This book chronicles Olivia's life and experiences from 1927 to 2000, viewed through the lens of Mexican history and culture.
Olivia was born in Mexico where she lived with her family until 1927, she then immigrated to a Mexican boxcar camp in Aurora, Illinois, where the Hispanic population was gradually rising.
Blackface minstrelsy is a sensitive subject associated with racism and stereotypes of African Americans. It is well-documented in the archives of American history as well as in those of Aurora, Illinois. The images and photographs in this book are intended strictly to chronicle the history and optics of blackface minstrelsy in the United States and Aurora. It is not the intent of the author to offend or defame.
When a book is no longer available the story is then gone and within time is forgotten. The same is true about people; their stories would fill volumes of books. But once they die their story fades over generations unless their memories are kept alive by photographs and oral history. Photographs fade and get lost, as does their significance. Oral history changes, details get omitted, embellished, or forgotten all together.