Beatrice Montez:  

Anxiety best describes my experiences at East High. Feeling as if I didn't fit in, yet doing my best to succeed despite stings of racism which felt like ostracism. Though there was an obvious snobbery by the many affluent in the school, the friendliness of certain students stands out in my mind and heart. I am originally from a village in northern New Mexico where a unique Spanish dialect with archaic phrases dating back to the 1500s was spoken. For economic reasons, my large family moved from this rural homogenous area to Bingham Canyon, UT where my father labored as a miner. Several years later Kennecott expanded the mine which meant residents had to move out. Our family ended up on Sunnyside Ave, west of East High where my mother aspired for her children to get a good formal education. It was difficult feeling so different in our new surroundings. My three siblings & I were pelted with rocks the first week we walked to Douglas Elementary in 1961. The "n" word, dirty Mexican and other painful words reminded me that I shouldn't belong on that side of town. Luckily, kind and friendly words and actions by such pe...Expand for more