July 20th is the Independence Day of Colombia, and when we first moved here, we began to organize a fiesta to celebrate that day. It was in 1969 when the idea of forming an association came up. This was a group that met in Cumberland every Saturday, at a house we called Casa Grande. The group we formed was originally called Club Colombia, but in 1972 we formalized as a non-profit and the name was changed to the Colombian-American Association. Because there were more people involved, and by then many were born here who felt they were American or were married to an American, we changed the name so that everyone would feel welcome.

In the early days it was only 4-5 people who met, but today it has grown much larger. The goal of the group is mainly a social one, to relax, have food and enjoy being with each other. it was founded as sports or social oriented group, not a business oriented one. Since we didn’t understand or celebrate American feasts, we wanted to celebrate our own, and that’s how we decided to form the group. Today there is still a good many people around who started the group.

I worked hard here to make sure that my children had a good future, and that is the main reason why I came to work here in the United States. My children still live in Central Falls. Many of the first immigrants who came to Central Falls are still here too, but many have also left. I think they do that when they find better opportunities in other cities.

Today, the Colombian community has become fairly large and the young people are very well prepared to deal with life better than we were in the old days. I have my two sons that I brought with me from Colombia – one was one year old and the other was four months old when my wife came to live with me. Today they are professionals, and so are many of the other young people who were just children when we first arrived to Rhode Island.

I have returned to Colombia often and when my children were little, they also visited there. We went as recently as 1995 so that my youngest, who is now 28 years old, could get to know the country. It’s strange when I return to visit Colombia. It has always been that way, it is so different there since I left. I like to visit, but I think I prefer to live here now.

Interview conducted by Emily Drury and Joshua Torpey
April 11,1998