SUMMER 1999 - ISSUE NUMBER 48

Assimilation OrIntegration?

As summer approaches we begin seeing new faces at the localstores. Many of them with darker skin color and talking a differentlanguage. Many of them we remember from last year, others are friendsfrom many years and we are amazed at how much the kids have grown inthe past months. One thing is for sure, Northern Michigan would notbe the same without them! Whether they come as migrant workers fromMexico, Guatemala, Texas or Florida to work in the strawberry, cherryor apple business, or they come from the Caribbean Islands, primarilyfrom Jamaica to work in the hotel business, they are an integral partof our life and economy. But how much do we know of the life of thesefriends, co-workers or fellow citizens? How about their experiencesduring their stay here?

Silvia Cortez and Gladys Munoz are two Hispanic women working forthe Hispanic Ministry Office of the Catholic Diocese of Gaylord.Together with Father Reynaldo Garcia, a Filipino Catholic priest,they visit the camps, offer bilingual masses, sacramentalpreparation, direct them to the appropriate offices for help, andbring basic fellowship to those in the area who are transient,bilingual and/or bicultural.

Silvia and Gladys found some differences between what they wereexpecting when coming here and what they found.

Silvia thought that free medical services and reliable public transportation would be part of all cities and towns in the USA. Both were surprised to find that sidewalks were not part of every street. The lack of sidewalks together with the lack of public transportation becomes a mobility problem, especially when you do not own a car. Because of their experiences and out of curiosity, Silvia and Gladys asked some of the Hispanic women about their experiences here in Northern Michigan. The following is what they found.

Tomasa Nuno came from Guerrero, Mexico with her children to meet with her husband, who had been living in the USA for some years. She wanted to offer her children a real family environment where they would find support and security.

The educational opportunities for her children, have been much better here than in Mexico, due to the economic crisis the country is going through.

Tomasa says that a positive attitude brings positive responses and this has reflected in her interpersonal experiences and acceptance in the places and the people she has dealt with. Some of the problems she has encountered are finding good Mexican food, "things don't taste the same". But, most important it has been the difficulty as adults, to be able to develop yourself as a person. First, the difficulty with the language and then because your education is not recognized here as valid, the only opportunities for work are usually cleaning.

One big cultural shock is the early independence of the children here. "At 18 years of age you are not mature enough to live away from home yet", Tomasa said.

Some fears that Tomasa shared with us are first, that her children would change their attitude toward their own culture by being assimilated instead of integrated into the USA culture. For this reason, she stated, the education of the family needs to be based in the preservation of the cultural roots, the language, traditions, values and identity.

Another fear she has as a mother, is that her son would be called to serve in the armed forces or sent to the battlefield.

Something very important that she has realized is that learning the English language is absolutely necessary to develop in all aspects, as well as for a good academic preparation.

What she most admires of this society is the punctuality, organization and kindness.

What she misses the most is her family, language and identification with her own people and culture. Discrimination problems had happened at the school coming from people of Hispanic origin, born in this country and assimilated to this culture.

Blanca Rojas of Nuevo Leon, Mexico came here with her husband, looking for a better future for their children through the better opportunities of study offered here, especially in Michigan, where she and her husband have found the people are much more cordial than in other places.

Blanca said they have not experienced discrimination in this state. The people have shown genuine interest in trying to understand them. They are so thankful, especially, she said, when you are traveling with children in a new country. A very sad experience they have had is racism coming from our own people.

Silvia and Gladys have found that this phenomenon of racism coming from the people of the same race, is repeated throughout history in all cultures and all generations. This should make us reflect on what are the roots that can produce such a condition?

Various reasons come to our mind, having a low self esteem being the most important one. This lack of self esteem is encouraged by the belief that your own culture is inferior to the dominant culture, and that "assimilation" is the only way to be part of a group, or to be accepted by your peers. On the other side, people who have become "integrated" in to the new culture do not stop recognizing and accepting who they are, feeling proud of their values, history and roots and sharing with the new culture the best of their own. In this way we all become enriched. Isn't this what the USA culture should be all about?

So, adapting and borrowing from Shakespeare's famous question … Assimilation Or Integration? … That Is The Question!

Gladys Munoz is a teacher at St. Mary Catholic School in LakeLeelanau. She came to Northern Michigan 12 years ago with her fourchildren, from Puerto Rico.

In the summer, Gladys coordinates the Hispanic Ministry of theCatholic Diocese of Gaylord.

The Hispanic Ministry Office is located in the pantry buildingat Immaculate Conception Church in Traverse City. Phone number:(231)946-1205.

Return to the Indexof Summer 48, Summer 1999

[ Index of Past Issue ][ Neahtawanta Center ]