Dedication

This special edition of GaraDatos, Espejitos, is dedicated to my momma, mi madrecita, Rosamaría. I could write 2 books about her life, and still not have enough space to give her all due credit as a mother, as a loyal citizen of her spaces, as a woman, and as a human. She was the best at each of those things. Gracias, Rosita. Todo para ti, mamacita.  
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Guadalupe, chief editor and producer
​GaraDatos: Journal of Community Experience and Analysis
Espejitos is a series on the lives of Latinas who settled in Umatilla county, Oregon, starting in the late 1960s, when the Bracero Program was already in its second permutation. Some of these women landed in Oregon as a direct outcome of the initial Bracero Program, and some as the wave of its remnant familial connections created an undeniable pattern in the growth of Latindad throughout the United States. 
These women left a magnificent imprint on the county, the state, and in many ways, the legacy of the nation. Beyond that, they are a source of cultural and ethnic pride, and lend us an opportunity to study and understand the landscape of this state from a broader, truer perspective. 
The Espejitos issue will be a space of constant flux. New items will populate this issue on a regular basis. Each item will be focused on one of the four themes explored in the lives of the 6 Latinas from Umatilla county, Oregon. Each section of this permanent issue of GaraDatos will contain topical written pieces, video clips, and podcast segments. I hope you enjoy the content, as you learn more about historical backbone of the contemporary Umatilla county. Come back soon!
Acknowledgements
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I owe a lifetime of gratitude to each of these 6 women, for they became part of my extended family from the time I was 10 years old through today. Their daughters are my sisters. Thank you for allowing me to tell your stories and your mothers' stories, especially to the audience who needs to hear them the most: Our children.