11.070 --> 01:19:20.880

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: pretty good you know my dad's from the state of Guerrero where their cuisine is so different to where my mom's from she's from one of what them, and so they use a lot of spices and even.

 

665

01:19:21.600 --> 01:19:28.800

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: spices, that the Asterix or the indigenous people used to use back in the days right so everything is still very much.

 

666

01:19:31.020 --> 01:19:39.810

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Different than Wer were used to eating here as far as Mexican food so she makes a whole bunch of different styles and she learned how to cook like my.

 

667

01:19:40.080 --> 01:19:52.050

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: paternal grandmother cooks just so she can feed my dad you know the stuff that she likes, so much the type of Mexican food that I eat it's not like taco bell Mexican food it's like authentic real authentic food.

 

668

01:19:52.470 --> 01:20:02.160

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And I wish you know I we've told her i'm a mom you need to like open up a restaurant, you know, like she makes really good color the color on anything via she makes.

 

669

01:20:02.310 --> 01:20:03.270

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: herself to.

 

670

01:20:03.540 --> 01:20:10.530

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: She makes the best enchiladas and then I took her recipe, and she gets mad when I make him, because then my dad says minor better and.

 

671

01:20:12.720 --> 01:20:16.860

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Any other dishes are better than hers because then she'll take it against me.

 

672

01:20:17.100 --> 01:20:18.180

Akil Hill: Especially her daughter.

 

673

01:20:18.660 --> 01:20:21.570

Akil Hill: Yes, I know she's oh gee you can.

 

674

01:20:21.870 --> 01:20:24.510

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I know and it's not me it's my dad who says oh.

 

675

01:20:24.570 --> 01:20:25.530

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: i'm blaming him.

 

676

01:20:26.610 --> 01:20:40.020

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: my daughter asked me, should I came on how come grab the grandmothers cook the best and I turned around my grandmother's cook the best and again like my my grandma she cooks the best foods ever and i'm I would have thought that MAC and cheese I just made.

 

677

01:20:41.970 --> 01:20:42.780

Akil Hill: That shared your back.

 

678

01:20:44.010 --> 01:20:46.800

Hong Lieu: It stays it stays consistent yeah.

 

679

01:20:47.970 --> 01:20:48.300

Hong Lieu: yeah.

 

680

01:20:48.450 --> 01:20:58.350

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: They yeah so you know food ways I don't know I don't we like to go, are you know what's a good I don't know if you've ever gone to a cute gobbles out in oxnard boulevard.

 

681

01:20:59.010 --> 01:20:59.250

yeah.

 

682

01:21:00.780 --> 01:21:02.700

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah go ahead, sorry oxnard boulevard.

 

683

01:21:02.730 --> 01:21:04.440

Akil Hill: Yes, that's like a beach theme.

 

684

01:21:04.770 --> 01:21:06.780

Akil Hill: yea rather those.

 

685

01:21:07.260 --> 01:21:08.490

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I know you know, but the.

 

686

01:21:08.490 --> 01:21:09.900

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Other day when I heard y'all.

 

687

01:21:09.930 --> 01:21:13.770

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: went to the government for him what guy hit that was like well you're an oxygen you went to that guy.

 

688

01:21:16.140 --> 01:21:19.410

Akil Hill: I try and throw anyone in front of the bus, but that wasn't me.

 

689

01:21:22.470 --> 01:21:23.790

Hong Lieu: Moving right along the culture.

 

690

01:21:23.910 --> 01:21:25.050

Akil Hill: Yes, exactly.

 

691

01:21:25.080 --> 01:21:26.220

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: that's that's a good segue.

 

692

01:21:27.030 --> 01:21:27.390

Hong Lieu: to drag.

 

693

01:21:27.660 --> 01:21:31.560

Hong Lieu: And drop so much knowledge outlander i'll get everything in the show notes, I mean.

 

694

01:21:31.770 --> 01:21:32.700

Hong Lieu: Yes, yeah.

 

695

01:21:35.310 --> 01:21:36.870

Akil Hill: tacos chronicles that's really good.

 

696

01:21:37.710 --> 01:21:38.610

Hong Lieu: Product good talk.

 

697

01:21:40.230 --> 01:21:40.980

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: On netflix.

 

698

01:21:41.370 --> 01:21:42.810

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah into.

 

699

01:21:42.990 --> 01:21:44.130

Hong Lieu: The FCC yeah.

 

700

01:21:44.250 --> 01:21:52.830

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah I don't know yeah I learned a lot of stuff from that I want to go to Mexico for a whole week just to go to that Mexico City street where they also backwards.

 

701

01:21:53.220 --> 01:22:02.160

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Can you put anything that's what it's called like I want to go visit that join because it looks so don't like man i'll probably have an overdose of tacos even over there.

 

702

01:22:02.460 --> 01:22:08.310

Hong Lieu: Just just a regional specificity talk about you know good good Eric was you want to hop over to Mexico City versus.

 

703

01:22:08.370 --> 01:22:17.910

Hong Lieu: web lovers want you know, like mutual can all every region has its own kind of kind of little little twist some folks are really big on seafood like CMO and stuff like that.

 

704

01:22:18.570 --> 01:22:28.440

Hong Lieu: You know, and so like yeah it's a I mean you're really kind of speaking to the depth and breadth of the cuisine and like it just yeah called cultures beautiful thing you know.

 

705

01:22:29.130 --> 01:22:36.870

Hong Lieu: So so segue you know into our culture SEC mean if you want to kick us off again and just just let her rip I mean you have a PIC you know.

 

706

01:22:37.440 --> 01:22:40.350

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I mean we aren't in October, and you know.

 

707

01:22:40.440 --> 01:22:50.190

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I we like to do in the Center for equity a presentation of the origins of the other mortals or the day of the dead, a lot of people have.

 

708

01:22:50.670 --> 01:23:01.200

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: misconceptions of what that that tradition is for us and even nowadays right the way folks celebrated nowadays to heart and sisters are two completely different ways.

 

709

01:23:01.620 --> 01:23:18.810

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And I think that we also I want to emphasize is that a day of the dead is not a Halloween costume sorry folks you know you dressing up like a Katrina or anything like that does not make you a Mexican or brings us any type of honor To be quite honest, because we are not a costume.

 

710

01:23:20.010 --> 01:23:29.310

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So, other than that you know the day of the dead origins in the times of the Asterix and it got synchronized with the Catholic.

 

711

01:23:29.640 --> 01:23:35.040

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Religion later on and that's the day of the dead that people celebrate today where you see you know.

 

712

01:23:35.460 --> 01:23:45.810

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Religious figures on the altar is but, in all honesty it's a beautiful tradition right and it's a day that we honor our loved ones and we honor them.

 

713

01:23:46.350 --> 01:24:02.550

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: in different ways we do it with building a notepad and putting pictures of them their favorite foods and then there's there's different symbols that symbolize different things as well right like the water, the the paper, the bubble because.

 

714

01:24:03.810 --> 01:24:09.060

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know the the candles the flower that's impossible chill all of that, but all of those also have.

 

715

01:24:10.290 --> 01:24:11.040

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: with him a call it.

 

716

01:24:12.210 --> 01:24:22.500

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: origins from the Asterix like the Florida simple smooching in in it means it it's as simple sort of tune in now, one which means a flower of 20 pedals.

 

717

01:24:22.830 --> 01:24:30.360

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And this flower symbolizes the light for the dead when they come back from in that specific day to visit us.

 

718

01:24:30.780 --> 01:24:37.560

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And if it brings light and the guys them to us, you know so in the movie Coco it's depicted that if you know you don't put a picture of your loved one.

 

719

01:24:37.890 --> 01:24:43.380

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Then they're not being remembered right and they can't cross those golden gates to visit you.

 

720

01:24:43.920 --> 01:24:52.470

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But that's Hollywood that's a movie and if you're if you're thinking about the the altars that the aztecs did it looks nothing like the ones that we did.

 

721

01:24:52.860 --> 01:25:03.960

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The so the origin of the day of the dead originates where, after somebody passed their soul had across nine different levels before they actually got to their resting.

 

722

01:25:04.800 --> 01:25:09.570

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: To get to be able to rest and in every in every step of the way.

 

723

01:25:10.440 --> 01:25:21.600

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: It was another battle so it's not like they just peacefully died, and that was it, they still had a battle and fight for them to get that eternal rest and that's where it originated that you had to put.

 

724

01:25:22.230 --> 01:25:27.630

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Water a beverage or food, so they can have strength for them to even make it to the ninth step.

 

725

01:25:28.050 --> 01:25:35.490

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So it's a cool really cool presentation that we've done for the Center for equity, where I show a really cool video from YouTube where somebody.

 

726

01:25:36.090 --> 01:25:48.210

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: breaks it down in like a two minute clip of what the origin of the day of the dead is and how a lot of places even and make equal they still keep it tradition to the attic ways and how they do it in.

 

727

01:25:48.960 --> 01:25:53.820

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And then in you know again being that it's now synchronize with with religion.

 

728

01:25:54.330 --> 01:26:03.450

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Some people, you know pray and do all that some people go to the cemeteries and spend all day with their loved ones and it's a party so it's not a day, where you're sad.

 

729

01:26:03.750 --> 01:26:12.510

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: or your dwelling no it's a celebration that's why it's called celebration of life because you're really honoring your loved one and you're remembering them and letting them know.

 

730

01:26:13.080 --> 01:26:17.700

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: That you're still there, thinking of them so they'll have like bond as mariachis and.

 

731

01:26:17.970 --> 01:26:29.100

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know it's it's it's a huge celebration in Mexico not here and here they'll do you know festivals and whatnot but we're not allowed to stay past a certain time at a cemetery, let alone decorate it the way they do.

 

732

01:26:29.970 --> 01:26:37.740

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Over there in Mexico, but but that's I think my favorite celebration of the year, because I like to make a note that and.

 

733

01:26:38.040 --> 01:26:48.180

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know honor I hear you know you can either do it with your families loved ones that they've passed or friends or you can make it theme wise right, so you can dedicate the.

 

734

01:26:48.480 --> 01:27:02.790

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Time to to I don't know a specific tragedy that happened right that you want to honor them, even if they're not close to you or even even if you don't know them personally so one year, I believe we made I learned about a history in China islands, about the.

 

735

01:27:03.900 --> 01:27:18.930

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The the flooding of the man I forgot the name of the damn that some Francis damn that it happened in 1928 and when that damn you know erupted the waters, it was in Santa clarita and water switch all the way to Channel Islands and.

 

736

01:27:18.930 --> 01:27:19.710

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah look the way.

 

737

01:27:20.580 --> 01:27:21.900

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: A lot of people died.

 

738

01:27:22.200 --> 01:27:32.970

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right in and when they were buried, there was a lot of segregation still so they buried the Mexicans on one side and the white people on the other side, so at Channel Islands that created an altar where.

 

739

01:27:33.450 --> 01:27:46.530

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: It was honored to all the victims of this and Francis damn so you you choose right who you want to do one, and I invite you all to come by on November 1 and, second, and for that week because i'll have enough that at the basic needs Center.

 

740

01:27:47.010 --> 01:27:54.120

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And you know of course we're going to honor our all of our staff and faculty and students that have passed at Santa Barbara city college.

 

741

01:27:54.750 --> 01:28:01.140

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: In ways to remember them and honor them as well, so I look forward to that, and then you know when you come by I can.

 

742

01:28:01.410 --> 01:28:11.970

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: I can let y'all know a little bit of what each symbol what each step means and whatnot, so it should it should be pretty cool that's like I don't like I like help, but because i'm so.

 

743

01:28:12.720 --> 01:28:21.690

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: anal about where things go and how they're supposed to look I like to really honor it by giving me being the only one, like putting it together.

 

744

01:28:22.110 --> 01:28:31.020

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And a lot of the times folks will unless it's you know, a bigger event but like I my mom she does it herself like nobody will help her she'll do it, and she knows what she's doing that.

 

745

01:28:31.260 --> 01:28:41.100

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: don't nobody going to tell her that the flower goes here and not over there, you know same same with me, I like to really focus on me and it's almost like my nice time with those with those people.

 

746

01:28:41.850 --> 01:28:56.370

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: In in honoring them in ways that you know i'm making this this House that looks so beautiful and pretty for them, you know so when they come and visit that you know they feel proud and honor that that's made and was put up for them, but yeah come back okay.

 

747

01:28:56.670 --> 01:29:05.580

Hong Lieu: Thank you again for the huge drive them dolla dolla you know, like talking about you didn't realize, you were a nurse far but you got you got knowledge for days you dropping gems left and right.

 

748

01:29:05.940 --> 01:29:13.140

Hong Lieu: Number one the Francisco damn is a an incident that not a lot of people know about it was really fundamental to building of southern California, because.

 

749

01:29:13.380 --> 01:29:21.000

Hong Lieu: It really made them evaluate kind of water storage and water he'll kind of when things have led to the eventual you know pillaging of the oceans river valley and stuff like that so.

 

750

01:29:21.810 --> 01:29:27.150

Hong Lieu: Bringing that up is is a pretty big you know pointing moment, so the company history and then dia de Los muertos I mean.

 

751

01:29:27.630 --> 01:29:40.500

Hong Lieu: it's a holiday that I mean i've always kind of had a kinship with because you know my parents everyone looked at me when I was growing up like oh you're Buddhist Buddhist know my parents were it was called ancestor worship in English and in.

 

752

01:29:41.250 --> 01:29:47.730

Hong Lieu: Chinese it's just you know, we had a shriner house at all times and every day my mom would burn incense the morning burn incense at night.

 

753

01:29:48.120 --> 01:29:52.110

Hong Lieu: once a month, she would do the ceremony, where we had this pot, where you burn stuff.

 

754

01:29:52.770 --> 01:30:03.510

Hong Lieu: And you buy like these, the Chinese stores that sell this stuff it's like cardboard version of clothes, you know bunch of money and you could burn that stuff and then it would just go up, and it would go to your ancestors.

 

755

01:30:03.690 --> 01:30:05.220

Hong Lieu: So it was always just like kind of like.

 

756

01:30:05.250 --> 01:30:15.450

Hong Lieu: Remembering you know, remember, if your ancestors stuff so so when the when when people when I first heard that he have dia de Los muertos thought I thought it is, and all that all that stuff it was like oh man, this is finally something.

 

757

01:30:15.960 --> 01:30:21.000

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Similar similar and and and the the sentiment and everything and honoring dead.

 

758

01:30:21.180 --> 01:30:28.890

Hong Lieu: and helping them, you know you say they used to looking out for them and keep you know, like you're still helping them and you're working together still like there's still that bond and.

 

759

01:30:29.520 --> 01:30:39.630

Hong Lieu: bond like I I never knew like my grandma my grandpa my mom's side because he passed for are you born, but every month my mom would always say you know we're sending grandpa this we're doing this for grandpa.

 

760

01:30:40.560 --> 01:30:47.220

Hong Lieu: So so it's always a good way to keep those people front of mind, so when I think would be the smartest I think it, but the same way, so so it's it is.

 

761

01:30:47.550 --> 01:31:01.650

Hong Lieu: It is good that you focus on like the origins of the point of the point of the whole holiday, you know the key of it is really that kind of like familial bonds it kind of just remembering all the folks that you know might have been here before, and still to come to yeah.

 

762

01:31:01.800 --> 01:31:07.170

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: thread, and I think that's the tradition that I hold dearly to my heart, because i'm.

 

763

01:31:07.860 --> 01:31:14.310

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Getting down into my daughter, for both of them to see and and you know that connection with our ancestors right it's always.

 

764

01:31:14.520 --> 01:31:26.340

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Every day of reminding her who we are where we come from and to be really proud of that too right, because even our ancestors were you know super smart and one of the greatest people of all times as well, so.

 

765

01:31:26.910 --> 01:31:28.980

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know, it gives us pride when it comes down to.

 

766

01:31:29.460 --> 01:31:36.630

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The other one of those in you know it's celebrated now in the US, you know and in southern California, in different ways, where it's appreciated and.

 

767

01:31:36.930 --> 01:31:44.790

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Again, people like to be part of it, but if you want to appreciate it and be part of it, you know just don't wear a costume it's not a costume you know, like.

 

768

01:31:45.060 --> 01:32:01.440

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: visit these places ask about it, you know the origin is beyond you know go go or you know the the what is the other movie this book of the secret life or something like that, and I did a presentation, when my daughter was in second grade in her class for the students.

 

769

01:32:02.760 --> 01:32:09.420

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And I remember the teacher told me along that have you thought about teaching and I said yeah but they won't let me teach what I want they're going to.

 

770

01:32:09.780 --> 01:32:18.750

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Tell me to teach with a one and that's not going to happen, but even the children right they were very into it, they were right after I was done, they were like.

 

771

01:32:19.200 --> 01:32:25.950

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: started raising their hands well my grandpa died well my grandma died and they started remembering and that's the whole point.

 

772

01:32:26.610 --> 01:32:36.210

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Right to remember not to forget when my mom puts up her that that's the only time out of the year, where I see my my great grandparents and great great grandparents pictures.

 

773

01:32:36.480 --> 01:32:46.950

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Other than that, I don't see them throughout the year right so it's a special moment that we at least all have in my mom will make a special dish for that day for us to have.

 

774

01:32:47.520 --> 01:32:57.030

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So it's super cool you know I really appreciate it when when the other day comes around and I already have a lot of decorations to have in the garden in the Center, so it should be pretty cool.

 

775

01:32:58.530 --> 01:33:02.550

Hong Lieu: yeah it's definitely one of those things where it helps you kind of feel their spirit around you.

 

776

01:33:02.610 --> 01:33:03.330

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know, like where.

 

777

01:33:03.630 --> 01:33:06.690

Hong Lieu: Where it's like you know, like maybe you're skeptic maybe you don't believe in that, but.

 

778

01:33:07.080 --> 01:33:20.130

Hong Lieu: You know just those random little feelings and like like you did have those feelings that bring that thought into your mind you know, like like that that connection is there, like yeah just like I think about like I don't know my grandpa looks like I don't know pictures of him.

 

779

01:33:20.580 --> 01:33:23.640

Hong Lieu: But I, but there are things that happened in a day, where you know or.

 

780

01:33:23.880 --> 01:33:26.670

Hong Lieu: My mom and I just think about whatever he was.

 

781

01:33:26.970 --> 01:33:31.200

Hong Lieu: And I feel that there is that kind of reaching back kind of thing in it.

 

782

01:33:31.590 --> 01:33:40.380

Hong Lieu: And it's those little those little reminders are important, you know, like our history, history is important, and I mean the future, the present in the future are very important when we're building for that, of course, but.

 

783

01:33:40.920 --> 01:33:50.610

Hong Lieu: How those little reminders the little the little having that spiritual energy around helps helps a lot of the those markers is it is, it is a good piece of that for sure.

 

784

01:33:50.670 --> 01:34:01.110

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah and I think he connects with so many other cultures, I remember having the data at the Center when we're in wcc and a student who's from India walked in.

 

785

01:34:01.650 --> 01:34:04.680

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And she saw the the Mary golds and she said.

 

786

01:34:05.370 --> 01:34:15.630

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Well, I love that flower It reminds me of home because at home that's that you know the flower that they typically use over there for ceremonies and rituals and stuff like that right so.

 

787

01:34:15.990 --> 01:34:26.190

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And this whole time I thought it only it was only in Mexico, where we grew marigolds and stuff like that, but when she say came as far as India, and they have it all the time for ceremonies.

 

788

01:34:26.430 --> 01:34:35.460

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know it's that connection with with other cultures, like you said right conch the traditions that you hold that home to remember your loved ones everybody doesn't in different ways it's.

 

789

01:34:36.270 --> 01:34:44.460

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The the purpose of it is just to remember them right because before you there was somebody else and before them, it was somebody else and so forth, and.

 

790

01:34:45.030 --> 01:34:50.970

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know, we always We always say you know you look up at the stars and they're they're watching us, you know and they're proud of us and what we do.

 

791

01:34:51.600 --> 01:35:05.730

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Every day at when we're working when we're dealing with a tough situation is and there's just remembering at the end at the end of the day is just remembering that you know we hold them dear to our hearts, and we hope that one day, you know when we go to that life.

 

792

01:35:07.170 --> 01:35:13.950

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: That somebody remembers us to right, I think that that's also important that you know they hold is directly to their hearts as well.

 

793

01:35:14.370 --> 01:35:23.190

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And I think that the work that we all do man somebody better hold is dear to their heart, you know, because if it weren't hold on we wouldn't have this great NSPCC webpage.

 

794

01:35:23.640 --> 01:35:28.470

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: You know if it weren't for it kill ochsner boulevard wouldn't be thriving with all the money they're getting.

 

795

01:35:28.470 --> 01:35:28.800

From.

 

796

01:35:30.600 --> 01:35:31.470

Akil Hill: A support local.

 

797

01:35:33.240 --> 01:35:34.590

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: As it i'm talking about.

 

798

01:35:34.680 --> 01:35:45.720

Hong Lieu: yeah it's absolutely absolutely I mean full disclosure my mom would always uses deal to man, you grandpa was like not even around to see how lousy you become that you better clean it up buddy.

 

799

01:35:45.960 --> 01:35:48.210

Hong Lieu: So, so he goes, all the way around but yeah.

 

800

01:35:48.720 --> 01:35:53.340

Hong Lieu: I mean that sentiment mean yeah very powerful Thank you.

 

801

01:35:53.730 --> 01:35:54.870

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Yes, yeah.

 

802

01:35:54.900 --> 01:35:55.350

Akil Hill: Thank you.

 

803

01:35:56.130 --> 01:35:56.610

Thank you.

 

804

01:35:58.530 --> 01:35:58.950

Hong Lieu: alright.

 

805

01:35:59.010 --> 01:36:05.730

Hong Lieu: Alright, so we're getting ready to wrap it up, I mean longer you've shared so much, we thank you so much, we honored to have you it's been.

 

806

01:36:06.150 --> 01:36:07.080

Hong Lieu: it's been a pleasure.

 

807

01:36:07.560 --> 01:36:08.250

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Is there anything else.

 

808

01:36:08.460 --> 01:36:12.720

Hong Lieu: You want to mention or want to plug before we before we say goodbye for the for the day.

 

809

01:36:13.170 --> 01:36:14.220

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Let me see.

 

810

01:36:16.380 --> 01:36:20.940

Akil Hill: here's a quick question can you give a plug about let the listeners know when.

 

811

01:36:22.110 --> 01:36:25.320

Akil Hill: The dia de Los muertos thing is going to be where it's gonna be located in that.

 

812

01:36:25.920 --> 01:36:38.400

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: yeah So if you want to come by and see the the were will have at the basic needs Center we are located in ECC 14 so that's East campus and there's a food pantry garden.

 

813

01:36:39.120 --> 01:36:46.020

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: And we're right behind them another place, that you can find us is that we're right across from the well, but some people don't even know where that well is that.

 

814

01:36:46.470 --> 01:36:58.350

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: So if you're just going on the on the staff parking lot all the way towards the end there's a mural on a building where near where the old food pantry was that and all those portables you'll see.

 

815

01:36:58.830 --> 01:37:06.900

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: The channels there kaplan international school the well and then it's the basic needs Center as well, so we'll have the day of the dead.

 

816

01:37:09.450 --> 01:37:15.660

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: At the beginning of November so from November first and we'll have it for about two weeks, just so folks can come by and check it out.

 

817

01:37:16.020 --> 01:37:30.660

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: But it generally is goes up on November 1 where we welcome the innocent spirits and that's usually all the children and then November 2 is when we honor all the adult loved ones, but, but I think November 2 is a.

 

818

01:37:31.230 --> 01:37:46.590

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Tuesday, when we open so as of that to say you should be able to come that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so we're open Tuesdays from 1pm to 6pm Wednesdays and Thursdays we're open from 10am to 4pm and we'll have it up for two weeks.

 

819

01:37:48.570 --> 01:37:48.990

Hong Lieu: awesome.

 

820

01:37:49.410 --> 01:37:49.830

Very.

 

821

01:37:51.300 --> 01:38:06.810

Hong Lieu: yeah so if folks want a chance to see a de Los muertos altar that's not from Coco, then yes please stop by basically Center UCC 14 I think yeah caplin the well they're all over there, a lot of you know just yeah Thank you so much for the work you do.

 

822

01:38:07.080 --> 01:38:08.370

Akil Hill: Thank you so much.

 

823

01:38:08.580 --> 01:38:09.750

Akil Hill: It was a lot of fun.

 

824

01:38:11.250 --> 01:38:12.930

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: Thank you guys so.

 

825

01:38:13.170 --> 01:38:20.010

Hong Lieu: All right, y'all until next time we'll see y'all again, this was Vaquero Voices. Thank you again alondra true honor and.

 

826

01:38:21.420 --> 01:38:21.720

Hong Lieu: connect.

 

827

01:38:22.230 --> 01:38:23.160

Alondra Lazaro Gonzalez: candy, by the way.

 

828

01:38:23.400 --> 01:38:26.280

Hong Lieu: Oh, you don't even gotta you gotta tell me any twice already.

 

829

01:38:26.310 --> 01:38:27.900

Akil Hill: ate half the kids don't worry it's already gone.

 

830

01:38:28.260 --> 01:38:31.980

Hong Lieu: I was trying to pace myself, I was trying to pace myself but don't.

 

831

01:38:33.840 --> 01:38:37.440

Hong Lieu: Do it again, but until next time y'all take care bye bye.

 

832

01:38:37.770 --> 01:38:38.580

bye.