Latino Greenville

Classes started this week at Furman and I shifted to a part-time internship with Greenville Forward so I apologize for the time since my last post. A lot has happened since I last wrote but the thing I most want to share with you just happened in the last five minutes.

Yesterday was the inaugural event of our Momentum Series that we launched after months of planning and visioning. I was sad that I could not go to see the fruit of our labors myself (I was in class) but I heard that it went well and inspired thoughts of what "green" living is really like.

Anyway, our next Momentum series event is focusing on the challenges and opportunities of the Latino community in Greenville...that has grown 750% since 1990. I was sitting at my desk, outlining the press release announcing the event, when we had a knock on the door of our Greenville Forward home.

Liza, our new marketing/PR/event planning guru and official task master, answered the door. Right there on our front stoop was a Latino man working to repair the leaky roof we discovered we had amidst the tropical rainfall that was this week. I heard some mumbling and then Liza said that she didn't speak Spanish and could not help the gentleman.

How interesting, I thought to myself, as I was literally writing down the word "challenges of the Hispanic community" on my jot sheet. Having taken an upper-level Spanish course last spring, my skills were a bit more brushed up than usual and I was able to figure out what our guest needed and help him out.

After he left, I began to think about what his daily life must be like. Having traveled to Mexico and Nicaragua on mission trips, I can remember struggling with the basics and that I never veered from the present tense in all of my conversations. But, I was only there for 10 days each visit and had translators around during the important times when we were traveling or finding food.

The daily challenges of being a Latino in Greenville with few English-speaking skills must be frightening with the additional stigmas that are sadly associated with immigrants today. So, I am looking forward to having Adela Mendoza speak at our next Momentum Series event. I think there is little understanding of the Latino community that has become such a vital part of the Greenville world and this conversation will hopefully be the beginning of many.