WEBVTT - Living a dual identity with Marcella Arguello 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:08.840 Hail, it's jasmine. Making this show has been such a 0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:11.760 wild journey, But the whole thing might not have happened 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:15.080 if it weren't for one particular moment. You might remember 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:16.680 it from episode one. 0:00:16.920 --> 0:00:18.840 Oh wait, sed me what. 0:00:21.760 --> 0:00:27.120 I Central America has been transformational because of the politics. 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:28.200 Yeah. 0:00:28.440 --> 0:00:31.440 Her arm has got the most beautiful tattoo I have 0:00:31.480 --> 0:00:35.840 ever seen in my life, and it is of il 0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:44.920 Arsobispo Romero on her arm. 0:00:45.080 --> 0:00:47.040 So that's a recording of a live show of the 0:00:47.040 --> 0:00:51.479 podcast Latino USA. It's hosted by journalist MARIAA. Joss and 0:00:51.560 --> 0:00:56.360 she's interviewing Salvadorn comedian Marcella Ullo, who has a giant 0:00:56.400 --> 0:00:59.960 tattoo of Oscar Romero's face on her arm. You should 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:03.920 google it. It's fantastic. And it was that tattoo and 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:06.840 that conversation that made me realize that I had so 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:09.400 much more to learn about the history of my family 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:13.039 and the place that we all come from. So I 0:01:13.040 --> 0:01:15.080 guess I owe a little bit of this show's existence 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:17.200 to Marcella. 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:18.240 I first heard about. 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:20.560 Her a couple of years ago on Twitter and completely 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:23.800 fell in love with her unapologetic and raw comedy style. 0:01:25.160 --> 0:01:28.039 My thing is you know, when you meet people and 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:29.760 they want to have small talk, what do you do? 0:01:31.319 --> 0:01:33.959 Oh my god, I love your outfit. I don't like that. 0:01:34.920 --> 0:01:37.720 In this episode, I sit down with Marcella and talk 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:40.920 about her own family's immigration story and what it's like 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:46.800 representing two countries as a salvadorn American. But first I 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:48.880 had to start with the image that started it all, 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:50.840 her tattoo. 0:01:55.040 --> 0:01:56.320 You listen to episode one. 0:01:56.480 --> 0:01:59.480 You know that Like your tattoo was a big point 0:01:59.520 --> 0:02:03.400 of insp for me on this journey. I'd love to 0:02:03.440 --> 0:02:05.960 hear the story of like of the tattoo and what 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:09.040 inspired it and why you got in the first place. 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:12.920 Well, thank you also for doing this podcast. Literally, the 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:16.320 reason I wanted to do I wanted to get there. 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:18.920 The reason I wanted to get this tattoo was so 0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:24.359 that more people knew about him, because nobody knows about it. 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:26.600 It's just us and a lot of our own people 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:31.400 don't know his whole story, right, And I know that 0:02:31.600 --> 0:02:33.680 you know, you had talked about how you kind of 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:35.640 didn't even know who he wasn't but you got older. 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:39.400 I was fortunate that my parents always brought him up. 0:02:39.480 --> 0:02:41.800 We knew he was the reason we knew he was 0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:44.679 the catalyst. We knew my parents were forced out of 0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:47.720 the country. They didn't want to leave, so I knew 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:50.000 what a big influence he was for so many people 0:02:50.160 --> 0:02:53.600 to leave because they were so scared. And my mom 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:56.600 always said, we knew that if they were willing to 0:02:56.680 --> 0:02:59.200 kill a priest, they were willing to kill any of us. 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:02.920 I actually just found an old paper that I wrote 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:05.560 in college about like my parents' experience, and I was like, 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:08.840 I think I was eighteen years old and I haven't 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:10.639 read it yet because I was like, oh, this, this 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:12.920 seems like it's going to be heavy, you know, reading 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:15.760 about my mother's journey, and she told to me when 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:18.760 I was a teenager, and I mean, we already kind 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:21.520 of knew, but it was It's just been such a 0:03:21.560 --> 0:03:24.240 heavy thing that I carry, and I think that I 0:03:24.320 --> 0:03:27.320 hate that so many people they just want to know 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:29.520 your background. They go, where do you live, what is 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:31.920 your background? Where are your parents from? And I kind 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:35.720 of hate those questions. I said it on the podcast 0:03:35.800 --> 0:03:39.200 of Let You Know USA at the event that you 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:42.800 saw my tattoo with Maria and no Josa. I basically 0:03:42.800 --> 0:03:45.040 tell people I don't like small talk. I like big talk. 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:47.880 I want to like, let's let's find what do you believe. 0:03:48.880 --> 0:03:51.720 I like to know exactly where people are coming from 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:54.640 when we start a conversation. I'm not a big Oh 0:03:54.640 --> 0:03:57.160 the weather is so nice today, hah the weather. Look 0:03:57.160 --> 0:04:00.920 at oh traffic? Oh god, it's like, nah, do you 0:04:00.920 --> 0:04:03.880 know about Oscar Romero? The priestso was killed in Al Saberry. 0:04:03.920 --> 0:04:05.920 He's a catalyst for this stalbatory and civil war is 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:08.480 the reason my family's there. I like that. I like 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:11.560 to put a little pressure on people's conversations because it's like, 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:13.360 if you're not willing to talk about this or learn 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:17.000 about this, I guarantee you we won't have anything interesting 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:19.479 to talk about. And when I bring up Oscar Romero 0:04:19.560 --> 0:04:21.719 and I can have that conversation really quickly. That's what's 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:23.840 so cool about having a huge tattoo in your arm. 0:04:23.880 --> 0:04:25.960 Everyone people are always like, is that your dad? 0:04:26.160 --> 0:04:26.680 Who is that? 0:04:27.520 --> 0:04:29.240 Some idiot the other day after your show was like 0:04:29.240 --> 0:04:33.240 I thought it was Martin Scorsese. I'm like, yeah, that okay, eyebrows, 0:04:33.279 --> 0:04:35.760 that's all you saw? Okay, cool. I don't know what 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:36.719 to tell you, man. 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:39.839 Well, and I think like Oscar Romero is a really 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:44.400 interesting figure because he you know the fact that there's 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:47.240 a statue of him in Westminster Abbey next to Martin 0:04:47.320 --> 0:04:47.839 Luther King. 0:04:48.040 --> 0:04:48.680 Like mm hm. 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:52.880 Every year in the US, politicians will tweet out on 0:04:52.920 --> 0:04:55.280 Martin Luther King's birthday like, oh the you know the 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:57.360 words of Martin Luther King, and we got to honor 0:04:57.400 --> 0:05:00.920 his memory, like on both sides of the aisle. And 0:05:02.000 --> 0:05:06.120 in the nineteen sixties, these people were not supporting Martin 0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:08.159 Luther King. And it's the exact same thing with Oscar 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:11.440 ro Merriw right, Like, now that he's a saint, everyone's like, oh, 0:05:11.520 --> 0:05:14.320 of course, Oscar ro meriw We love Oscar Marrow. There's 0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:16.680 a reason it took forty years for him to become 0:05:16.720 --> 0:05:19.720 a saint. It's because at the time people were not 0:05:20.040 --> 0:05:20.960 rolling with him. 0:05:21.839 --> 0:05:24.719 Right, And it was also scary. It was also scary. 0:05:25.320 --> 0:05:28.919 Imagine if you know this, like my parents said, he 0:05:29.080 --> 0:05:30.920 if they were willing to kill him, they were willing 0:05:30.960 --> 0:05:33.840 to kill any of us. Imagine if you just expressed 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:36.400 your love or sadness for him, like I'm sure people 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:40.839 were like clocking you, like mm hmmmm. Okay, again, that's 0:05:40.880 --> 0:05:43.400 why I'm like, I'm going to get this tattooed on 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:45.279 my body. I want this to be It's a point 0:05:45.279 --> 0:05:48.800 of pride for me. And it's like, I don't exist 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:50.800 as a stand up comedian in the United States of 0:05:50.839 --> 0:05:54.719 America without his murder. Like it's the butterfly effect and 0:05:54.760 --> 0:05:58.080 it's so sad, but I'm also extremely appreciative. And that's 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:00.600 why I don't want his gospel to die. I don't 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:02.920 want his memory to die. That's why it's such an 0:06:02.920 --> 0:06:06.800 honor that you were inspired to do this podcast, because 0:06:06.800 --> 0:06:09.160 it's literally why I got it. I want people to 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:11.000 know more about him. I just want people to know 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:12.000 about him, and you. 0:06:12.040 --> 0:06:15.599 Really nailed it, Like so much of history is the 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:18.719 butterfly effect of that moment, and you know, I think 0:06:18.720 --> 0:06:22.000 it's why he's such an important figure in Salvador in history, 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:24.560 because you know, there's a lot of debate about like 0:06:24.560 --> 0:06:26.159 whether or not the Civil War would have happened. But 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:30.839 I really genuinely think like, if he hadn't been murdered, 0:06:31.320 --> 0:06:34.040 my family would not have ended up in la and 0:06:34.600 --> 0:06:36.000 that's the same for a lot of us. 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:39.240 Mm hmm. I mean, that's what's so crazy is is 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:42.120 that my parents do have that clarity of like, no, no, no, 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:44.440 we knew that was the reason we left. 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:47.160 And what did your parents think about the tattoo when 0:06:47.160 --> 0:06:47.600 you got it? 0:06:48.240 --> 0:06:51.800 Well, so it's you know, people, I don't know how 0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:54.320 well people know this, but Latino parents they do not 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:57.640 like tattoos. I mean and right now, as we know 0:06:57.760 --> 0:07:00.160 in Al Salvador, they're like, if you have tattoos, were 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:02.960 arresting you, which of course didn't mean for everybody, but 0:07:03.040 --> 0:07:05.560 they like, if you looked a certain profile, they were 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:09.360 arresting you right throwing you in jail. And so like 0:07:09.480 --> 0:07:12.320 my parents, I should say, my mom was always against 0:07:12.320 --> 0:07:15.120 tattoo my tattoos. My mom was very you know, Catholic 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:18.880 and just just doesn't they think they're a bad idea. 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:21.120 My dad passed away so he didn't get to see it. 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:23.840 But when I told my mom, I was like, I 0:07:23.960 --> 0:07:26.560 have my next tattoo idea, she was like all this 0:07:26.720 --> 0:07:29.480 was like she had that all like disappointed, ready to 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:31.800 hear some stupid cartoon I was going to put on 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:34.080 my body. And I told her what I was going 0:07:34.160 --> 0:07:37.280 to do, and she was like, okay, that's okay, that's okay, 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:38.520 you can do that. Oh. 0:07:38.640 --> 0:07:39.480 She was for it. 0:07:39.920 --> 0:07:42.280 She was for it, and then when it got closer 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:44.080 to the date, she was like, I don't think you 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:45.480 should do this. I don't think you should and I 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:49.000 think it was close her Her reaction to that came 0:07:49.040 --> 0:07:52.000 with the whole like, you know, the maretos like. She 0:07:52.200 --> 0:07:54.320 was just like, no, that's just too close to that. 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:57.200 I don't want you doing that. And I was like, oh, well, 0:07:57.400 --> 0:08:00.120 I don't care. I'm gonna do it anyways. And then 0:08:00.240 --> 0:08:03.960 when I got it, once she saw it, she was like, 0:08:04.640 --> 0:08:09.120 that's beautiful. And every relative loves it. And anytime anyone 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:10.840 that sees it in the family, they're just like, oh, 0:08:10.920 --> 0:08:11.840 this is so beautiful. 0:08:12.480 --> 0:08:13.239 This is so cool. 0:08:13.280 --> 0:08:15.480 It's such a point of pride for everybody, which I 0:08:15.520 --> 0:08:17.880 think is cool because I'm turning that mentality of like 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:20.440 tattoos are only for gang bangers into like, no, no, 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:22.280 tattoos are a beautiful art. It is. 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:24.120 It is a really beautiful tattoo. 0:08:24.280 --> 0:08:24.680 Thank you. 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:25.280 I love it. 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:28.120 I really love it, and I like seeing it. It's 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:30.640 like a nice reminder. I just like seeing it every day. 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:33.559 You know, it's just to keep steady. 0:08:34.880 --> 0:08:38.600 How much of your family's history or story did you 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:39.760 know growing up? 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:40.679 Oh? 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:41.240 All of it? 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:43.880 We I mean, look, we grew up in a conservative town. 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:47.080 Modesto is a very conservative, predominantly white town. It's way 0:08:47.120 --> 0:08:51.080 more mixed now. But when we were there in the 0:08:51.160 --> 0:08:54.640 growing up in the eighties and nineties, my parents sometimes 0:08:54.679 --> 0:08:56.600 it was just us, you know, like we literally were 0:08:57.000 --> 0:08:59.719 in a Salvadorian desert, right there was no others. But 0:08:59.880 --> 0:09:01.960 my dad talked to people. My dad was very charming. 0:09:02.280 --> 0:09:06.559 He talked to people into coming to Modesto, like cousins, 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:08.800 and so there was like some family that like we 0:09:08.880 --> 0:09:11.840 were nearby for a little while, and there was like 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:14.360 a chunk of years where like we had my cousins there, 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:18.520 which was really nice. But yeah, so I was raised 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:20.800 to be very proud, which is why I'm very loud 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:23.560 and proud about it, because my brain doesn't registered not 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:25.960 to be. I was never taught to be ashamed of 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:28.439 my background. I was never taught to hide my background. 0:09:29.000 --> 0:09:31.400 I was taught to be very proud of it. Also, 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:34.520 my dad was a singer and a guitarist in Laser 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:38.040 monos Plooris, So it was like I was never not 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:41.400 raised to be super proud about my background. Where we 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:43.960 come from, what my parents gave up, you know, like 0:09:44.000 --> 0:09:47.160 we were never not informed and I feel very fortunate. 0:09:47.640 --> 0:09:53.520 Well, and we also represent this really weird, uh divide, I. 0:09:53.400 --> 0:09:54.160 Guess, or like we have. 0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:56.800 I think Salvadorans have a really weird relationship with the 0:09:56.920 --> 0:10:01.520 US because you know, Reagan fun did a lot of 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:04.600 the violence that happened in El Salvador, you know, in 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:08.120 his proxy battle in the Cold War. But he's also 0:10:08.200 --> 0:10:09.720 the reason that my parents were able. 0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:12.640 To become citizens, my mom too, And so there's a 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:18.440 lot of Salvadorans who like have this love of Reagan 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:21.600 and like who feel very patriotic, and you know, for me, 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:26.240 especially like going back, it just I feel more American 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:28.960 than I do Salvadoran because I've lived here my whole life. 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:31.360 Yeah, but I still, you. 0:10:31.280 --> 0:10:33.160 Know, feel connected to Al salvad It's just like it's 0:10:33.160 --> 0:10:34.240 such a weird relationship. 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:37.120 It is, and it is It's also like why it 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:39.880 is our responsibility to do stuff like this, to speak 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:42.800 up and keep the legacies alive, because it is what 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:46.760 we are capable of contributing to the legacy, to his legacy, 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:48.920 which is again why I wanted to have that tattoo, 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:50.959 because it's like, how many times am I going to 0:10:51.040 --> 0:10:53.839 have a conversation about my ethnic and racial background with 0:10:53.880 --> 0:10:57.480 a complete stranger, and it's pointless. What doesn't even matter 0:10:57.520 --> 0:10:59.640 what my background is, right, But I want you to 0:10:59.640 --> 0:11:02.520 know about this thing because also you'll learn about American 0:11:02.559 --> 0:11:04.520 history when you when you start reading up on him. 0:11:04.559 --> 0:11:06.400 And I think that all of that is important for 0:11:06.440 --> 0:11:09.080 people to carry with them. And I don't think people 0:11:09.120 --> 0:11:12.080 are politically and socially involved enough. And I think that 0:11:12.120 --> 0:11:14.280 this is like a good little stepping stone. My tattoo 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:17.360 is like my little stepping stone to change conversation and 0:11:17.520 --> 0:11:19.760 influence people. That's why again, I think it's so cool 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:23.360 that you're doing this podcast. I really appreciate being included 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:24.880 in this. And now no one ever includes me in 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:27.560 these like Salvadoran things, so it's nice. 0:11:27.880 --> 0:11:30.240 No, I mean, I remember when I first saw I 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:33.000 don't remember how I first learned about you, because it 0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:35.320 was before I think that Latino USA show and I 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:36.599 saw that you were gonna be on the lineup and 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:38.080 I was like, oh fuck yeah. And then I saw 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:42.640 your special on HBO and I just like, it's that 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:45.520 same thing where like I already liked you, and then 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:47.400 I learned that you were Salva and I was like, fuck. 0:11:47.280 --> 0:11:50.440 Yeah, yeah, and yeah, that's that's how I want my 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:53.199 fans to accrue, Like I don't care what your background 0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:55.600 is and if you happen to have the same background 0:11:55.640 --> 0:11:57.840 as me, and because if you know what the thing is, 0:11:57.880 --> 0:12:00.520 I don't like when Salvadorans support me just for that, 0:12:01.240 --> 0:12:04.800 because there's a lot of conservative Latinos period, but there's 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:07.320 a lot of conservative Salvi's. There's a lot of Salvi's 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:10.400 that they don't want a woman talking this much like, 0:12:10.640 --> 0:12:13.280 you know, we have all that, all those dumb stereotypes 0:12:13.280 --> 0:12:16.880 that will most races have, but definitely in the machismoass 0:12:17.000 --> 0:12:20.240 land of Latini dad. And I'm just like, no, I 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:21.920 need people to dis like me for me, and then 0:12:22.080 --> 0:12:24.680 you know, when they discover my background, it's cooler. And 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:27.640 then you know, because usually if people like the material 0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:32.160 that I do, they're usually politically savvy, socially aware, community oriented. 0:12:32.640 --> 0:12:34.199 So then they find out I'm super proud and I 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:37.240 have this tattoo, They're like, what, which is what I want? 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:39.400 You know, that's how I want it to build. I 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:40.319 want it to be organic. 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:47.040 When we come back from the break, Marcella's surprising connection 0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:49.000 to one of Oscar Romero's killers. 0:12:50.120 --> 0:13:03.960 We'll be right back. Hey, we're back. 0:13:04.040 --> 0:13:06.480 And this is my conversation with Salvador in American comedian 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:07.400 Marcel Leguayo. 0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:11.440 So when did your parents leave El Salvador? What year? 0:13:12.280 --> 0:13:16.120 I want to say it was eighty one, Yeah, it 0:13:16.160 --> 0:13:19.440 was eighty one. Once it happened, once he was murdered, 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:21.680 they were like, oh, we need to leave. But they 0:13:21.720 --> 0:13:23.360 still had to save up money. I mean, it's super 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:25.520 expensive to come over here. People seem to forget that 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:27.800 or not know that it's very, very expensive to come here. 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:32.199 And so they basically saved for a year and then 0:13:32.240 --> 0:13:34.839 they packed their bags that they ended up having to 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:37.040 leave behind also, but they did it. 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:42.000 And and you said they did they land in Modesto 0:13:42.200 --> 0:13:43.200 from the beginning. 0:13:42.920 --> 0:13:45.920 No, no, you know what's wild. 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:52.319 Albero Saravia had a used So. Albero Sarabia was the 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:56.520 chief of security for Roerto Dawison, who, like everybody sort 0:13:56.520 --> 0:14:01.640 of considers the intellectual author of Oscar Romero's murder. Abatto 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:04.520 Sadabia came to the US after the murder, like they 0:14:04.559 --> 0:14:08.959 all sort of like went into the wind, and he 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:13.240 Abatto Sadabia was discovered to be living in Modesto, California. 0:14:13.280 --> 0:14:13.960 He had a used card. 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:17.960 What Yeah, I did not know that that I didn't know. See, 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:20.880 that's so crazy. That's what I'm saying. Just when you 0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:24.840 learn something, there's more to learn. WHOA I have to 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:28.000 look into that. And that's gonna blow my mom's mind. 0:14:28.200 --> 0:14:30.680 It's in episode three. We cover it in episode three. 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:34.520 But like they ended up finding him and the Center 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:38.040 for Justice and Accountability sued him and the judge ruled 0:14:38.400 --> 0:14:42.920 that he was responsible along with like these unnamed John 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:46.200 Doe's that were the oligarts, and they they ruled in 0:14:46.640 --> 0:14:50.560 favor of damages for ten million dollars wow against a 0:14:50.920 --> 0:14:52.880 Saba because they found him in Modesto. 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:57.560 Well, I didn't know that. That is bombshell news to me. God, Modesto. 0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:00.200 Everybody knows somebody in Minesta. That's what they always say. 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:02.920 The thing is, if you own a car shop, there's 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:05.360 a chance that we we may have known him. Oh 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:07.960 my god, I want okay, I got to look into this. 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:10.920 Yeah you got you got my legs shaking. 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:12.960 Well. 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:14.720 And that's the crazy thing is that, like there's so 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:19.360 many Salvadorans who came here after the war, both refugees, 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:23.480 but also generals and captains and people in the Salvador 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:27.080 and military oligarchs who just like left the country in 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:27.760 tatters and the. 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:28.640 Like peace spy. 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:33.640 Yeah, isn't it crazy? And that's the thing we're everywhere. 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:39.680 I think a big part of creating that sort of 0:15:39.800 --> 0:15:43.680 unity within the Salvadoran community and the Salvadoran diaspora is 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:47.400 for us to know our history and to know these stories, 0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:50.200 which is really the whole point of the podcast is 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:52.520 to try to you know, as much for myself as 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:55.960 for anybody else, to like really understand how hard it 0:15:56.080 --> 0:15:58.720 was for our parents to get here, what they were 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:02.000 coming from, and how how these cycles repeat in Salvador 0:16:02.000 --> 0:16:02.600 in history. 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:07.480 Yeah. And I also feel like, I we're so close 0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:11.400 to so much sacrifice. It bothers me how many first 0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:14.320 generation people and even second and third generation people don't 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:21.600 do more to improve everything for everyone, you know, because 0:16:21.720 --> 0:16:25.040 it's not just us, you know, doing right by our parents. 0:16:25.040 --> 0:16:27.760 It's like, no, I'm doing right for the next generation, 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:31.480 you know, and making sure that because I have eight 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:33.440 nieces and nephews, like you know, we want to make 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:38.720 sure they're raised as proud Savadorian children, American children, because 0:16:38.800 --> 0:16:40.320 if you know, if we don't teach them how to 0:16:40.320 --> 0:16:43.160 make the sas we don't teach them Ascarromeo, if we 0:16:43.160 --> 0:16:47.200 don't teach them about all of it, how are they 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:51.080 going to keep it going? That is how cultures die, right, 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:53.800 That's how history is die is And that's why you know, 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:58.360 word of mouth, storytelling, just all this type of communication 0:16:58.440 --> 0:16:59.160 is so important. 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:06.600 After a quick break, Marcella tells comedian dial hugely about 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:08.200 her Oscar Romero tattoo. 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:21.400 We'll be right back. We're back with. 0:17:21.320 --> 0:17:26.600 My conversation with Marcella Aguayo. I really hope that you know, 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:30.240 both you being like out there and proud Salvadoran and 0:17:30.280 --> 0:17:33.000 like the kind of work that I'm doing inspires that 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:36.520 next generation to like be curious and ask questions, because 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:38.960 it's the only way that you can stop history from 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:42.760 repeating is by knowing that this kind of shit happened before. 0:17:43.280 --> 0:17:45.800 Absolutely, And that was when I saw tweet the other 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:48.440 day that was so funny because it was like, how 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:51.040 are you on the wrong Like how how do you 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:53.400 have access to history and you're still on the wrong 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:56.520 side of history? Like we've seen all of these things 0:17:56.640 --> 0:17:59.800 play out and again, that's why I keep emphasizing it, 0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:01.480 like I am so happy to be included in this, 0:18:01.600 --> 0:18:05.240 but more than anything, I'm so happy that this exists now. 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:08.840 You know, like even if it reaches one hundred Salvadorians 0:18:08.840 --> 0:18:11.600 that like they've never realized or they never knew or 0:18:11.640 --> 0:18:14.399 they never understood the depth of it, Like that's one 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:16.480 hundred more. And then they get to tell a hundred 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:17.879 more and then you know when it grows, and it 0:18:17.920 --> 0:18:20.639 grows and it grows, and that's what you really want. Again, 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:24.600 That's why I got the tattoo, because I wanted it 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:27.480 to inspire conversation. So again, it's an honor to be 0:18:27.560 --> 0:18:31.120 involved in this and be participating in this, because it's 0:18:31.280 --> 0:18:32.920 exactly why I got the tattoo. 0:18:33.440 --> 0:18:33.879 But it's not. 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:36.800 But again, it's not even just Salvadorans. It's like it's 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:37.720 American shoe. 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:41.080 Yeah, absolutely, and that's what's cool about it. I've I 0:18:41.119 --> 0:18:44.080 did to show a deal Hugley recently and he that 0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:46.399 was the first thing he noticed, whoa beautiful tattoo. And 0:18:46.440 --> 0:18:50.000 then because he loves politics and he's so socially informed 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:52.520 and socially involved, I told him you need to look 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:53.800 him up and I you know, I made sure to 0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:55.159 give him his name, and I was like, you need 0:18:55.160 --> 0:18:56.720 to look him up. I was like, you will be 0:18:56.800 --> 0:18:59.159 really interested in this man's story, and he was like, 0:18:59.200 --> 0:19:00.440 I will. I will. I don't know if he did, 0:19:00.480 --> 0:19:04.439 but you know that like that feeling like I'm giving 0:19:04.480 --> 0:19:08.160 people a nugget another like I just think of it 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:12.439 as another piece in the puzzle that makes American history 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:16.520 more complex, more like people. There's a reason they're banning books, 0:19:16.560 --> 0:19:18.760 right because they don't want people to know these things. 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:22.600 And I can only imagine if there was, you know, 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:25.560 a book that was in the libraries that they didn't 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:28.520 want to read. This is this could easily be in 0:19:28.560 --> 0:19:33.520 it Oscar Marrow's history, the American US government involvement, like 0:19:33.840 --> 0:19:35.720 this is the kind of stories they don't want people 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:38.119 to know. That's why him being sainted was such a 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:42.360 big deal. And and me, you know, I don't care 0:19:42.400 --> 0:19:44.720 how slow it is. That's what's cool about this. I 0:19:44.720 --> 0:19:47.240 feel like you're joining me on my journey of informing 0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:51.200 people about him, and not just Salvadorans but everyone, because 0:19:51.240 --> 0:19:53.720 everybody should know what happened. 0:19:55.200 --> 0:19:58.719 It's true, It's true. His story is just as important 0:19:58.840 --> 0:20:00.520 now as it was done, you. 0:20:00.480 --> 0:20:03.520 Know, yeah, even more so now it's people like what, 0:20:03.640 --> 0:20:06.960 I refuse to believe that not just the US government, 0:20:07.000 --> 0:20:10.520