Radames "Rod" Martinez
This interview is with Rod Martinez, a semi-retired radiologist and Cuban immigrant living in Longview, TX. Rod shares his memories of growing up in Cuba and escaping with his family after Castro came to power. He describes immigrating to the US and how his family lived during their first years in the States. Rod talks about the influences and education that led him to a career in medicine. He also shares about how he met his wife, how she influenced his faith, and his current relationship with Christianity.
Van Wagner
This interview is with Van Wagner, IDCL’s Community Archive Director, in Austin, TX. Van talks about growing up in a military family, moving around, and living in conservative Christian culture in Georgia. They describe their experiences in high school and college, including music, religious studies, and involvement in a student organization. Van discusses their relationship to Texas, especially as a queer person with a Jewish partner. They also describe their current life and musical involvement.
Tiffany Puett
This interview is with Tiffany Puett, the founder and director of the Institute for Diversity and Civic Life, in Austin, TX. Tiffany describes her childhood in small town America and the influence of evangelical Christianity on the culture. They talk about exploring different religious communities during college, then later about how they exposed their children to religion. She shares about her educational journey up through a PhD in religious studies as well as her work experience in interfaith and religion education. They discuss the founding of IDCL, its challenges and goals, and their hopes for both the organization and Texas.
Elizabeth Melton
This interview is with Elizabeth Melton, the public engagement director at IDCL, from Crumpler, NC. Elizabeth describes her childhood in Longview, TX, where she was surrounded by her extended family with deep ties to public education and the Presbyterian Church (USA). She shares how her childhood involvement in theater eventually led to her PhD in performance studies. Elizabeth talks about her experience of the Texas Freeze of 2021. She also discusses her complicated relationship to Texas as both a beloved home and site of political strife.
Daniele Volfe
This interview is with Daniele Volfe, a Brazilian immigrant and immigration attorney in McKinney, Texas. Daniele describes coming to the US with her husband, a pastor, and her family’s process of getting settled in Texas. She talks about her education and her decision to become an immigration attorney. She shares her relationship with her Brazilian culture and compares it with her daughters’ experiences of their heritage.
Jennifer Kamara
This interview is with Jennifer Kamara, an engineer living in Houston, TX. Jennifer describes the various cultural and religious influences on her life, such as the countries she has lived in, the Christian traditions she has been exposed to, and her marriage. She talks about her relationship with her husband and navigating an inter-religious, intercultural marriage. Jennifer also talks about her activity in supporting diversity in her workplace and gives her perspectives on prejudice and stereotypes.
Chas Moore
This interview is with Chas Moore, founder of the Austin Justice Coalition and anti-racist activist in Austin, TX. Chas shares his story of exposure to deaths and incarceration at a young age and how those traumas shaped his beliefs and drive as an organizer. He talks about being directly exposed to overt racism for the first time in Austin and getting heavily involved in the city’s anti-racism organizing movement. Chas shares how the work of influential Black thinkers and activists as well as his faith have guided his activism. He also discusses challenges like funding, his goals for long-term change, and his hopes for a happier and more peaceful human experience.
Content Warning: The following interview contains sensitive material. Please note that the interview includes discussion of anti-Black racial slurs. These subjects will be discussed at 6:15-7:20 (in the transcript p. 2).
Sola Akinola
This interview is with Sola Akinola, a musician and musical instructor in Grand Prairie, TX. Sola talks about his childhood as the son of Nigerian immigrants, describing a sense of alienation from both his peers and his culture. He discusses his interests such as favorite school subjects, stories, games, and musical involvement that led to his current career. Sola shares his experiences of discimination and racism as a Black man and first-generation American, and he describes how these experiences have impacted his relationship with and understanding of the United States. He also talks about the intersection of these aspects of his identity with his neurodivergence.
Avery Wright
This interview is with Avery Wright, a theater educator living in San Marcos, TX. Avery talks about growing up in College Station and living cautiously as a young transgender man. He compares these experiences to his time at Texas State, where he became involved in the student organization Bobcat PRIDE. Avery describes his leadership role in Bobcat PRIDE and the educational and entertainment events that he and the organization hosted.
Ora Houston
This interview is with Ora Houston, a long-time civil servant and former city council member in Austin, TX. Ora describes the influences of her early life, like her mother’s social work, her education, experiencing Jim Crow segregation, and her exposure to and choice of religion. She talks about her involvement in the Episcopal church as a lay leader and how her religious convictions influence her work to uplift the voices of underrepresented people. She discusses her years of civil service and her four-year term in the Austin city council representing District One.