Latinos in the Heartland: Building Bridges, Dialogue and Opportunity. June 8-10 Columbia, MO. Lesa K. Rauh, Garfield County FCS Educator

Transcription

1 Latinos in the Heartland: Building Bridges, Dialogue and Opportunity June 8-10 Columbia, MO Lesa K. Rauh, Garfield County FCS Educator CE-FCS Ambassadors Margaret Edsel Fitch Fellowship 2016 Recipient Plenary speaker Dr. Edmund Hamann, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, spoke on the Education in the New-ish Latino Diaspora. New-ish id the term he used because Diaspora (defined as a group of people who live outside the area in which they had lived for a long time or in which their ancestors lived) doesn t quite fit in the 41 US states that have experienced rapid increases in Latino immigration since Traditional diaspora states that derive their culture from, in part, a place they no longer live are California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, Colorado and Illinois. Each of these states have long enjoyed a blending of cultures with the various Latino communities, some of which have been established for hundreds of years. Cuban and Puerto Rican societies add color to many East Coast communities. The Southwestern US has mingled its culture with Mexico long before American colonization. For the new-ish diaspora states, the interaction between Hispanic and Caucasian communities is less of a legacy. It is often naïve and improvisational as the storyline is less than 50 years old. There is little history of political power. There are little pockets of Latinos across these 41 states. Small towns like Baxter Springs, Kansas, have become home to migrant Latino communities. While doing research, Hamann has found that Testimonio (tell me your story) interviews work best.

2 In 2006, Swift Meat Packing plants and their worker s homes were raided ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Agents on the Virgin of Guadalupe Day, a Mexican religious holiday. Employees were detained and deported. Children came home from school to find empty houses with no explanation. Teachers and social services were left to deal with the raid s fallout without a plan. Then Swift brought in 86 Burmese refugees and their children to replace the deported Mexicans, totally changing the diaspora overnight by an entire continent! Schools, social services, service providers and businesses were left with a cultural and community upheaval they were ill prepared to face. In Norfolk, Nebraska, an entire newly-settled Somali population left when the Tyson plant closed its operations. However, the Latino population did not leave, as they had settled in over more than 15 years. They had integrated into the community and decided to stay. So how does this apply to Oklahoma and Extension programming? Simply put, we are part of the New-ish Diaspora. Oklahoma s rapidly expanding Latino population is evident across the state in both urban and rural areas. Over 10% of Oklahomans identify as Latino. In communities like Guymon, over 53% of the population is Hispanic. In Blaine County, Watonga s Hispanic population has increased by 337% from ! Even bigger growth rates are found in little communities such as Helena in Alfalfa County, where the number of Hispanics jumped from eight in 2000 to 105 in 2010, a twelvefold increase. Numbers like these affect everyone in the community. Schools need interpreters, ESL educators, and bilingual curriculum and resources. Utilities and service providers need workers who speak Spanish as well as printed materials such as caution signs in other languages. Store owners must

3 carry a greater variety of produce, packaged foods, and even cleaning products to fulfil the demands of new shoppers. As new immigrant-owned businesses emerge, health inspectors, insurance companies, and healthcare providers must learn to interact with people whose experiences, values and trust are quite different from the status quo. There is a vast difference between assimilation and integration. How each community chooses to welcome immigrant populations will determine the outcome. The same is true of OCES. There are a lot more questions than answers. Have you ever asked yourself how many hidden cultural rules are out there? What are our own biases? Can we create a safe environment to ask questions? One place to start is with an IDI or Intercultural Development Inventory. This tool is recommended for organizations such as OCES as a starting point. Lupita Fabregas has the survey, and is willing to help us with the IDI. Other trainings such as Washington State University s Navigating Difference are available to Extension. We need to begin by building on our strengths and the strengths of the Hispanic culture- Familismo-obligations to family and supporting family. Respecto-this means that each person is expected to defer to those who are in a position of authority because of age, gender, social position, title, economic status, etc. Healthcare providers, and doctors especially, are viewed as authority figures. Bien Educado- work ethic and character- a well brought-up child with good manners as opposed to someone who is rude and disrespectful. These three key areas are intrinsic to the work of Family and Consumer Sciences and Ambassadors. How do we identify immigrant populations within our communities? Expanding Access Mapping Workshops! This framework was developed and implemented by University of

4 Wisconsin Cooperative Extension. It provides a birds-eye view of underserved communities through exploring demographic profiles of race, ethnicity, and poverty by county, consisting of census tract data and creating composite overlays of county maps which create a visual of target communities down to street level. Rich discussions during the process can identify barriers and solutions tied to effectively and equitably engaging marginalized communities. Results from such workshops have shown that 57% of participants reached out to a new community partner and 22% reached out to three or more new partners. This process would be an excellent opportunity for collaboration with CNEP programs as well as 4-H and Ag. We must show the value and worth of our programs through action. It takes 25 years for a first generation immigrant to feel comfortable enough to sit on a community board or committee. We cannot change a community without first changing an individual. Each of us must find a champion for Extension programming within our county that will help us share our message. Marketing to immigrant communities must be culturally relevant and strength based as well. Successful Extension and healthcare marketing programs were showcased at the conference. Two of particular interest used the Novella craze within the latino culture to reach target audiences with important messages. Dr. Sandy Magaña, University of Illinois-Chicago, shared about a radio novella serial program that addressed disparities for latino families of children with disabilities. Latin American countries have little disability awareness versus white families that seek early diagnosis for delays. There is less access to research-based resources. The disparity is generally greater than 1 year for diagnosis. So disabilities are diagnosed much later. This leads to more health

5 problems for the mother, fewer doctor visits for self-care, depressive symptoms, and lack of selfcare. Parents feel embarrassed by disability and are less likely to attend events. Out of this research, Taking Care of Myself, Taking Care of my Family, radio novella was created. Listeners tune in to follow the continuing drama (read and produced by volunteers) which shares the struggles, opportunities and success with resources available. This would be a great opportunity for OCES to share health, family resilience, and even financial literacy education. 4-H educators in North Carolina have used the novella concept to market STEM programs and 4-H to families of Latino youth through Photo-Novellas. These photo books are a reverse English-Spanish publication that tells through graphic novel format, the value of 4-H to youth and families. Others shared that using a bilingual marketing coordinator helps as well. Keynote speaker, Dr. Juan Andrada, president of the Hispanic Leadership Institute, looks to the future of America. We are a soup, not a melting pot. Different colors, shapes and flavors blending, but retaining unique identity. He anticipates that in only 26 years remain until there is no ethnic/racial majority in America. Are we as educators ready for this Cambio de Colores? (Change of Colors) How can we become culturally competent in our programming to reach diverse audiences? Are we welcoming immigrants into our communities? As CE-FCS Ambassadors, the challenge and opportunity lies before us to be agents of change. We must find our Champions and listen carefully. Service to others is the rent we pay for the place we occupy on this earth. -Muhammad Ali