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Migrant Workers of the Virginia Tidewater

David Perez

David Perez is a migrant worker from Guatemala who arrived in the United States in May of 2008. In this interview, Mr. Perez opens up about his experience with remodeling houses and how he has navigated through work during an economic crisis and the COVID 19 Pandemic. Mr. Perez has been working jobs throughout Mexico and Guatemala for the past 27 years. He has been working on remodeling houses since 2009 and explains that he got into remodeling houses to do the economic recession of 2008.

Below are several excerpts from our full interview with David Perez. Some of these clips were included in our telling of this story. Some haven't! You can view all of our clips below, and the full interview can be located at the bottom of the page.

The interviews below are in Spanish/Español. English captions provided.

Did the 2008 recession affect David and his work?

How has COVID affected David's work?

Has David experienced legal issues living in the United States?

Full Oral History Interview

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5. Gregorio Lucas Caspar Mr. Gregorio Lucas Caspar is a part of the Virginia Tidewater Main Street Project. Mr. Caspar came from Mexico to continue working in agriculture along with his brother and sister. In his interview he talks about his experience working on farms in the United States. His job as well as his friends’ and familys’ jobs have been affected greatly by the pandemic as well as new policies within the United States.
10. Mateo Gomez Mr. Mateo Gomez is a migrant worker from the Chesapeake Bay area. He talks about how he has adapted to working on the coast during times of political and social change as well as the effects it has on him and his family. Mr. Gomez discusses the language barrier challenges in the working environment that he is in and how it is important to rely on the workers like they are family. Working together creates a longlasting bond that carries them throughout the season until their contract is up and pushes them to work hard not only for the company but for their families that they are supporting.

The interviews below are in Spanish/Español. English captions provided.

Did the 2008 recession affect David and his work?

How has COVID affected David's work?

Has David experienced legal issues living in the United States?

Full Oral History Interview

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