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Living in Compton's Richland Farms Reminds Her of Growing up in Rural Mexico

By Zach Behrens
February 1, 2011
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Departures is KCET's oral history and interactive documentary project that thoroughly explores neighborhoods through the people that live there. In January and early February, SoCal Focus is taking readers through the Richland Farms series one day at a time.

Jocie Reynaga and her family moved to Compton's agricultural neighborhood about ten years ago. "My mom can live like how she lived in Mexico and how I grew up," she said of Richland Farms, where she calls her property "Pueblos Unidos" of the family Reynaga. "I feel like I'm living out my culture when I was a kid."

That helps give a sense of place and price for her, but there's more to the boosterism she gives Richland Farms, such as the lack of the lack of the "I'm black and you are white" attitude and the camaraderie among neighbors: "we all unite like a family here in Richland Farms."

Reynaga talks about this and more in the above video.

The Departures Richland Farms series is broken down into two parts as interactive murals: The Past and The Present. The above information is based on The Present's fourth mural hotspot, which was produced by student producer Mariela Bautista.

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