Population experts say Hispanics have been moving away from the gateway states – New
York, Florida, Texas and California – since the 1990s, partly because the U.S.
Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) is cracking down on illegal
immigrants. Census reports
say North Carolina’s total Hispanic population grew 81 percent between 1990 and 1996.
During the same period, four North Carolina counties ranked in the top 25 in a nationwide
survey of Hispanic growth rates. Each of those counties – Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford
and Durham – lies within 200 miles of Rowan. Wake County ranked No. 2 nationally
(behind Gwinnett County near Atlanta), and Mecklenburg came in sixth. xxxxEntering
illegally
Alicia, a native of Mexico City,
says she and her husband crossed the border illegally in 1993, hoping to secure a brighter
future for their five children. They initially went to Los Angeles, staying three years
until gang violence forced them to leave in 1996.
The family made its way across the
country, eventually reaching Salisbury where other family members had found good jobs.
Alicia and her husband first found
work at a Rockwell farm. They’ve since moved on to jobs removing asbestos, which
provides steady income year-round, unlike farm work.
Their children are all in school.
The oldest two are gradually teaching Alicia and her husband English.
‘‘Moving here was about
living a better life,’’ Alicia said. ‘‘I was always worried about my
children not being able to play outside when we lived in California. All because of gangs.
Things are better here. My children are happy now. We can give them a good life, a nice
place to live.’’
Alicia says she’s afraid to
apply for resident alien status because the family could be deported. ‘‘Why
change the way things are when things are good now?’’ she asked.
Many Hispanics new to Rowan share
stories similar to Alicia’s. But others fled the West coast for an additional reason:
Proposition 187.
The legislation, approved by
California voters in 1994, banned state spending on illegal immigrants. Illegals lost the
right to send their children to public schools and get public health services and federal
aid, like food stamps.
Hispanics who moved into Midwest
states with more tolerant laws are now heading East, where there are more jobs and it
costs less to live. Also, anti-immigrant sentiments seem to have followed them out of
California.
Melissa Ellenburg, a caseworker
for the Rowan County Department of Social Services, said the number of Hispanics who apply
for services has doubled in her six years at the agency. She estimates at least one
Hispanic family applies each day.
‘‘By law, anyone who is
a resident in our county can apply for help,’’ Ellenburg said.
‘‘Having a ‘green card’ helps but doesn’t necessarily guarantee
you’ll get aid. Each application is evaluated separately, on a person-by-person
basis. Sometimes one person in a family is approved while others aren’t.’’
Language proves the greatest
barrier, she says.
‘‘When people come in
who don’t know much English and they don’t have an interpreter, we just do the
best we can. ... No one here speaks any Spanish. We now have some of the more important
forms available in Spanish to help the process along.’’
Ellenburg also said most Hispanic
families who come in have at least one person working. xxxPlenty of jobs
Rowan’s Hispanic population
has found work mostly in construction, at factories and in asbestos removal. Many
Hispanics also take seasonal work like picking strawberries at Patterson or Wetmore farms.
Agricultural Extension Service officials say migrant workers who move from season to
season are more likely to take field jobs.
With the perception they’re
willing to work longer hours for less pay, Hispanics often find they’re offered jobs
with long days and the graveyard shift. And as news spreads through word of mouth,
Hispanics often form work crews.
Not only do they work together,
Hispanics tend to move into areas where fellow Hispanics already live, officials with a
multitude of local agencies say. Locally, Hispanic communities have popped up in Landis,
off U.S. 29 and throughout China Grove. In Salisbury, Hispanics are sprinkled all over,
with a small concentration in the mobile home parks in the Airport Road area.
Hispanics primarily rent
apartments, duplexes and mobile homes, according to school and Social Services’
officials, as well as Mercado, owner of La Alcancia. And they often share them with
extended family members. Many say they choose to live humbly so they can send money home
to family members.
They also work hard to carve out a
piece of home in Rowan.
With the money they don’t
send back, many Hispanics shop at new specialty stores like La Alcancia, El Indito (which
translates to ‘‘The Indian’’) and Lupita’s Variedades
(‘‘Lupita’s Variety’’), also on U.S. 29 between Salisbury and
China Grove. There they can find traditional products like tortillas, Western clothing and
accessories.
The stores also sell Spanish
versions of major magazines like ‘‘Vogue,’’ music and produce rarely
available outside Latin America.
La Alcancia plans to open a meat
counter where customers can request specific cuts of beef, pork and chicken –
especially those not traditionally used in the United States.
‘‘People come here so
they can find things they always used at home,’’ Mercado explains.
‘‘It’s important for them to keep up their traditions this way... like to
have the same spices or fruit.’’
Hispanics also maintain their
cultural identity in their expression of religion. Rowan churches have opened their arms
to the population, offering services in English, Spanish or both languages. Some also
offer English classes for Hispanics. And, contrary to the stereotype, not all are
practicing Catholics, though most were baptized into that religion.
Baptist and Pentecostal churches
are making a vigorous effort to reach the Hispanic community.
Not that the Catholics are
ignoring Hispanics; Besides a weekly Mass in Spanish, Sacred Heart Catholic Church has a
group of Hispanics who gather regularly for fellowship and cultural activities. xxxSupport
at school
Hispanic children have also found
a sense of community in the public schools, where most learn English.
‘‘All children who live
in Rowan County are eligible to attend the public schools in Rowan County,’’
says Cathy Walters, director of public information for the Rowan-Salisbury Schools.
‘‘All they need is to show a birth certificate, (proof of) vaccinations and
proof of residence.
‘‘We really have
instituted a lot of special services... like the Office of Migrant Education, through the
work of our ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers and guidance counselors, to make
sure all children get the education they need.’’
The English as a Second Language
program pairs students whose native language is not English with tutors. The students are
given extensive tutoring to supplement their regular class work.
Educational opportunities for
Hispanic adults are widely available. The Rowan County Literacy Council, Rowan-Cabarrus
Community College and several churches offer English classes free to interested students.
For English-speaking adults, the
City Parks and Recreation Department has begun a summer Spanish course.
Tina Jaramillo, an American whose
husband is Mexican, recently opened TJ’s Business Services/TJ’s Servicio de
Negocias to help Hispanics assimilate. She teaches them how to fill out application forms
for assistance – to get help from the Department of Social Services, to get a
driver’s license from the Division of Motor Vehicles and to arrange for utilities.
In addition to bookkeeping,
Jaramillo also does extensive translation service at the hospital, in court and at the
police station. Her clients – not the agencies – pay her fees.
Jaramillo says Americans
shouldn’t believe the stereotypes that abound about Hispanics.
‘‘People have the
preconceived notion that all Hispanics are illegal, but that’s far from the
truth,’’ says Jaramillo. ‘‘People need to know the difference between
illegal aliens and people with the proper papers.’’
Law enforcement officials and
Mercado say most Hispanics are living and working in Rowan County illegally. (See related
article for more information on immigration laws.)
‘‘Most of the people I
have met are humble people who just want to be productive members of the
community,’’ Jaramillo said. ‘‘We cannot imagine the conditions they
have come from, so it’s tough to know so many people are hard on them just because
they speak a different language and have a different cultural background.’’
Dora Botella, a Honduran who now
lives in Spencer, agrees. ‘‘People say Mexicans are lazy or stupid or drunk and
I’m sure SOME Mexicans are,’’ she said. ‘‘But there are also
Americans like that. Not all Hispanics are in the same social class just like not all
Americans are.’’
The Botellas can speak about
prejudice from personal experience. Within a month of moving into a new home in Spencer,
several town residents complained about them at a town board meeting. They did so without
ever talking to the Botellas.
‘‘I didn’t
understand why anyone would be upset with us moving there,’’ Dora said a few
weeks after the meeting. ‘‘It was hard to believe that it was just because we
are Hispanic.’’
Dora Botella and Mercado both say
it’s important not to stereotype Hispanics. ‘‘Some of us know English very
well while others have just a little knowledge of it,’’ Mercado says. And
Americans need to remember that not every Hispanic person is from one place.
Mercado says he meets new
customers in his store all the time. ‘‘We get Latinos in who are from Mexico, El
Salvador, Cuba and many other places,’’ Mercado said. ‘‘Not everyone
who is living here that speaks Spanish is Mexican. I am, and I’m proud of that, but
not all Spanish-speakers are.’’
Jaramillo also stresses that not
all Hispanics are newcomers. Many have lived in the area for some time, but because of the
recent population boom, they’re more noticeable.
Dora Botella and her husband,
Luis, have lived in Rowan County for more than 10 years. He’s Mexican. The two have
worked in asbestos removal for companies in the Piedmont for a decade. Dora recently
worked her way up to a supervisory position.
In April, the couple bought their
first home where they live with Luis’ brother and a cousin. They feel they’ve
come a long way since they arrived in Salisbury with very little money and rented an
apartment off Airport Road.
‘‘When we first got here
there weren’t too many Hispanics around for us to be friends with, but those were the
people we looked for because they share our culture,’’ Dora Botella said.
‘‘At first, I spoke Spanish all the time, but at work I had to learn English. My
boss was really nice and taught me a lot. And then I started meeting Americans who are now
my friends.’’
Now that the Botellas have
achieved the middle class status they dreamed of, they feel they have more in common with
Americans than new immigrants.
Dora Botella says she’s still
happy to see other Hispanics move into the area looking for ‘‘la vida
mejor,’’ or a better life, the same way she and Luis did a decade ago.
‘‘I know how it is to want that,’’ she said. |
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