Growing Up in La Colonia: Boomer Memories from Oxnard's Barrio - Paperback

by Margo Porras (Author), Sandra Porras (Author)

La Colonia is half a square mile of land separated from the rest of Oxnard by the railroad tracks and home to the people who keep an agricultural empire running. In decades past, milpas of corn and squash grew in tiny front yards, kids played in the alleys and neighbors ran tortillerias out of their homes. Back then, it was the place to get the best raspadas on Earth. It was a home to Cesar Chavez and a campaign stop for presidential candidate Robert Kennedy. As one Colonia native put it, "We may not have had what the other kids had, but we were just as rich." Through the voices of the people, the authors share the challenges and triumphs of growing up in this treasured place.

Author Biography

Margo Porras is a writer and designer. Her work has been featured in Women's Day, Latina and the New York Times. She's a cohost of the culture podcast, Book Versus Movie. Margo and her family live in San Diego, where she enjoys working at KPBS and reading to her kids. This is her first book. Sandra Porras is a retired educator and education activist. A native Oxnardian, she has previously been featured in Pronto, Roma. She lives in San Diego and is a proud grandmother to three grandchildren.