Lido Isle, Newport Beach Circa Feb. 1974

Holidays are always a time to bring the family together and share stories with grandkids. As I was looking through an old picture album at my parent’s house I came across a newspaper clipping from February 1974. I asked my mom, You, and Tia Lupita were in the paper; she said yes. I asked my mom have you ever read it and is this really true what is written. She said, “Please read it and translate it.” I read it, and she said it was not true.

I asked my mom to retell the story in her words. She says she vaguely remembers the day, but My mom and Lupita were brought to this meeting place where these women from Lido Isle Women’s Association met regularly. My mom was asked by the lady she worked for to dress nicely and join them at the designated location.

My mom and Lupita were told to sit in the chairs, smile, and pretend to write on a blank piece of paper. They did as their bosses had asked.

My mother and my aunt did not write a 30-page review of a play. They didn’t even know there was a play or what exactly they were doing there. After the picture was taken they were sent back to the homes they worked at and change back into their housekeeping uniforms.

My mother, Celia Perez, immigrated to the United States in the 1970s. Her first job was housekeeping at the Birkrant home. She did not know the language but her best friend, Chelo taught her how to answer the phone when no one was home. “ This is the housekeeper the lady of the house is not here, I don’t speak English. “

She’s always been hardworking and dedicated and she loved living and working in the Birkrant home. She shared that she would take her bike and ride around Lido Isle on a daily basis, walks on the beach, and during Christmas she’d sit on top of their yacht and watch the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade. She enjoyed cooking and cleaning for the family and felt it was a blessing to be able to be a housemaid during that time. She had a roof overhead, she was treated well, and was able to send money home to her parents.

She wasn’t a “Play Critic” like depicted in this article but she continues to be a hardworking Latina that always goes the extra mile wherever needed. She enjoys cooking and just as she did for the Birkrant family, cooking chile Relleno and enchiladas and so much more are how she shared her love with all of us.