Osvaldo Rivera grew up in Southwest Detroit. He moved from the island of Puerto Rico at 5 months old. Settling in the area of Most Holy Trinity and St. Anne's, he was fortunate enough to be raised in a culture of Latino Catholic-activism. Later, in 1973 he attended Wayne State University as part of a new program to increase Latino enrollment. As a result of demonstrations and talks with administration, he and his classmates led to its development into the Chicano-Boricua Studies program -- one of the oldest continuously-running, ethnic studies programs in the whole country.With a Master's in Social Work from the University of Michigan, Rivera is the Director of Community Based Services & Family Preservation Program for the Michigan Department of Human Services.Interview shot on February 5, 2007, at Bagley Housing in Southwest Detroit.www.oneofusfilms.org www.doi.wayne.edu
Regional Roots is the collaborative documentary project between the Detroit Orientation Institute of Wayne State University and One of Us Films. The 25-minute documentary provides a unique historic look at what immigrants have brought and continue to bring the city of Detroit while looking toward how we will grow the metro region for future generations.This website includes extended interviews, additional moving images and other materials not included in Regional Roots.Project sponsors include: The Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities; University of Michigan Urban Communities Clinic; Michigan State Housing Development Authority; Michigan State University; DTE Energy; MGM Grand Detroit; and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Buy this dvd at http://regionalroots.org
