For their monthly Food for Thought: Community Conversation, the Chester County Community Foundation sponsored “A Conversation with Latinos about Race.” It was recognized as an informative, caring, and a community-building event. There is so much to learn about the Latino culture and thanks to the presenters for sharing their personal experiences especially around taking the US Census and not “fitting in the boxes” as well as their knowledge about Latino heritage.
As someone who has co-authored the book, “Kennett Square: Shaping Our Future One Child at a Time,” I can see how this information will be helpful especially to those working with minority children and becoming thoughtful about moving beyond stereotypes.
Many of us filling out Census papers haven’t had to struggle with identifying who I am in the civic eye. I am a white, Caucasian, which still is viewed as the majority. The only time we may be taken aback, is when we are asked if I am “Hispanic” or “non-Hispanic.” I always chuckle and say, how can someone be a “non?” I have asked the question, “Why is this information needed?” I have been told that it helps bring in more grant government funds if I am Hispanic.
This kind of information may be needed by the government while at the same time, it is easy to understand the confusion that the Latino presenters spoke about when they told stories about their children trying to decide if their race was “black” or “white” when they were actually neither. They also think of themselves more specifically from one Spanish-speaking nation than under the general title, “Hispanic.”
Google answers the question, “Why do we have a US Census every ten years?” “The Census tells us who we are and where we are going as a nation, and helps our communities determine where to build everything from schools to supermarkets, and from homes to hospitals. It helps the government decide how to distribute fund and assistance to states and localities.”
One of the presenters said that even though the Census reports that our United States is nearly 19% Latino by Census Count, many are not counted for a myriad of reasons. Look around and you will see Latino workers in the hospitality industry, agriculture, and landscaping everywhere; it is obvious that there are more Latinos than the number has reported in 2020.
The other dynamic in Census-taking is putting all Latinos under the same umbrella, as mentioned before. Are you “Hispanic” or “Non-Hispanic?” The presenters went into detail about the diversity of cultures within the “Hispanic” or “Latino” and that they would like to keep the pride of having a heritage from a certain nation.
In Chester County we have persons who identify with the national cultures of Mexico; Cuba; Puerto Rico; Spain; the Dominican Republic; other Latin American and Iberian nations; even having the heritage of coming from one of the Native American Indian tribes in the North American Territory before the United States was even formed—and returning to this country from the country of Mexico.
So, what about our children? This may be the time that we re-emphasize how important it is to celebrate the unique qualities of each child. Part of our identity is our race and our cultural heritage and for these we claim, learn about, celebrate, and talk about openly and affirmatively. At the same time, we are one unique human being with talents, heart and mind that is not replicated in this world, which makes us more than our race and heritage.
The outside system and environment try to define us, but what about our Soul and our Inner Being, which is the real person that we bring to the world?
Kennett Square has created many after-school and summer programs to help children reach their potential and to experience their uniqueness. It is this experience that parent, family and community can help each child know and appreciate his or her identity going beyond a stereotype.
Once we have a sense of our own identity and uniqueness, it is possible to move into joining the melting pot of the United States and recognize that the aspiration is to become one unified nation and the two processes are not mutually exclusive.
One of my favorite memories of working with youth in the 90’s was a festival that Kennett and Unionville High School students created together. They were challenged to come up with an event that would bring unity to our diversity. They got permission to close State Street in Kennett to traffic and had tables and activities that related to the theme of “We are Family.”
One of the activities was having participants draw, with permanent-colored pens on a twelve-inch square, a picture of either themselves, their heritage, or their organization. With over 200 blocks completed, a talented craftswoman in the community sewed them together into an enormous quilt, which hung at the Kennett Area YMCA for years. Yes, the experience was one of belonging to something larger than oneself, starting with the family, a unit larger than oneself, yet still claiming one’s uniqueness and identity.
Going beyond an issue by freeing up the potential that it speaks to has been “Kennett’s way.” Affirming a child’s qualities and talents starting at a young age and helping each child learn that they are a part of a community is our secret sauce and one can’t argue with success.
The Story of Kennett – Shaping the future one child at a time” Joan Holliday and Bob George’s book on Kennett may be purchased on Amazon and at the Mushroom Cap. You may contact Joan at: dochollisv@aol.com
