By Rachel Helgeson, for the CVPost
With the population of Hispanics/Latinx rising slowly but steadily in the Chippewa Valley, local city officials, educators and advocates agree that education will be a key component in welcoming diverse newcomers to the area and meeting the needs of a changing community.
*To read a brief explanation of the “Hispanic” and “Latinx” terminology used in this story, click here
They also agree that learning how to understand people who are different is a stepping stone both to establishing bonds now and providing inspiration for future representative leaders.
Between 2000 and 2010, the City of Eau Claire saw nearly a 1 percent increase in the Hispanic/Latinx population as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. Recent trends at places like Literacy Chippewa Valley indicate that the growth rate for this population may be increasing bit.
Learning how to build relationships with this growing Hispanic/Latinx population is crucial, according to the co-chairs of JONAH’s Immigration Task Force, Rev. David Anderson and his wife Joyce Anderson. They are striving to practice tangible ways to build those relationships.
Learning about one another to build relationships and leaders, break barriers
JONAH (Joining Our Neighbors, Advancing Hope) is a local – largely faith-based – grassroots organization with a heart for justice and compassion. Through JONAH, the Andersons give rides to immigrants who do not have drivers’ licenses, join with them for get-togethers and meal sharing and provide connections to outside resources when needed.
Most importantly, by learning how to build relationships with the growing Hispanic/Latinx population they hope to inspire leaders within that community, Joyce Anderson said.
“In building relationships with the Hispanic/Latinx community we hope to have some bonds of trust and then help them become leaders,” she said, “So instead of us being the ones who are co-chairing, it will be Hispanics/Latinx, but always we need to listen to and be led by people who are closest to the issue.”
Breaking barriers of preconceived notions about immigrants is also a common concern for the task force, she added. Other citizens should understand how to keep undocumented immigrants safe and to respect their story – steps that are vital to keeping good relationships in the community, she said.
Simply understanding how to have conversations surrounding diversity can help diminish false assumptions, she noted.
Other Approaches
One innovative woman has found a way to approach these sorts of conversations. Becky Linderholm, co-leader of the Family Conversation Kit projects, has created a tool for young children and adults to begin learning how to speak about diverse populations.
The kits contain informational books that are easy to read for young and old learners alike. These Family Conversation Kits are available at local public libraries, Joyce Anderson said.
Local educator Gerardo Licon said it is important to push past stereotypes and learn to see an individual as humanly unique instead of as a statistic or newscast material. Licon, an assistant professor of history in the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Latin American Studies program, said he believes in the power of education to break barriers between false preconceived notions of minorities and the truth about them.
Both Hispanic/Latinx and other community members should explore the historical layers that surround people to understand them and their culture better, Licon said.
“Most people don’t know anything about Latinos other than the bad news they hear on the TV,” Licon said. “Try understanding the challenges and the burdens that we carry regardless of what our background might be, but also in regard to our background. Sometimes some folks may carry additional challenges (more) than other folks.”
The classes Licon teaches contain material he was never taught in early schooling, Licon said. A Los Angeles native and son of Mexican parents, Licon had always wanted to hear more about the history of people like him, he said, but teachers and textbooks skipped over significant events.
“I think it’s important that Hispanics/Latinx learn this history because they don’t get taught this at home. No one’s born knowing their history, someone has to teach it to you,” Licon said. “It’s not taught in school and in most cases it’s not taught at home either. As far as everyone else, non-Hispanics/Latinx, it’s part of knowing who the United States is, it’s knowing about your largest ethnic minority. It’s indispensable.”
Representing and learning to accommodate Hispanics/Latinx
Leadership is crucial, and Joyce Anderson noted that inspiring, growing and electing leaders who can represent the people well is essential to success for minorities.
Catherine Emmanuelle, Eau Claire’s first local Latina councilwoman, agrees.
Elected to the Eau Claire City Council in September 2012, Emmanuelle said she recognizes the importance of her position. Her great-grandmother, a Mexican immigrant, served the people around her during her lifetime and now serves as a source of inspiration for Emmanuelle.
As a City Council member, Emmanuelle said she wants to pass policies and services that benefit everybody.
But as a Latina, she said she wants city officials to understand how to interact with the Hispanic/Latinx population effectively. She sees the difficulty in serving a community that is still working to reconcile what it means to integrate fully with people of color, especially the Hispanic/Latinx population.
“I think Eau Claire and probably every community in our country can do a better job at learning about our neighbors right here,” Emmanuelle said.
Licon said he is pleased with the actions the City Council has taken politically to help people of color and Spanish speakers. David Anderson said he is also pleased as Latinx leaders are elected into powerful positions nationwide to advocate for people of color.
Emmanuelle said she encourages local people to interact with individuals with respect, not treating them as a statistic, and to recognize ways to accommodate Hispanics/Latinx.
Asking people which ethnic term they choose to identify themselves can be one simple step taken to understand unfamiliar people, opening doors for further conversation. Providing translators when needed is also a tangible way the City Council can recognize the needs of Spanish-speaking individuals, Emmanuelle said.
Note: the second part of this report will be posted later this month.
Rachel Helgeson was a CVPost reporting intern in the Spring, 2018 semester. She will graduate from UW-Eau Claire on Saturday and will begin a full-time reporting position for RiverTown Multimedia in January.
An earlier version of this story was published on “Inside Eau Claire.” The story was originally prepared for the Advanced Reporting course at UW-Eau Claire.
The home page image was taken from a Facebook posting by the GETS Hispanic-Latinx Center at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL.