Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • Collections
      • Open Access
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • EEO & Small Business
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Program
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Oral history interview with Eduardo Flores

Anacostia Community Museum

Object Details

General
Associated documentation, including partial transcripts, for this interview is available in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives.  The textual transcripts are not verbatim of the audio recordings. 
Title created by ACMA staff using text written on sound cassette, contents of audio recording, textual transcript, and/or associated archival documentation.
Interviewer
Corporan, Héctor, 1945-
Names
Flores, Eduardo
Collection Creator
Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum
Place
Cuba
New Orleans (La.)
Washington (D.C.)
United States
Topic
Black Hispanics
African Americans
Emigration and immigration
Race
Race relations
Racism
Identity
Santeria
Yoruba (African people) -- Religion
Yoruba (African people)
Slavery
Interviews
Interviewer
Corporan, Héctor, 1945-
Culture
Afro-Cubans
Cubans
See more items in
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records / Series 3: Oral History Interviews
Sponsor
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Extent
2 Digital files
1 Sound cassette
Date
1992 November 24
Archival Repository
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
Type
Archival materials
Digital files
Sound cassettes
Citation
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Note
The total playing time of interview recording is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Scope and Contents
Eduardo Flores, also known as Eduardo Jesus Flores Hernandez, spoke about his extended family history and ethnic background, which included Canarian, Dominican, and African ancestry; his childhood in Pinar del Rio, and later Havana with his aunt and cousins, including his school experience, Sunday movie matinees, weekly Catholic church, and chores; and what his parents did for work. Note, Flores identified himself as Black Afro-Cuban and Black Hispanic. Flores explained in detail what happens in Cuba when the government knows you are leaving the country, and why he almost did not leave Cuba. He spoke about his migration and arrival in Miami in 1969, including staying at Cuban Refugee, living in New Orleans from 1969 to 1971, and then migrating to Washington, DC. Flores detailed his school experience, learning English, his first time experiencing discrimination, and the racial and ethnic divisions and tension in New Orleans as well as his high school experience in Washington, DC. He also explained how discrimination and racial identity differed in the United States and Cuba as well as a brief history of slavery in both countries. Flores explained he joined sports to be accepted; he felt hostility toward Black people because he was not accepted as a Black person in the US; learning about Black history and culture in the United States; and how and when he started to see commonalities between Black people in the US and himself. Flores explained in detail Santeria, a religion with Yoruba roots; when and why he started to study Santeria; how he became a Santero and his work; and his goal to write a book about the roots of slavery and the roots of Santeria. He also spoke extensively about his mother's death, with a connection to Santeria. Eduardo Flores was interviewed by Hector Corporan. Interview is in English. Digital audio files include white noise and static. Interviewee's voice is intelligible for the most part.
Collection Restrictions
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1712088000981-1712088003355-1
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa742bc14e2-602d-4ec7-bad2-c20085caeab3

Related Content

  • Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top