Interview with Jeffrey Tapia, November 30, 2021

Partial Transcript: So to begin, I'd like to ask you a little bit about your early life.

Segment Synopsis: Tapia introduces herself and talks about her childhood. She details what it was like growing up during the Civil Rights Movement. Tapia reflects on the role that her father's work as an investigative journalist has had on her awareness of social injustices and her future work in advocacy.

Keywords: Cobb County; Klu Klux Klan; Segregation; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Partial Transcript: What was that experience like working with Migrant workers in North Carolina

Segment Synopsis: Tapia explains the reasons many new immigrants began migrant work in agriculture. She describes her work teaching English to the workers and the conflict that occurred between these immigrants and the Black laborers because of this. Tapia also discusses problems that many migrant workers and their families faced.

Keywords: Civil rights; Education; Labor abuse; Mariel Boatlift; Migrant Seasonal Farmworkers Association; Raleigh, North Carolina

Partial Transcript: So you were there for about five years, where did life lead you next Jeffery?

Segment Synopsis: Tapia details her time traveling to Nicaragua as an interpreter. She describes interviewing and interacting with political and religious leaders as well as people most affected by the war. Tapia mentions meeting and marrying her husband while there. She also talks about traveling as a child and how this influenced her to study Spanish in Colombia.

Keywords: CNN; Contra War; Daniel Ortega; Marriage; National Geographic; Nicaragua Revolution; Time Magazine

Partial Transcript: What brought you back to Atlanta?

Segment Synopsis: Tapia talks about the growing Latino community that existed once she came back to Atlanta and how this led her to work with immigrants' transitions to the U.S. She describes working with Catholic Social Services and the tedious work of trying to determine if people qualified under IRCA. Tapia also mentions working there with her newborn, highlighting her dedication to the work she was doing. She explains the discrepancies between the actual size of the Latino community and the number of people accounted for in the census.

Keywords: Catholic Social Services; Census; Family reunification; Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA); Mixed status families; Motherhood; Sue Colussy; Undocumented immigrants

Partial Transcript: You eventually stepped in to the role of the director for the Hispanic Services

Segment Synopsis: Tapia talks about becoming director of the Hispanic Services branch within Catholic Social Services and the lack of people who were able to work with the Latin community in Atlanta. She describes the work that she was able to do within the organization and the types of issues that many of the immigrants faced. Tapia also details the characteristics of employees she hired and mentions the growth of the organization and its connections with other local organizations.

Keywords: Catholic Social Services; Deportation; Health Care; Latin American Association (LAA); Saint Vincent de Paul; Sister Barbara Harrington

Partial Transcript: And then we started getting a lot of phone calls from parents who children were being- were not being allowed in school

Segment Synopsis: Tapia recalls undocumented children being denied the right to attend local public schools. She explains how schools turned students away and how the organization became aware of the issue. Tapia asserts that these schools had anti-immigrant sentiment and details how she handled the case against the school district. She explains that even though they won the case, the discrimination against undocumented children in education still continues.

Keywords: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); Anti-Immigrant discrimintion; Campbell High School; Carola C. Reuben; Cobb County; Human rights violations; Social Security; Thomas Mathis

Partial Transcript: So, did you and your colleagues experience push back for the work you were doing at that time

Segment Synopsis: Tapia details how both Catholic Social Services and the Latin American Association fought push back for the work that they were doing. She emphasizes that the Latino community however, directly experienced the majority of this push back. Tapia describes the diverse work that the LAA did for the community to protect them from anti-immigrant sentiment. She also talks about the discrimination that immigrants faced and the root issue for this discrimination.

Keywords: Food stamps; Health care access; Immigration policy; Public education; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Welfare

Partial Transcript: Did you come to have a sense of where there were concentrations of Latinx people in this era?

Segment Synopsis: Tapia shares regions that had the largest concentrations of Latinx people in the early years. She explains that her work at the organization helped her better understand how those concentrations have shifted to different areas. Tapia talks about setting up offices in these new regions, emphasizing the significance of meeting and interacting with the community.

Keywords: Cobb County; Dekalb County; Fulton County; Gainsville, Georgia; Gwinett; Latin American Association; Lindbergh Plaza; Maritza Soto Keen; Mundo Hispánico

Partial Transcript: So eventually you transitioned to working at the LAA. Can you tell me about that transition?

Segment Synopsis: Tapia details how she found out about the position at the Latin American Association and her enthusiasm working there for years. She talks about how the size of the LAA allowed for the organization to accommodate a diverse amount of services. She also mentions having to constantly battle legislation that would make English the official language along with other legislations targeting immigrants. She shares the organization's efforts to create identification cards for immigrants as legislation restricted driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants.

Keywords: Advocacy; Maritza Soto Keen; Mundo Hispánico

Partial Transcript: When you come back in 2008, had the community changed?

Segment Synopsis: Tapia talks about the growth of the Atlanta Latino community and the community's increased civic and political participation by her return in 2008. She mentions that the state had also become more accepting of the Latino community. Tapia recalls children telling her that she helped their parents and the emotions she felt after hearing this. She discusses the rise in anti-immigrant sentiment after DACA, and her advocacy for DACA recipients. Tapia also asserts that comprehensive immigration reform is the biggest issue for the country.

Keywords: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA); Family reunification; Klu Klux Klan; Labor abuse

Partial Transcript: Would these varying legal statuses- you know extending to even undocumented status- was that a challenge for the work that y'all were doing?

Segment Synopsis: Tapia emphasizes that the LAA worked with people regardless of legal status. She defines the concept of legal status as a social construct, and explains that all people who are in need of certain resources are deserving of equal help from the organization. Tapia recalls an organization that only helped immigrants who had legal documentation and voices her disapproval of such discrimination.

Keywords: Catholic Social Services

Partial Transcript: I'm wondering if there were any- if there was a particular campaign, or particular issue that was really exciting to you that you enjoyed leading?

Segment Synopsis: Tapia states that she has loved every part of working at the Latin American Association. She shares that she enjoyed the feeling of knowing that she was making a change in the lives of others. Tapia emphasizes the significance of advocacy at all levels and describes her time as a Chief Operating Officer and later as the Executive Director of the LAA.

Keywords: Comprehensive immigration reform; DACA; Maritza Soto Keen

Partial Transcript: ..if you could paint for us a mental picture of the networks that existed of people serving the Latinx community

Segment Synopsis: Tapia details the different networks of people and organizations serving the Latinx community along with the Latin American Association. She recalls The LAA's work in providing assistance to new organizations as well as the work the organization has done alongside regional and national organizations. Tapia talks about the origin of the LAA and the impact that the organization has had on the community. She also explains how the Latino community worked together to support itself.

Keywords: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); Amnesty International; Carolina Antonini; Georgia Budget & Policy Institute; Health care access; Mundo Hispánico; Renata Soto; United Way; Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA)

Partial Transcript: I have a quick question on the role of gender. You mentioned it was often women- the moms.

Segment Synopsis: Tapia asserts that women played a significant role within the family. She talks about the work and responsibilities that single mothers have, and how this made them a vital part of the community. Tapia explains the importance of investing in women and details some of the services that the Latin American Association provides for women.

Keywords: Gender; Women community leaders

Partial Transcript: Is there anything else that you'd like to share

Segment Synopsis: Tapia talks about the amount of people both inside and out of the Latino community who have worked to make the city what it is today. She reflects on the work that she has done for the community and the significance of every contribution. Tapia explains that there is a human side to immigration and emphasizes that this has to be recognized for comprehensive immigration reform to occur.

Keywords: Catholic Social Services