REGULARS

Jacklyn Ortiz was born and raised in Rochester, NY on the city’s Northeast side but her mother’s family is originally from Villalba, PR. Her father’s family is split so her paternal grandfather is also from PR (Cayei) and her paternal grandmother is from Linares, Mexico and became a citizen in her 50’s. “I have always considered myself both Mexican and Puerto Rican. I am one of 3 children, my brother Robert unfortunately passed away in 2003 at 21 and my sister Kristina is currently 27 and also resides here in Rochester”, Jackie says. Continue reading

It is 1956, and you are parking in the parking lot at Mt Hope Shopping plaza and you see this brand-new hair salon, Style-O-Rama.  A young woman named Celia Nesser opened the salon.  She became a hair stylist when she was 18-year-old and dreamed of owning her own place.  Cecelia’s husband Joseph eventually joined her and they worked side by side for 40 years.

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Many of us grew up with the concept of the American Dream. As the daughter and granddaughter of immigrants, the concept was sacrosanct. The belief that every American citizen has a fair chance at success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. The notion that, through grit and grind, upward socioeconomic mobility lies ahead. How far that dream is from the nightmarish reality. For many, hard work doesn’t always come with the prospect of a better life.

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