Zavier Borja Oral History Interview, May 18, 2021

Partial Transcript: Where were you born and where are your parents from?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier was born in Bend, Oregon. Zavier's mother is from the state of Michoacán, and his dad is from Guerrero, both in Mexico. His mother immigrated when she was 6, her family worked the fields. His paternal grandfather was in the Bracero program and secured a Green Card that way. His dad immigrated at the age of 19.

Keywords: Bend; Bracero; Bracero Program; Green Card; Guerrero; Immigration; Michoacán; Migrant Worker

Partial Transcript: What brought you back to Oregon?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier moved to South Dakota and San Francisco as an adult. He experienced the diversity of San Francisco and was inspired to work in Latino advocacy in Bend, Oregon.

Keywords: Advocacy Work; Bend; Bilingual; DEI; Diversity; Equity; Inclusion; San Francisco; South Dakota

Partial Transcript: What was it like growing up in Oregon?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier became aware of segregation in middle school, when he noticed that Native American, Latino, and White students sat separately at lunch. He played sports and found that the sports teams were more integrated.

Keywords: Latino; Mexican; Native American; School Sports; Segregation; White

Partial Transcript: Did you ever feel pressure to fit in to White culture?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier experienced racism from other High Schools during sports games, and felt pressure to fit in to both the Latino and the White communities. When confronted by White guilt, there are mixed feelings regarding the authenticity and intention of those who are communicating it.

Keywords: American Culture; Assimilate; Assimilation; Bend High School; Microaggression; Summit High School; Tokenization; White Culture; White guilt

Partial Transcript: How did your parents' influence you?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier's parents had expectations of him to go to college, but he found his path his own way. He credits his parents for providing him with an entrepreneurial drive and strong character.

Keywords: College; Entrepeneurial; First Generation; First Generation College; Latino; Traditional; University

Partial Transcript: What is a typical day for you?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier works from 9am to 6pm, enjoys reading, and spends time outdoors to relax.

Keywords: Nature; Outdoors

Partial Transcript: What made you want to start your organizations?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier realized that he did not see many Latinos outdoors in Oregon, his work included children typically from affluent White families. He was inspired to start an organization that would bring Latinos to the outdoors.

Keywords: Bend Oregon; Bend Parks and Recreation; Boys & Girls Club; Boys and Girls Club; Central Oregon; Grassroots; Latino Outdoors; Mount Bachelor; Oregon Coast; Twin Lakes; Vámonos Outside

Partial Transcript: Why do you not see People of Color in the outdoors?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier can only speak from personal experience regarding the Mexican-American community. He finds that immigrant parents often work labor intensive positions that leave them too tired during their off-hours to bring their kids outside. There are also barriers in affordability to participate in outdoor activities for low-income families. People of Color also may not feel welcome or safe.

Keywords: Affordability; Cultural Differences; Generational Trauma; Labor Intensive Jobs; Manual Labor; Migrant Workers; Safety

Partial Transcript: What made you want to run for office?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier's experience building his organizations led him to want to pursue change on a policy level. With a political position, he wants to make more structural change that will improve affordability and accessibility for all community members.

Keywords: Accessibility; Affordable Housing; Parks and Rec; Parks and Recreation; Policy; Structural Change

Partial Transcript: Do you expect more People of Color to hold positions of power in the future?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier sees many new members in politics that are POC, noting Phil Chang as a representative of the Asian-American community.

Keywords: Allyship; COIC; Phil Chang; Representation

Partial Transcript: How would you like to see Bend in 15 years?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier hopes to see his organizations, and organizations like Outdoor Afro and Oregon Adaptive Sports, be made unnecessary. These organizations are currently needed to bridge the gaps in accessibility to underrepresented communities, and he hopes that in the future, all communities will have equitable access to the outdoors.

Keywords: Central Oregon; Disabilities; Latinx; Oregon Adaptive Sports; Outdoor Afro

Partial Transcript: Where do you see yourself in 15 years?

Segment Synopsis: Zavier is interested in pursuing politics on a regional or state level in the future.

Keywords: CODA; Politics; Regional Parks; State Parks