Antonio Medina-Rivera, professor of Spanish and former chair of Cleveland State University’s Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures, reflects on his upbringing in Caguas, Puerto Rico, and his development as a first-generation college student and linguist. He recounts studying at the University of Puerto Rico, SUNY–Stony Brook, and the University of Southern California; adapting to life and language on the U.S. mainland; encountering discrimination during his early academic career; and arriving at Cleveland State in 1999. Medina-Rivera discusses Cleveland’s Puerto Rican community, its migration patterns, institutions, businesses, churches, and gathering places, as well as the effects of Hurricane Maria on migration to Northeast Ohio. He describes his sociolinguistic research on Spanish in the United States and the Catholic Church, his leadership of Cultural Crossings and the Crossing Over Symposium, and the challenges confronting language and humanities education. The interview also explores his work with LatinUS Theater Company, the Cleveland International Film Festival, and academic publishing, along with his commitment to Catholic ministry, community engagement, public speaking, and encouraging students to pursue their intellectual passions.

Medina-Rivera, Antonio (interviewee)

Martínez Abeijón, Matías (interviewer);Souther, Mark (facilitator)

Voces de Cleveland

5-22-2026

Oral History

88 minutes

"Antonio Medina-Rivera Interview, 22 May 2026" (2026). Cleveland Regional Oral History Collection. Interview 641004.
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/crohc000/1463

May include audio transcription (.doc, .docx, .txt) and/or audio log (.csv, .pdf)

641004.txt (72 kB)

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