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Hispanic summit looks at breaking barriers
May 4, 2005 11:48 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Hispanic Romans know they have the same basic feelings, needs and desires as their Anglo-American counterparts. But it doesn’t help to know they’re compatible with other community members if they can’t explain that to them, says Mexico native Rosie Strickland.
“The main thing is communication,” Strickland told Darlington School students asking her Tuesday night about the difficulties of adjusting to life in America.
Strickland was one of four panelists fielding questions — in English and in Spanish — for a group of 20 Spanish students promoting Spanish Week with an evening “Discurso,” a mini-summit of Hispanic issues.
“Because they can’t communicate, they feel left out,” Strickland said Tuesday, adding that those who can’t speak English often wait unnecessarily at doctor’s offices or can’t try a new restaurant because they can’t read the menu or order in English.
Fellow panel member Lila Guerra, a native of Colombia, agreed. Although Guerra prides herself on being a strong Latin woman, she said many transplanted Hispanics don’t stand up for themselves.
From her experience working at the Georgia Department of Labor, Guerra learned a lot about Anglo-Hispanic interaction. “The English-speaking didn’t know how to reach out to the Spanish,” she said. “And the Spanish were too intimidated to approach them.”
In addition to being patient while those still learning English try to communicate, Guerra suggested students remember an age-old lesson. “Just accept them for who they are,” she said in response to a query about how to make it easier for Hispanics to integrate into the Rome community. “Just see the good things they bring with them.”
Discussions Tuesday ranged from serious, earnest questions and advice to silly bantering about stereotypes — like Guerra’s onetime notion Americans ate only Campbell’s soup, macaroni and cheese and peanut butter — and lore surrounding the term “gringo” — perhaps a reference to Americans’ shouts for “green”-uniformed Mexicans to “go” back home during the U.S.-Mexican War.
All in all, concluded Darlington junior Meg Schoenmaker, the event was eye-opening.
“I learned how different, and yet the same, our cultures are,” she said, “and how important it is for us to learn Spanish to help accommodate them here. If I went to Mexico or something, I would want them to know English to help me.”
This is exactly the reaction panelist Carmen Quintero Ospina had hoped to see.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to start at the bottom,” the native Colombian said as she reflected on the event. “The students ... are going to be the future leaders in this town.”
*Written by Lauren Gregory, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer
The "Discurso" was one of several events scheduled to celebrate Spanish Week at Darlington School.
“The main thing is communication,” Strickland told Darlington School students asking her Tuesday night about the difficulties of adjusting to life in America.
Strickland was one of four panelists fielding questions — in English and in Spanish — for a group of 20 Spanish students promoting Spanish Week with an evening “Discurso,” a mini-summit of Hispanic issues.
“Because they can’t communicate, they feel left out,” Strickland said Tuesday, adding that those who can’t speak English often wait unnecessarily at doctor’s offices or can’t try a new restaurant because they can’t read the menu or order in English.
Fellow panel member Lila Guerra, a native of Colombia, agreed. Although Guerra prides herself on being a strong Latin woman, she said many transplanted Hispanics don’t stand up for themselves.
From her experience working at the Georgia Department of Labor, Guerra learned a lot about Anglo-Hispanic interaction. “The English-speaking didn’t know how to reach out to the Spanish,” she said. “And the Spanish were too intimidated to approach them.”
In addition to being patient while those still learning English try to communicate, Guerra suggested students remember an age-old lesson. “Just accept them for who they are,” she said in response to a query about how to make it easier for Hispanics to integrate into the Rome community. “Just see the good things they bring with them.”
Discussions Tuesday ranged from serious, earnest questions and advice to silly bantering about stereotypes — like Guerra’s onetime notion Americans ate only Campbell’s soup, macaroni and cheese and peanut butter — and lore surrounding the term “gringo” — perhaps a reference to Americans’ shouts for “green”-uniformed Mexicans to “go” back home during the U.S.-Mexican War.
All in all, concluded Darlington junior Meg Schoenmaker, the event was eye-opening.
“I learned how different, and yet the same, our cultures are,” she said, “and how important it is for us to learn Spanish to help accommodate them here. If I went to Mexico or something, I would want them to know English to help me.”
This is exactly the reaction panelist Carmen Quintero Ospina had hoped to see.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to start at the bottom,” the native Colombian said as she reflected on the event. “The students ... are going to be the future leaders in this town.”
*Written by Lauren Gregory, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer
The "Discurso" was one of several events scheduled to celebrate Spanish Week at Darlington School.
