Library of Florida History

Thamara Bejarano was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1978. A daughter of two journalists, Thamara recalled her experience growing up in Caracas, especially in the 1990s. She explained in detail the 1998 election, in which Hugo Chavez gained power, leading to the kleptocracy that continues to plague the nation today. Given that Thamara and her parents worked in media, she highlighted how the Chavez and Nicolas Maduro regimes impacted her family professionally and personally. Thamara recounted a particularly harrowing incident during her time as a professor of Film Studies at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, which ultimately led her to flee the country. Thamara arrived in the United States in 2014, building several important and impressive cultural organizations that highlight different perspectives across the varied cultural landscape of Latin Americans in Orlando, specifically, and other underserved communities in the United States generally. Among these cultural organizations that Thamara emphasized included Open Scene, Prolifica, Latin Festival of Performing Arts, and Open Zine. Lastly, she shared her broader experiences living in Orlando as a Venezuelan woman and entrepreneur, particularly how the city has changed culturally and how the cultural landscape might change in the future.

Jasdeep “Jazzy” Aujla was born in Barking, East London, United Kingdom, in 1990. She emigrated to Central Florida at four years old with her father. Economic difficulties prompted Jasdeep’s parents to leave the UK, while relatives already living in Central Florida facilitated their decision and transition to the Sunshine State. As an Indian immigrant, Jasdeep recalled early challenges acclimating to American culture, from language to aesthetics. She emphasized how the aftermath of 9/11 affected racial views regarding brown people, recounting a personal incident that happened to her while returning home from school. She remembered how, as a teenager, she disassociated from her Indian heritage in an attempt to fit into certain American “clichés,” a concept Jasdeep used constantly throughout her oral history. Jasdeep not only highlighted cultural identity crises throughout moments in her personal life but also connected such instances to larger racial, cultural, and social issues that most immigrants or children of immigrants face when living in America. Additionally, given that she spent her entire life in different parts of the state (resided in Central Florida, graduated college in North Florida, attended law school in South Florida), Jasdeep provided insightful and nuanced observations about Florida generally and what the state has represented for Indians and other ethnic groups since she arrived in 1994.

Surabhi Adesh was born in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1965. Her father received a position with the Indian High Commission to teach Hindi music and culture in the West Indies and report on the broader conditions of the Indian diaspora in that region. As a result, in 1966, when Surabhi was around a year old, the family moved to Trinidad. In 1967, her father established the Bharatiya Vidya Sansthhaan Institute, also known as the Institute of Indian Knowledge, with a mission to reacquaint the Indian diaspora in Trinidad with Hindi culture through music, philosophy, and history. At eleven years old, Surabhi assisted her father in the Institute, teaching musical classes. In 1981, Surabhi and her family moved to Toronto, Canada, to expand the Institute's reach, highlighting the contributions they made in that region and the similarities and differences encountered while engaging with the Indian community in both areas. Surabhi also discussed her personal experiences through that comparative lens between both places. Financial difficulties prompted Surabhi and her family to relocate from Toronto to Orlando, Florida, in 1999. Upon arrival, Surabhi maintained her father’s legacy of teaching Indian music and knowledge through classes she held mainly at her house. Her involvement with the Asian Cultural Association facilitated this educational endeavor. Surabhi discussed her performances throughout Orlando, her teaching methods, her impact on the Indian community in Orlando, and what she learned about Indians and Orlando through her teaching career. Additionally, she highlighted the significance of maintaining Indian culture, both generally and specifically, through her pedagogy, especially in the face of what she called a “dilution” of culture generationally. Lastly, she shared her broader observations about Florida, including the state’s continuities and changes over the past quarter-century, as well as the challenges it faces in the contemporary moment (c. 2025).