Lilian Silvas POV of America

Lilian Silva's POV of America

This is Lilian Silva she is 26 years old. She immigrated into the United States when she was 12 years old. The first state she had lived in was Marietta, Georgia. After living there briefly her mother moved her across country to Daly City, California. She has since lived in Las Vegas, NV and now currently resides in Pacifica, CA.

In this interview we will cover topics involving employment, education, and discrimination.

List of Discussion Topics

1. Introduction

2. Employment

3. Discrimination/Politics

4. Education

Introduction

"The Brazilian immigrant population in the United States doubled during the 1980s, almost tripled in the 1990s, and then stabilized ..." (Migration Policy Institute). 
During the early 90s Lilian's mother felt this was the best time to immigrate to the US. She was in her mid-20s and felt this was the best time to go. Young and full of life Lilian started on a journey which led her to where she is today. 

Employment

There are not a lot of opportunities here in the U.S and depending on what point of view you stand from you may see things differently. In this segment Lilian talks about her employment history and she has been able to live. "In this world we do whatever we can to make it. You just have to have faith in yourself" (Silva).

Discrimination/Politics

"Brutality against citizens, unlawful arrests, the "third degree", and other forms of misconduct ran rampant throughout the department" ("Bloody Christmas and the Irony of Police Professionalism: The Los Angeles Police Department, Mexican Americans, and Police Reform in the 1950s" (175).

"During these times not much has changed. Now we see police officers front and center with the use of technology being able to capture things that have gone on for centuries and now people are able to see it" (Silva). 

Education

"State funding for higher education followed the economic roller coaster-down in the early 1990s, up in the late 1990s, down with the dot-com crash, up in the mid-2000s, down with the Great Recession" ("Competing Visions - A History of California" 444). What is not mentioned is how expensive college tuition is for international students. "When you can't afford to go to school in America you resort to other resources so that you can be able to afford to go to school" (Silva). 

Memories

"Keep going" (Silva)