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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: FOX 5's Stephanie Ramirez shares personal story
On this last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, FOX 5's Stephanie Ramirez shared a personal story of the person who is a source of pride and inspiration for her family — her abuela, Maria Zapata. Her grandmother passed away in 2023. Otherwise, Stephanie says her grandmother would proudly be in front of a FOX 5 camera, sharing her story herself.
WASHINGTON - On this last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, FOX 5's Stephanie Ramirez shared a personal story of the person who is a source of pride and inspiration for her family — her abuela, Maria Zapata.
Her grandmother passed away in 2023. Otherwise, Stephanie says her grandmother would proudly be in front of a FOX 5 camera, sharing her story herself.
A lifelong journey:
Maria's story is one of courage in the face of extreme adversity. She migrated from San Germán, Puerto Rico to the mainland United States: Manhattan, New York City in the 1950s.
Her story is not just important to the Ramirez family. It's also intertwined with American history, Puerto Rican history and the history of New York City, when Maria left her beloved island to move into a housing tenement in the Upper West Side Manhattan neighborhood called, "San Juan Hill."
Maria and her family, along with over 2,000 Puerto Ricans and many other residents, would end up being forced to leave that neighborhood. San Juan Hill was demolished under an "urban renewal project" to build what is now Lincoln Center.
Lincoln Center is a very important cultural institution. Also important was the San Juan Hill neighborhood that once stood there.
Stephanie shared the story about different challenges her grandmother persevered through, fighting to give her young family a start in New York City as a young, single mother in a new land with four children, all under the age of six-years-old.
The challenges she faced included trying to independently support her young family with little financial means, facing discrimination as more Puerto Ricans migrated to the city, and facing the dangers of living in an antiquated building, because that was all she could afford.
Dig deeper:
Maria Zapata was a very proud and loving woman. Her relentless determination is what got their family through this tough time and many others.
Separately, a lot of hard work has also gone into pulling historic documents and photos, as well as piecing together the real stories of the once vibrant community of San Juan Hill. Historians describe it as a vibrant community — even once home to Jazz legend, Thelonious Monk.
Make sure to Stephanie's conversation with FOX 5's Steve Chenevey on Good Day D.C. You can also learn more about the recent Hunter College — Center for Puerto Rican Studies exhibit that featured Stephanie's grandmother. It's called, "Afterlives of San Juan Hill." The exhibit was also followed by a published report.
Lincoln Center is also shedding light on the community that once called its location home. You can read more on the "Legacies of San Juan Hill" here.