Oral history interview, Elvira Ramos, 2013 (audio and transcript)

Elvira Ramos, born in East Chicago, Indiana in 1949, is the Foundation Program Director at The Community Foundation serving Boulder County. She talks about her experience of growing up in Indiana and her roots in Brownsville, Texas. Her ancestors have lived in the Rio Grande Valley there for many generations, and both of her parents were born in Brownsville, Texas. Her father was orphaned at a young age and fought in World War II. After the war they moved to Indiana, where he worked in the steel mills. Her mother graduated from high school, but was allowed to go to college. Her parents were active in the Democratic Party and in helping new Latino immigrants to the area. Although both of her parents spoke Spanish Elvira was not taught the language because her parents had been punished and held back in school because they spoke Spanish. Elvira received her Bachelor’s Degree in Literature at the University of Indiana in Bloomington. She worked in Denver and Brownsville before moving with her son to Boulder County in 2009. She describes the forms of racism they experienced in Colorado, more than in Texas, and the problems that still exist. She works at The Community Foundation, where she manages all of the grants that are used to encourage and promote philanthropy. She trains and facilitates workshops on leadership development, diversity, cultural competency, volunteer management and strategic planning; she is a volunteer with many other community organizations.