I decided to take my interview with the workers in El Mercado marketplace. El Mercado is located at 704 Park St, Hartford, CT. I choose this place because it provides all kinds of Latin food and the most important is that the majority of the workers in El Mercado are from Latin America, so they could give me the right information about the Latin life and Latin history in Hartford. The first thing that I noticed was that a few people only speak English, and that made it hard for me to make an interview with as many people as I wanted. I made the interview with a guy working in a mobile accessories shop at the El Mercado for more than 10 years, and he is from Yucatán, Mexico, but he lived here in Hartford for more than 20 years because of the living situation and the problem with his family income back in Mexico. His name is Miguel Ángel. The interview went really well, I asked him many questions and it lasted for 10 minutes. Here is the dialogue of the interview.

[Ziad Sakr]: how long have been here in Hartford? And what brought you here?

[Miguel]: I am here for more than 20 years now, and I bought by parents, who moved from México to Hartford for better jobs because in México we do not have enough money to buy food or to make improves in your business.

[Ziad Sakr]: How is your life here? How can you describe it for me in a wide way? How you find it here?

[Miguel]:  Hartford for me is like modern ancient deeps, do you know when you go to the main city that has a statue of a man holding the earth on his shoulders, this is that place. You got intellectuals from people downtown and people from Park Street.

[Ziad Sakr]: Do you accommodate with the people here and the life here in Hartford? Can you explain to me how is your life going?

[Miguel]: I am working in customer services here so I think I meet a lot of people, many kinds of people. The people here are like me they come from nothing, like my parents who brought me here and we didn’t know what future was waiting for us, and I was raised in a house that is literally mud, and we didn’t have the money, so I can say after that that I accommodate. But honestly this is my first interview and I know you guys making this to know what is going on with the people like us here and especially the Latin community, and I know that you probably heard before you came about the killing and the shooting here and the life in Park Street. But to be honest everyone here really cooperates and like in many different places, there is the good and there also the bad, but for me, I definitely feel comfortable here.

[Ziad Sakr]: How do you describe the culture here in Hartford? What can you say about it?

[Miguel]: There is a lot of cultures. There is the Mexican culture, Dominican culture, Puerto Rican culture, Colombian culture, the whole South American culture. But the biggest culture here is the Puerto Rican culture, as if you walk in the streets you will see the Puerto Rican flags, their shields. So definitely there are

many cultures here and that what makes Hartford unique and beautiful, the diversity of cultures.

[Ziad Sakr]: Who is the best representation of the city, is it a group, or person? and why?

[Miguel]: The best representation in terms of life and positivity to make the city better, is the owner of El Mercado. The owner of this building for me is the best representation because there is like home. You know also the best representation of the city for me, is every citizen here in Hartford, because if everyone here worked hard, the city will be better. So for me, every good man is the best representation of me because we are the image of this city here.

This was the interview with me and Miguel. As first, this step that I took, made big changes in my mind about the people and the community here Hartford. The people here are so friendly and they are so generous. For example, after I finished the interview, when the people knew that I am a student in Trinity College and I made an interview about the Latin life here, they gave a free meal from the Colombian restaurant, which really made me happy and helped me know how the people here are so generous. Finally, at the end of the interview, I gained much useful information about the people here and their life, because it is different when you read a book about the culture rather than talking with the people from the culture itself. For example, when he began to talk about his life and why his family came here, and how is the life back in México, this gave me a visual review about his life and also the Mexican life. At the end, I want to say that it was a good experience to talk with people and to be closer to them, and It crushes the barrier of fear between me and talking to people.

Mariana Perez

FYSM 204

November 16, 2017

Prof. Aponte-Aviles

 

The Importance of Bilingualism within the Hispanic community of Hartford

The city of Hartford is a unique place that represents many groups of people from different backgrounds. Hartford, despite being the poorest community in Connecticut, has the richest and most diverse cultural backgrounds that any outsider can distinguish by simply taking a stroll down Park Street. It is incredibly easy to explore the city and discover that there is a huge Hispanic community that is difficult to avoid. Although there are varying racial and ethnic backgrounds within Hartford, the Hispanic community embraces the cultural and linguistic differences from residents and non residents. In particular, there are many areas where Spanish is the only language spoken, but there are also places that embrace both Spanish and English. Speaking both Spanish and English has positively impacted the Hispanic community and has been embraced by the city of Hartford. Thus, there is a direct relationship between the Hispanic community and Hartford through the unapologetic presence of bilingualism.

Even though the Hispanic community mainly speaks Spanish in Hartford, there are also individuals that firmly believe in the strong existence of bilingualism. The manager at the Hartford Public Library Branch on Park Street truly sees the value in embracing bilingualism in Hartford. Graciela identifies as a Hispanic woman or Latina, which is a big part of her identity. She is a part of the Hispanic community and has lived in Hartford for the last twenty years. She has embraced speaking Spanish and English and is proud to do so. According to Graciela, “bilingualism is very present in Hartford and it should be more present. My kids are both bilingual. It was my personal choice to be fully bilingual. We only speak Spanish at home. My daughter learned English at school, and my son of three years is fully bilingual” (Graciela). She finds this to be extremely beneficial because the ability to speak to others in both languages can cause people to learn more about other present cultures. This encouragement amongst the Hispanic population towards its youth allows for better communication This acceptance and awareness of other languages and cultures causes the different communities in Hartford to coexist in positively.

The apparent bilingualism amongst the Hispanic community positively influences the youth, despite the inequalities that are faced while residing in Hartford. Specifically, even though the education system, unfortunately, is not favored by many residents whose children attend the public schools, there is still awareness that bilingualism is important for the youth. Graciela mentioned her dislike towards the education system in Hartford. However, she recognized that “their school doesn’t provide any bilingual oriented program but some teachers are bilingual and can teach and encourage it to the students in order to provide a foundation to learn another language. [Bilingualism] is not part of the school curriculum” (Graciela). She was aware from her own experience and her children’s, so far, that bilingualism was encouraged socially and academically, despite it not being officially part of the public schools’ curriculums. This encouragement from the teachers towards the youth allows the idea of speaking both Spanish and English within Hartford can ultimately benefit them through social, academic, and economic opportunities.

Throughout Hartford history, the Hispanic community has dealt with the rise of bilingualism, even if English was imposed at the Hispanic population at first. In particular, the Puerto Rican community became the majority after many families migrated after the 1950s. In 1956, there was a place created that was named the San Juan Catholic Center in Hartford, and within three years, the center was offering family counseling and help in writing letters and translating documents and giving its clients referrals to other providers. The opening of the center did not preclude more modest initiatives, however, such as Mille Marchese’s program for non- English-speaking children at the Barnard-Brown school, also begun in 1956, when only five Puerto Ricans were enrolled there. (Cruz 51)

English was starting to be taught in community centers and schools in Hartford sixty years ago. Fast forward to today, there is not a current bilingual curriculum within the public schools in Hartford. Bilingualism mainly rose through social and economic interactions within the communities of Hartford. The Hispanic community has to adapt to the present school systems and their curriculums, as well. This has caused residents, such as Graciela, to view bilingualism in a positive and necessary form of communication. She emphasized that Hartford is diverse, welcoming, and that people of different backgrounds navigate around the city easily. She notices that people are not always bilingual with the English and Spanish languages, and that they should not feel discouraged or have trouble surviving in Hartford. Graciela states, “language and cultural differences affect Hartford in a positive way, overall. I believe I am open-minded, and I like learning new things and meeting new people of different cultural backgrounds. It creates opportunity for Hartford to learn from one another” (Graciela). She notices apparent cultural differences within Park Street and in her own neighborhood in Hartford that is two minutes away from Park Street. She actually has a mix of Portuguese, Brazilian, Jamaican, and Puerto Rican neighbors. Therefore, the variety in languages and the strong influence bilingualism has over the Hispanic community within Hartford causes people to positively learn more about one another and bond over those varying qualities.

To conclude, there is a direct relationship between the Hispanic community and Hartford through the positive influence of bilingualism. The the history of language differences within Hartford through community centers and public schools, and the personal perspective of Graciela from the Hartford Public Library Branch on Park Street, bilingualism is an essential aspect of this particular society. The differences within these groups of people are celebrated socially and encouraged academically despite the education system not having bilingualism instilled in their curriculums. It is important to recognize the limitations that are placed for residing within Hartford, particularly because it happens to be the poorest community in Connecticut. However, bilingualism is a positive factor that rose from generations within the Hispanic community in the city of Hartford that causes the communities to flourish.

 

Works Cited

Cruz, José E. “ Identity And Power: Puerto Rican Politics and the Challenge of Ethnicity.” Puerto Ricans in Hartford: From Settlement to Collective Behavior, 1998, 37-66.

Graciela. Personal interview. 6 Nov. 2017.