E15: Angela Romero - San Pedro's Historian

Our guest from episode one has returned to start us off in the new year! She tells us her personal story and shares her journey to becoming San Pedro's local historian.

You might remember Angela Romero from our very first episode. In that episode she tells us why San Pedro is so special and what makes it different from other cities in LA. In this episode she tells us what led her to become San Pedro's local historian and why its history is in need of preservation.

Angela when I asked if she always loved San Pedro:

"No, I hated San Pedro... I always tell people if I could go back in time and tell myself ... 'Hey you're gonna be a total Pedro nerd' I would just laugh in your face. I dreamed about moving away."

Angela tells us that her love for San Pedro didn't start until after she went to college in Colorado and after she returned to live at the old News Pilot building back way before Sirens occupied it, when it was a bohemian community living space then and she loved it. She was able to experience downtown San Pedro for herself and it wasn't the "scary" place that people warned her it would be. She learned that it had a lot to offer.

She tells us about going to Harbor College after she returned from Colorado and how it led to different jobs at local hardware stores, until she finally ended up at a corporate job in finance. She worked there for several years before she finally got laid off. During her time off and being a self-proclaimed "theater nerd", Angela also volunteered for the Grand Vision Foundation and it was here that she discovered the archives.

Angela after discovering the archives for the first time:

"I had this feeling that I wanted to grab everything that I saw and just throwing it out the window because I felt like San Pedro's history was being held hostage."

Angela's big announcement:

Recently, in October 2018 Angela made a big announcement in her column of the San Pedro Today magazine. She announced that she was going to start the San Pedro Heritage Museum. There is not yet a set location for the museum, and as the the project is in its early stages of becoming a non-profit, the museum will only exist as a series of pop up exhibits and history talks in the near future.

I will make sure to do my best to keep listeners up to date on the latest news regarding the San Pedro Heritage Museum. Full Disclosure: I, Amanda Silva, am personally involved with this project and have taken on the role of Development Coordinator with the San Pedro Heritage Museum.

LINKS:

That's So Pedro on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/thatssopedro/

San Pedro Heritage Museum

https://mailchi.mp/e46a91684788/sanpedroheritagemuseum

https://www.facebook.com/pg/sanpedroheritagemuseum/posts/

Daily Breeze article regarding the museum

https://www.dailybreeze.com/2018/11/01/how-one-san-pedro-natives-love-of-her-hometown-has-fueled-plans-for-a-heritage-museum/

SPONSORS:

Cryptospace

https://www.cryptospaceus.com/