Individual Accounts/Oral (Hi)stories

There is incredible historical value in listening directly to the people who have lived these realities. Oral histories offer something no report or article can: the emotional truth of navigating a healthcare system that often refuses to see you. In this project, I thought it was important to let these individuals speak for themselves. Because of this, I've kept my own analysis to a minimum because their words need to be heard. I urge you to click on the links below and listen.

Oral Accounts:

https://newroots.lib.unc.edu/items/show/86

Ciro Arroyo Vicente, an immigrant from Mexico, ran a natural medicine shop in Durham, NC, offering affordable remedies to undocumented Latinos who couldn’t access formal healthcare. He explains how stress, poor diet, and lack of insurance harm migrant health, and how traditional medicine helps fill the gap.

https://newroots.lib.unc.edu/items/show/117

Kadiatu Hodges, a public health nurse in North Carolina, describes the severe barriers migrant farmworkers face when trying to access healthcare, including fear, cost, language, and cultural mismatch. She shares stories of patients who delayed or avoided life-saving treatment and criticizes the U.S. healthcare system as confusing, inaccessible, and often worse than systems in developing countries.

https://newroots.lib.unc.edu/items/show/85

Dr. Mae Lynn Reyes, a Puerto Rican researcher and clinician, works to adapt eating disorder treatments for Latino immigrants in North Carolina by highlighting family support and culturally sensitive care. She highlights the lack of bilingual services, trauma from migration, and cultural stigma as major barriers, and partners with clinics like El Futuro to build trust and make treatment accessible to undocumented and underserved Latinos.