Interview with David Constanza, March 22, 2021

Partial Transcript: Today is March 22, 2021. This is Randolph Adams who served in the Dominican Republic from 1966 to 1969. I am interviewing David Constanza who was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco from May 1986 to May 1989. David worked in the education sector.

Segment Synopsis: Constanza's parents were immigrants from Sicily. They wanted the family members to assimilate to life in the U.S. Constanza grew up in San Francisco. Constanza's Catholic high school had half of the students from Irish heritage and half from Sicilian heritage. Constanza regrets not maintaining his parents' language and ended up studying Italian in college. Constanza's minority cultural heritage helped him to adapt to life in Morocco. Near the end of pre-service training, there was a joint party for Constanza's cohort and members of the cohort that was soon returning to the U.S. At this party of about 100 Volunteers, only one was black. In Morocco, the number of male and female Volunteers was equal. Overall, Constanza saw no Asian Volunteers and perhaps one Hispanic Volunteer while he was in-country. Only a handful of Volunteers at this party were over 30 years old. Constanza notes that Moroccan men were disrespectful of female Volunteers. Constanza comments that he did not see any native female teachers at the high school level, only in lower grades.

Keywords: Adaptation; African Americans; Asian Americans; Black Americans; Cohorts; Dialects; Diversity in the Peace Corps; English (Language); First generation Americans; Food culture; High schools; Hispanic Americans; Holidays; Italian (Language); Leaving; New Americans; Older volunteers; Ouaouizeght (Morocco); Parties; People of color; Pre-service training; Rabat (Morocco); Regrets; Returning; Role of women; San Francisco (Calif.); Sexism; Students; Traveling; Undergraduate education

Subjects: Emigration and immigration; Emotions; Immigrants; International travel; Minorities; Misogyny; Parents; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1980-1990; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Morocco; Schools; Sexism; Sicily; Voluntarism; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Thinking of your own perception of yourself prior to Peace Corps, did service change, uh, in your community or your views of, of your own identity today?

Segment Synopsis: Before he joined Peace Corps, Constanza had many personal uncertainties about how he could make a positive contribution to address some of society's inequities. After his Peace Corps service, Constanza felt more self-confident and empowered to find like-minded people to make a difference. Constanza found Moroccans to be less judgmental of foreigners, especially non-Muslims.

Keywords: African Americans; Altruism; Asian Americans; Attitudes; Changes; Diversity in the Peace Corps; Empowerment; Foreigners; Hispanic Americans; Homosexuality; LGBTQ+; Peace Corps staff; People of color; Personal growth; Poverty; Prejudice; Rabat (Morocco); Self-confidence; Site visits; Skills; Uncertainty; Villages; Women

Subjects: Europe; Health; Lifestyles; Morocco; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Morocco; Sexual orientation; Sicily; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: What about discrimination within, uh, Moroccan culture?

Segment Synopsis: Constanza says that gender discrimination was obvious. In rural villages, young women were expected to get married and not get higher education. Female sex workers were common in certain parts of town. Constanza also acknowledges racism in Morocco.

Keywords: African Americans; Atlas Mountains; Black Americans; Casablanca (Morocco); Difficult; Expectations; Gender discrimination; High schools; Illness; Marriage; Ouaouizeght (Morocco); People of color; Racial discrimination; Rural areas; Sex discrimination; Sickness; Traveling; Treatment of women; Villages

Subjects: Evacuation; Health; Minorities; Misogyny; Morocco; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Morocco; Race discrimination; Race relations; Racism; Sexism; Voluntarism; Volunteers