Oral History Collaborations

In this interview, originally recorded via Zoom, Lydia Tumbaga Brumblay speaks with Watsonville is in the Heart team member Toby Baylon. Lydia speaks about her father, Benny Tumbaga's experience migrating to the United States from San Fernando, La Union, Philippines in 1926. She describes Benny's and his relatives' work in restaurants in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco as well as Benny's experiences as a musician. Lydia also discusses her own experiences growing up and going to school in Watsonville followed by her decision to move to Hawai'i later in life. Throughout the interview, Lydia shares her perspective on the shifting racial dynamics and demographics in Watsonville during the early twentieth century, the 1960s and 1970s, and the 1990s and early 2000s. She also discusses her "colorblind" approach to race which she states was instilled in her through her father and her multicultural upbringing in Watsonville. Lydia's analysis of contemporary migrant communities in Watsonville is informed by her perspective of the racial reckoning during the summer 2020.