Fernando Soto was born in 1984 in San Pedro de las Colonias, Coahuila, Mexico. When he was seven years old, his family immigrated to the United States. Soto remembers growing up on Johns Island, South Carolina, and reflects on how this small rural community has changed over time. He attended Spring Hill College in Alabama and earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Soto talks about his decision to follow this professional path and states his family background informs his interest and passion for the field. He asserts he is not an activist but a journalist reporting on issues relevant to the Latino community. He talks about the Charleston Immigrant Coalition (CIC), explaining its beginnings and the issues it championed, particularly the end of the 287(g) program in Charleston County. Soto addresses the impact of COVID 19 in the Latino community and the disparities in access to care, stressing these same Latinos who are ignored by the government are the essential workers that keep the city alive and thriving. Finally, he reflects on the multilayered and complex scenarios Latinos face when they decide to leave home and cross the border.
In this interview, Thomas A. Dixon recounts his life in Charleston after his military discharge. He arrived in town at the end of 1988. Soon after, he had an accident that left him with a broken leg and twenty thousand dollars in medical debt. Dixon remembers the events that landed him in prison for three years and describes his life in jail, prison, and the pre-release center. He explains that during this time, his faith was decisive for his transformation and sense of purpose. Dixon states his life experiences including his upbringing in Chicago, his addictions, his job history, and his family problems, gave him a firsthand understanding of the needs and hopes of people struggling in our society. That personal understanding informs his community and political work. He ends the interview with a word of advice: "Don’t let others define your future or your purpose by their opinion of you because people don't know the whole story. Only you know the whole story and take that whole story, embrace that whole story, and begin to work for the betterment of others. And I guess that would be the final thing that I would say to anyone is to understand that every life, every person that's born, we're not, we were not born for ourselves. We were born to serve others, to be a blessing to others. That's why God's, God's got a sense of humor."
