Color: Latino Voices in the Pacific Northwest - Softcover

Recent immigrants to the United States usually cannot read or speak English. Few are educated; some struggle to sign their own name. Yet they are able to do things many Americans have forgotten: to find joy in what others might find mundane; to work hard for very little while hoping for a better future; to love, accept, and support their families no matter what; and to place a higher value on relationships than possessions.
Based on exchanges she witnessed through her work as an interpreter and advocate for Spanish-speaking immigrants, author Lorane A. West paints a picture of their lives, and through her portraits gives Americans a glimpse of themselves that may both surprise and challenge.

Lorane West has been immersed in Spanish-speaking immigrant communities for her entire life. Her father migrated to the United States, and her grandparents could not speak English. She has lived in Nicaragua and is married to a Salvadoran. Her career has included paralegal work and client assistance at the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project and labor support and advocacy as a certified home health care worker. She is employed as a certified medical Spanish interpreter. Color is her first book.