Heciel Nieves Bonilla, News Editor
“[In Spanish] I feel that I have found [Richmond] needs many changes. And that there is a lot of need out there. And before, when I had recently arrived, I couldn’t see that either — because normally when we arrive we submerge ourselves in a job, in long hours, and we don’t see that.”
That is the experience of Richmond resident Claudia Leolo, captured in the Latino Virginia Oral History Project, which involved conducting over 140 interviews with Virginians who share a background or heritage in Latin America.
The research was led by VCU associate professor of sociology Gabriela León-Pérez and associate professor of history Daniel Morales.
León-Pérez said their main goal with the interviews was to dispel myths and stereotypes about Latin American migration.
“In some cases, yes, it’s because of better economic opportunities, but also it can be for family reunification for families that have been separated, it can be due to domestic violence in the country of origin, or for better educational opportunities,” León-Pérez said.
Research dives into identity, diversity of experience
Virginia was home to more than 1.19 million immigrant residents in 2024, according to the Migration Policy Institute, more than double from 2000. Immigrants make up 13.5% of the state’s total population.
A 34.4% plurality of these were of “Latino origin.” 11.6% of the state’s total population was Hispanic or Latino in 2025 according to the U.S. Census — over a million people, many of whom were born in Virginia. They are the third largest Census-designated group in the state.
León-Pérez said their observations of the interviewees coincided with research that indicates first-generation immigrants tend to identify mostly with their home country, while people born in the United States tend to primarily take on the identity of “Latino.”
“It’s an identity that only exists in America,” León-Pérez said. “Because outside of the U.S. you are Colombian, you are Mexican. There isn’t this term until you come to the U.S. and you’re lumped into this broader group that kind of combines everyone from Latin America.”
León-Pérez added to Virginia’s history of immigration herself when she moved to the state to work at VCU, after graduating university in Mexico and earning her Ph.D. in Nashville. She has felt welcome in the state — however, some of the interviewees’ personal experiences differed.
“I’m talking to my daughter over the phone in Spanish and I hear this lady complaining, “I am so tired of listening to these people talk in Spanish, I am done,” interviewee Giselle Rosas told researchers. “‘Why don’t they go back to their country?’”
On Virginia’s history: Who gets to participate?
Morales said Virginia’s history can be understood as a struggle over who does and does not get to participate in political life.
Thomas Jefferson’s declaration that “all men are created equal” was followed by petitions to hold the state to that promise by the many groups excluded from its original application — land owning, white European men, according to Morales.
Successive conversations about the political representation of poor whites, Black men, women and other groups were defined by events in Virginia — specifically the struggle for Black civil rights, including Nat Turner and Gabriel’s revolts, much of the Civil War, the brief successes of the Redeemers and the advent of Jim Crow, according to Morales.
After the Civil Rights Act expanded political rights in the 1960s, immigration from all over the world into Virginia expanded quickly.
“It’s the same sort of fight of like, ‘these people have arrived, are they our neighbors or are they not?’ Are they equal to us or are they not?” Morales said.
Through recording the experiences of Latino immigrants specifically, Morales realized he had underappreciated the degree to which migration to Virginia was the result of the consequences of U.S. foreign policy.
“Virginia is one of the few places where Central Americans make up the majority,” Morales said. “Because of that, there’s a lot of people who have come with a lot of war and trauma and violence, and that’s part of the background story of why they came.”
Community leaders speak to their past, Virginia’s future
These experiences are not universal: Morales said around ⅔ of Latinos are born in the United States. Both immigrants and U.S.-born Latinos face historical exclusion — but also opportunities for political action.
Rosalia Fajardo has served on several multicultural boards in the state and is strategic partnerships director at a disability-focused nonprofit. She said she chose to immigrate to Arlington with her family for its multiculturalism, and decided to involve herself in community leadership to fill a need for Spanish bilingualism.
“Latinos and immigrants should be understood as a powerful force in the history and ongoing development of this state,” Fajardo stated, citing as evidence their role in the growth of small business and agriculture. “In every sense, Latinos and immigrants are not on the margins of Virginia’s story — we are central to its prosperity, its workforce, and its future.”
Fajardo said immigrants continue to push for improvements, including in-state tuition for DACA students, increased minimum wages and driver’s licences for non-US citizens.
“Our community reminds Virginia that inclusion is not just an idea — it is a practice,” Fajardo stated.
Liliana Castillo is administration director at Richmond’s Sacred Heart Center, a nonprofit affiliated with the Catholic Church which offers services including ESL and GED classes, health clinics and immigration services.
Castillo stated she herself began her journey in the state in 1987, taking ESL classes in Henrico’s Freeman High School. She found mentors are critical to establishing themselves in the state.
“Community organizations play a critical role in that process,” Castillo stated. “They often serve as the bridge between newcomers and the broader community.”
Castillo noted community organizations often step in to meet the needs of the city’s residents including food, housing and employment difficulties, but deeper structural barriers for Latino residents remain.
“Housing affordability often determines where families can live, which in turn affects access to quality schools,” Castillo stated. “Health disparities are also an issue, as many families prioritize immediate needs like housing and food over preventive care. Despite these challenges, Latino Richmonders continue to move forward with resilience.”
Where to find the project
The oral history project was recently previewed at a research symposium in the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, which continues to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence with features on immigrants. This includes the “Commonwealth Crossroads” event at which Latino and other immigrants to Virginia shared traditional art.
The research will be promoted to the public at an event in September, according to VCU News. The Sacred Heart Center plans to host an event to share more of the stories the oral history project collected on September 15, the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month.
More interviews will be made public and viewable in September on the project’s Scholars Compass page.