Grillo Family Scrapbook
Every immigration story is unique. These photo album pages show migrant Aníval Grillo with Cuban-born Berta Juana Junco Grillo, their family, and friends in Washington, D.C. The Cuban American Grillo siblings, Evelio, Henry, Aníval, and Sylvia, moved there from Florida in the 1930s. Like many Black Southerners, they migrated North. They found new opportunities in Washington, D.C.’s African American community.
Cherished Memories
These photos show the Grillo family's cherished memories. The first page showcases images taken in 1943 at Nelson Grillo's baptism at Sacred Heart Church in Washington. The second scrapbook page features images taken on August 9, 1946. The photos show Aníval Grillo, Berta Juana Junco Grillo, and their young family on vacation in Havana, Cuba. After the Cuban Revolution, travel and communication between the U.S. and Cuba was limited. Many families and friends were cut off from one another.
Connecting to the Present
Listen to Jonathan Fernandez discuss growing up as a child of Latin American immigrant parents in Hialeah, Miami. Jonathan describes how both he and his sister often acted as interpreters for their family.
