Abuela Rosa led her family to the middle class. In the face of COVID, they protect her legacy
First generation trauma is an emerging term in the Latino community, with people talking about it on social media. Here’s how it affects children of immigrant parents.
Gloria later teamed up with her future husband, Carlos, a shoemaker’s son who emigrated from Guanajuato, Mexico, as a teenager. They made clothes together and sold them at a Costa Mesa swap meet. Around 2000, they bought 4Kids Clothes. “Hello, welcome,” Gloria greeted each customer, first in English and then, if she noticed no response, in Spanish. “Were you looking for something in particular? We have 30% off all shoes and casual wear.”That busy weekend before the holidays was a far cry from the pandemic’s early days, when they had to shut down for months.
Ilianna helped her parents apply for a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan. She watched webinars, reached out to the Small Business Administration and logged on to the Wells Fargo website “every single minute,” constantly refreshing.A data analysis found businesses received PPP loans at higher rates in majority-white communities than in those in areas with Latino, Black or Asian majorities.