Synopsis:
Rediscovering My Puerto Rican Roots By David Ainsworth
Growing up in Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, and California, Karolyn Pettingell Ainsworth has long been interested in her roots. As a child, she was exposed to the rich cultural experiences of her father’s English ancestry and her mother’s Puerto Rican background. However, her mother was reluctant to pass down her Puerto Rican heritage and language, due to suffering discrimination because of her accent. This affected Karolyn deeply and inspired her to examine her roots more closely. Since moving to Oregon, Karolyn has passed down what she learned about her Latino roots not only to classes she taught, but also to me, her son. The documentary addresses Karolyn’s journey for her roots.
Producer’s Bio:
David Ainsworth is a graduate student at the University of Oregon, focusing on journalism. Although his main focus has been print reporting, he has been interested in exploring other avenues of storytelling. When he discovered the Latino Roots course focusing on documentary storytelling and learning about Latino history in Oregon, David knew he could not pass that up. Through the course, he had the privilege of telling the life story of his mother, Karolyn. David has learned more about himself and where he comes from through this course, and he hopes this film will inspire others to discover their own roots.
