The Garifuna Experience Podcast

An Immigrant's Journey 56 Years Later: From Honduras to Boston

• Jose Francisco Avila

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Join me as I celebrate the 56th anniversary of the Avila family's migration to the United States. In this touching episode, I retrace our steps from December 1969—traveling by train across Honduras and flying into the biting cold of a Boston winter to reunite with my father.

We reflect on the "Vision of Tito Avila," my father’s prophetic advice on citizenship, and honor the legacy of our pioneer, Tia Berta. From the 1965 Immigration Reform Act to the modern struggles at the border, this is a story of gratitude, family, and the American Dream.

Key Highlights:

  • 🇭🇳 The Journey: La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula to Miami to Boston.
  • ✈️ Vintage Travel: Memories of TAN Airlines and Northeast Airlines.
  • 📜 Historical Context: How the 1965 Reform Act shaped our destiny.
  • 🇺🇸 Civic Duty: Why my father insisted on Naturalization.
  • 🙏 In Memoriam: Honoring Felipa, Tito, and Amanda.

Resources:

Books by José Francisco Ávila

Host: Welcome back to The Garifuna Experience Podcast! I'm your host, José Francisco Ávila "Fifty-six years. That is more than half a century of history, struggle, and gratitude. Today, on December 11th, I am celebrating a pivotal anniversary. It’s the day my family’s story became an American story."

Host: "I often reflect on how much the immigration process has changed. My father, Francisco 'Tito' Avila Mena, came here in November 1968. Just a year later, thanks to the 1965 Immigration Reform Act, he was able to reunite with my mother and five of us children. It was a different world back then. Today, I look at the news—families waiting years, risking lives in caravans—and I realize just how distinct our privilege was."

Host: "My father was a man of immense vision. He didn't just want us here; he wanted us safe. He encouraged us to become naturalized U.S. citizens. He used to tell us with such certainty: 'The day will come when the only persons the USA will not deport, will be its citizens!'"

Host: "Talk about wisdom. He saw the future before it happened."

Host: "However... even his vision had its blind spots. He could not have foreseen a reality where a U.S. citizen could be wrongfully detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement simply because of their racial profile. He couldn't have imagined a political climate where the language from the highest office becomes so provocative that immigrants—and by extension, the citizens they become—are referred to as 'garbage.'"

Host: "My father believed citizenship was an armor. But today, we see that armor tested by prejudice. Oh, how times have changed."

Host: "But let us look back to when the hope was pure. Let me take you back to December 10, 1969. My mother, Felipa, and five of us—Tomas, Jane, Zulma, Amanda, and myself—began an all-day train journey across the northern coast of Honduras, from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula. The very next morning, December 11th, we boarded a TAN Airlines flight to Miami."

Host: "I still remember the mixture of exhaustion and electricity in the air. We connected via Northeast Airlines to Boston. Now, imagine this: leaving the tropical, humid heat of Honduras and landing in Boston... at 10 PM... in December."

Host: "The cold was a physical shock. It took our breath away. But then we saw them. My father, and my sister Audelina, waiting for us in Dorchester. The warmth of that hug? That heat could melt the deepest snow."

Host: "We must pay tribute to the pioneer of our family, our 'Tia Berta'—Berta Liduvina Johnson. She was our First-Generation immigrant who sponsored my father and sister, starting a chain reaction of love and opportunity."

Host: "Though my parents and my sister Amanda are now resting in peace, their legacy is not just alive—it is thriving. From Boston to Florida, Georgia, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia. We are the Salad Bowl. We are the beautiful Mosaic that the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act created!"

Host: "God bless our family. And God bless the America that we continue to build."

Outro

HOST: And that wraps up another illuminating episode of The Garifuna Experience Podcast.

Thank you for listening! And always remember: The future of the Garifuna people is in our hands, and we are driving Power, Prosperity, and Progress.

Until next time, stay united, stay proud. Sungubei Lidan Aban Ayo!

HOST: Find new episodes of The Garifuna Experience every Tuesday. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, and iHeartRadio, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

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José Francisco Ávila

Host