Hello New Orleans!

Welcome to my first blog. I’ve never written one before so bare with me. First, a little background on myself. I am a twenty-something year old graduate student at a local university. My family is from the Dominican Republic and I have lived in the New Orleans area for almost my entire life.

I decided to join LATINOLA because of its dedication to civically engage the Latin American community in New Orleans. It is no secret that as a community, we Latin Americans lack civic and political centrality. Our lack of cohesion can be attributed to many reasons, among them the definitive diversity of Latin Americans embodied by our numerous countries and ethnicities. Also, the lack of a segregated neighborhood and the scattered residential pattern of Latinos in the region have also served to hinder centrality. Yet, it is essential that Latinos begin to identify with each other and create a metropolitan community.

I know that this is an arduous task, but I believe that it is an achieveable one. A common language and linked heritage have long provided Latinos with a strong level of communication and understanding. Our shared principles and values have guided us in our immigration, settlement, and contribution to this great land. What we have all taken from our experiences as immigrants and as first, second, and third generation Americans is the common purpose that we inherited from our parents and grandparents when they made the decision to come here in the first place. This purpose comes out of the desire to provide a strong foundation for succeeding generations so that they can enjoy stability, prosperity, and freedom.

The Latin American population is not new to New Orleans. For many of us this has always been home. We are a part of the diversity that has given this city its unique history and character. A history shaped by the various immigrant groups that made New Orleans their home and their legacies that we so readily recognize. We must understand that history does not stop at the here and now, but that it functions as an explanation for the present and as a framework for the future. I see the trend of Latin American immigration over the last forty to fifty years as another in a long line of migrations by other groups. Cubans and Salvadorans would find much in common with the Creoles of St. Domingue (now Haiti) that fled social and political turmoil at the turn of the nineteenth century. Hondurans and Mexicans would relate well with the stories of Italian and Irish immigrants who came in droves throughout the nineteenth century in search of new opportunity after famines and economic hardships. Immigrants faced opposition in New Orleans and throughout the country when they began to make their presence felt. Unfortunately, the anti-immigration bills presented before the state legislature in the last session were the latest in a national trend with historic precedent.

Combatting such misguided reaction to immigration should also be a cause, among many others, for solidarity. Not out of fear, but out of concern. We Latinos, like other Americans enjoy, and are inspired by, the basic principles of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Progress, however, can only be measured collectively and the progress of one group is insignficant if it is not reflective of the whole of society. This is important for Latinos to realize in a city that is still in recovery, in a state that is calling out for reform, and in a country that is searching for a new sense of direction. We must understand that we are not separate from other Americans or New Orleanians for that matter.

Being that this is an election year there are a host of issues worthy of attention and debate. However, it is concern for the education system that I, personally, feel most strongly about. A good and stable education is intrinsic to the development of an individual and the advancement of society. Our common purpose to provide a better future for future generations is dependant on a solid education. Latinos historically have had the highest high school dropout rates of any group in the country. Unfortunately, there is nothing that we here in New Orleans can do about the national rate, but we can do something about the rate of dropouts in the state of Louisiana. The vast majority of Latinos in the state reside in the New Orleans metro area. Solidarity among us here would serve to strengthen the cause for a better educational system that would benefit all Louisianans.

As I stated earlier, education is only one of many critical issues that deserve our attention. The Latin American population in New Orleans can not stand idly by while the fight for reform and for change in education and other social and civic institutions is being fought. LATINOLA is a young program made up of enthusiastic volunteers who work with Puentes, the nonprofit behind the effort. The key to establishing a strong level of solidarity is to make Latinos in New Orleans aware of the relevance and importance of such issues as education. We at LATINOLA are doing our best to spread our message and we are dedicated to action. VIVA NEW ORLEANS! VIVA LOUISIANA!

Gracias,

Rafael

Tags: hispanic, hispanic community community, hispanic community louisiana, hispanic new orleans, latino, latino community, latino community new orleans, latino louisiana, latino organizing, latinola, louisiana hispanic

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 11:18 am and is filed under El Rafa. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.