Digital Collections

Margaret Escamilla Oral History

Details

Call NumberOH514CreatorEscamilla, Margaret, 1954-ContributorColorado Voice PreserveDate2013 November 15SummaryMargaret Escamilla was born in Denver, Colorado, in 1954. One of nine children, she was raised in a military family and lived in several countries. After she married her husband in 1971, she moved to the Globeville neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. In 1974 she began running her own day care. From 1994 to 2007, after twenty years of self employment, she started working with the Denver District Attorney overseeing a juvenile offenders program called Restorative Justice. Since her arrival in Denver, Margaret has been involved in several community organizations including volunteering at Garden Place Elementary, and teaching domestic arts at Stapleton Recreation Center. She was extensively involved with alley installations, road and street improvements in her neighborhood. She founded A-Graffiti Project in 2007, and served as president of the Globeville Civic Association until 2012. She has also worked with north side Treatment Park, the ASARCO contamination lawsuit, neighborhood tree planting, Globeville Clean-up Day, Graffiti Task Force Team, Nuisance Abatement, Neighborhood Ambassador, North East Steering Committee, Keep Denver Beautiful, Denver Forestry team, and Habitat for Humanity. An injury in the early 2000s has kept her from further community involvement. She currently lives in the Globeville neighborhood with her husband, a third generation Globeville resident. In this interview Margaret talks about first impressions of neighborhood in early 1970s, the introduction of gangs in the 1980s, disappearance of gangs in the 1990s, and the removal of Stapleton housing. She describes the uniqueness, ethnic diversity and history of the residents, importance of the South Platte River, its diverse wildlife and nature, bike trails, and the difference in the community from between 1970 and 2013. She talks about her many different civic and volunteer experiences and the history of the Globeville Civic Association (founded in 1877). Escamilla discusses at great length about her experiences as a lead plaintiff in the 1990s ASARCO-Escamilla litigation, and the subsequent environmental testing, remediation process, community reaction, and long term effects it had on her life. She discusses the influence of Habitat for Humanity, Argo Park swimming pool, waste management, and the future RTD-station in Globeville. She sees the future of Globeville as a long term change towards more local businesses, opportunities for residents, restoration of pride in neighborhood, and community unity.Physical Description1 audio file (51:21)SubjectEscamilla, Margaret, 1954-Globeville (Denver, Colo. : Neighborhood);Geographic AreaDenver (Colo.)

Audio

Margaret Escamilla Audio

Document (PDF)

Margaret Escamilla Transcript

Margaret Escamilla at Valdez-Perry Branch Library