Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute Collection

Theresa Costa Carr Interview

Costa-Carr, Theresa

Carr, Jacob

ENG

Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute

4/27/2023

SCUAD_pbbi_00061

Jacob Carr: All right. Hello mom.
Theresa Costa-Carr: Hi, Jacob.
Jacob Carr: All right. So, I'm gonna ask you a couple questions for
our Portuguese class um about the oral history. So yeah, um just
answer them to the best of your ability.
Theresa Costa-Carr: Okay.
Jacob Carr: What is your full birth name?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Theresa Anne Costa.
Jacob Carr: Were you named after anyone and is there a story behind
your name if you were?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Um I don't believe I was named after anybody.
Jacob Carr: All right. So that, yeah, when were you born?
Theresa Costa-Carr: November 29th, 1966.
Jacob Carr: And then where were you born?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Pomona, California.
Jacob Carr: All right. What early memories do you have of a, of as a
child in the Portuguese American community or in Portugal?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Um I remember being uh the little queen when I was
about seven or eight. Um and in the Portuguese uh, uh for Holy Spirit
Festa in Chino, California.
Jacob Carr: That was the earliest memory you had?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Of a Portuguese event, yeah, that I was
participating in.
Jacob Carr: Um all right. So, when did your family immigrate to the
United States?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Oh, goodness. Um my grandparents on my mother's
side, I'm not 100% sure, but they probably immigrated in the 19, early
1920s approximately, maybe earlier than that, like end of the 1918,
1920s. And then um my father was an immigrant and I believe it was
1950 that he came to this country.
Jacob Carr: Why did your family leave the Azores and what was their
trajectory to Central California?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Um, my mom's parents, my grandparents on my
mother's side, I don't really know why they came to California, they
must have had family here. Um, they had a dairy farm, and their dairy
farm was in Artesia, California and then my dad left the Azores um

because he met my mother when she was on a trip to Terceira and they
got married and then he immigrated here to, well, Calif, Southern
California to start working on my grandparents dairy farm.
Jacob Carr: Where did your family settle and why there?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Currently?
Jacob Carr: I think, I mean, yeah.
Theresa Costa-Carr: My, my previous, like my dad…
Jacob Carr: Where you grew up, like, why did, why did they settle
there?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Um my dad started a dairy business with my uncle,
my, my mom's brother in Chino, California. And then they split up and
they each had their own dairy and that's where I grew up is in Chino,
California.
Jacob Carr: Do you know why the, why the reasoning was they settled
there? Just cause?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Just, just because um because there was good
farmland and there, there was a lot more dairies developing in that
area. So that's where they decided to move because that's was a very
big spot to start opening or having dairies develop in that area.
Jacob Carr: All right. Next question. Did your parents or grandparents
ever tell you what it was like to adjust to life in a new country?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Yes. My dad did because he immigrated here when he
was like, mid-twenties. Or I think he was a little bit older, like
later twenties when they got married and he said that he didn't
understand any English and he took the train from Boston all the way
across our country to California. And he couldn't speak to anybody,
but he made friends with some younger men that he met on the, on the
train, even though they couldn't speak to each other, they still had
fun and they, they were able to kind of figure out what they like to
do and talk a little bit. And, uh, one early memory he tells he told
us about was whenever they would feed, give them food on the train, he
hated mayonnaise. He thought it was disgusting. He never saw that
before.
Jacob Carr: Did he ever eventually like mayonnaise or? He's never
liked mayonnaise?
Theresa Costa-Carr: I think he grew to like it, but he thought it was
disgusting when he first saw it on a sandwich. But yeah, so that was
his first memories of coming to this country and coming across the
country on a train.

Jacob Carr: Were there any stories passed down regarding early
experiences besides that one, or is it?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Yeah. No, he used to talk about that a lot because
he thought it was very, a good experience. Like he, it was long, but
he enjoyed his experience with all the, the guys on the train because
they, I think there were a few from other countries that they just
couldn't speak to each other if they were all immigrants. But they
still were able to have a good time together.
Jacob Carr: Mhm. All right. So, are you a member of the first, second,
or third generation to be born in the United States of your family?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Well, my father was born in Portugal. So, on my
father's side, I guess I would be the first generation to be born
here.
Jacob Carr: Yeah, it was hard for me to answer that question too. All
right. How important was it that, how important was it to your parents
that you were raised with a strong Portuguese identity?
Theresa Costa-Carr: It was pretty important. My dad, especially my, of
course my mom, she was always raised in the Portuguese community as
well. And then my dad was involved with the Portuguese um club. He was
the president of the Portuguese Club and that's why I became the
little queen and we used to go to all the festas and participate in
all those activities and go to the bullfights and all that stuff. We,
I grew up, grew up doing that my entire younger life.
Jacob Carr: That kind of leads into the next question. How is your
identity expressed through language, foods, traditions and or
festivals?
Theresa Costa-Carr: What's the beginning part of the question again?
Jacob Carr: How was your identity expressed? Is it through language,
foods, traditions?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Not really much language. My parents didn't speak
to me in Portuguese, I wish they would have. Although they spoke to
each other in Portuguese and I kind of understood certain words, but
um tradition, it was very important uh, uh and…
Jacob Carr: like Catholic tradition?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Correct Catholic tradition with the Portuguese
community was very important, especially to my father.
Jacob Carr: All right, what culture tradition, what cultural
traditions have you maintained? Why has it been important to you to
maintain them?

Theresa Costa-Carr: Well, looking back when I was older, I was part of
a folkloric dance group as well, when I was probably in high school,
early college. I used to dance in a folkloric Portuguese dance group,
and we would go to different festivals and dance. That was, that was
pretty fun. And uh I'm sorry, what was the question again?
Jacob Carr: Why has it been important that you maintained, like
cultural or what cultural traditions have you maintained?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Um, um the last, well in this region in, in
Madera, there's really not a Portuguese festival that we go to, but
the Chowchilla has a good, pretty good community where we go sometimes
go participate in that and my nieces, nieces and nephews would be part
of the parades and you guys would be part of the parade sometime and
then we go eat sopas at the Holy, Holy Ghost festivals. And um going
to Fatima. Portugal was very important to me. Grew up going there
multiple times. I went there most recent when um there was the 100th
anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima, in 2017 I went there with my
sister, and it was a wonderful experience.
Jacob Carr: Yeah, that's, you basically answered the question. Next
question. Have you ever been to the Azores? And what was that
experience like for you?
Theresa Costa-Carr: I've been there multiple times when I was younger
with my family growing up, we visited with family and then as I got
older uh with you guys and my, some of my friends I've been on a
couple of trips. Most recent was probably about six years ago.
Jacob Carr: Yeah, um all right. Trace some of your experiences growing
up in the Portuguese American community and the Valley throughout your
life or where you grew up?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Trace some of my experience?
Jacob Carr: I know that that question is a little weird, worded a
little weirdly. Trace some of your experiences growing up in the
Portuguese American community. Like I guess like, yeah, I don't know.
We might skip that one.
Theresa Costa-Carr: He, well, I talked about all the things we used to
do in the community but also how I, I one of my favorite things was
when I was part of that folkloric dance group.
Jacob Carr: Yeah, all right.
Theresa Costa-Carr: The traditional, the traditional dances of the
islands.
Jacob Carr: This is kind of a two-part question. Yeah. All right. So,
of all you've accomplished, what are you most proud of?

Theresa Costa-Carr: In general?
Jacob Carr: And then it leads into what proud moments do you remember
in the Portuguese American community.
Theresa Costa-Carr: Wait, what was the first part of the question?
Jacob Carr: Of all you have accomplished, what are you most proud of?
Theresa Costa-Carr: If I had to say the number one thing is having a
beautiful family and for healthy children is my number one and my
second would be becoming a veterinarian.
Jacob Carr: And then what proud moments do you remember in the
Portuguese American community?
Theresa Costa-Carr: What proud moments?
Jacob Carr: Yeah.
Theresa Costa-Carr: Oh, when my father was like, I forget what it was
called but he was like almost like a yeah…
Jacob Carr: Was it Knights of Columbus?
Theresa Costa-Carr: But it was different from that. It was more of a,
a specific thing for Portugal where he was like an acknowledged as a
special Portuguese American citizen in our community. And he had like
a special outfit with his sword at the, at the church and it was like
a little ceremony that they did.
Jacob Carr: How old was, were you when that happened?
Theresa Costa-Carr: You know what I was, I was, I was finished with
undergrad. So, I was probably 24ish, 25. So, yeah, that was a while
ago. So about 30 years ago.
Jacob Carr: On it. To what extent do you believe being Portuguese
American has shaped your way, the way you have moved through life,
both professionally and personally?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Um well, I'm grateful that I have that tradition
in my family and I'm grateful that my father was an immigrant that
became a very um patriotic American citizen. He loved this country. Um
So I'm very proud of him for that. And then, um I'm sorry, I I keep
forgetting the questions.
Jacob Carr: Um yeah, just like, what, what do you believe being, what
do you believe being Portuguese American has shaped the way you've
moved through life?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Um just, just the tradition of, of the community
of Port, and I really love the islands. It's my, I just love being

part of that, and it's been a great, I, I don't know how else I can
describe that. I'm sorry.
Jacob Carr: There's a couple of questions left. What does being
Portuguese American mean to you? I said, I think I answered it just
means like family.
Theresa Costa-Carr: Uh yeah, being part of our connected family and,
and proud of my heritage.
Jacob Carr: Um and then how do you see the Portuguese, Portuguese
American community today?
Theresa Costa-Carr: I, I don't, I'm not as involved with it anymore,
as much as I used to be. That's for darn sure. But I feel like when
people get together, like when we go to Chowchilla for the festa, you
could tell people enjoy being with each other when, because they're
the Portuguese community and they like speaking, it's just basically
enjoying family, friends and the food.
Jacob Carr: And the last festa wasn't it last year and we went to the
one in Pismo?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Yeah, we went to the last, we went to one in Pismo
last year, uh huh.
Jacob Carr: Yeah. All right. And then finally, is there anything we
didn't cover that you like to share?
Theresa Costa-Carr: Mmm. I'm just thankful that I'm from the Azores
because they're the most beautiful islands in the whole wide world.
Jacob Carr: All right. All right, mom, that concludes our interview.
Theresa Costa-Carr: Ok.
Jacob Carr: Thank you for doing this.
Theresa Costa-Carr: You're welcome.