Like many other young immigrant women, Isabela* came to America from Mexico at a young age. She was only 19. She followed her boyfriend in search of a job and a better life, leaving behind her parents, ten siblings, and her infant daughter who was too young to make the trip.
“It’s hard when you come here, and the first couple months you say, ‘Oh, I want to go back!’ I feel bad, I don’t have a family. I don’t have my brothers. I don’t have friends…I miss my daughter,” she says.
Isabela has lived in America for ten years, nearly seven of those in Sparta. She lives with that same boyfriend, whom she refers to as her husband, and the three children they have raised in America.
She has not been able to return home to visit her daughter.
Alba* made the journey from Veracruz, Mexico to Sussex County seven years ago, at only 21. Crossing the border took seven harrowing days.
“I walked a lot. I didn’t eat – it was a lot of days without eating,” she says simply and in Spanish. She walked so much, for so long, that by the time she was able to stop, she noticed that her toenails had fallen off.
Alba wants to return home, but she knows that her husband, son, and daughter will have a better life here. “I had many friends there, but I’m alone. On the weekends, on Christmas, on holidays. But I wait because my children and my husband love it here.”
Raising children without help from family is a common thread in the narrative of immigrant mothers. Most are not able to come to America with parents and siblings; they struggle to raise children in a foreign country, where they often do not know the language, by themselves or with their husband.
Isabela’s husband works as a cook in a local restaurant for twelve hours a day. Between his job, and the cleaning she does to supplement their income, they barely see each other.
Several outreach programs emerged to help the young mothers. Pam Madzy, at Sparta’s Blessed Kateri, founded a Mom’s Club that meets once a month. Fifteen to twenty mothers attend, with their children, to meet and support each other.
Speakers from other Sussex County programs come to the meetings to teach the mothers about car seats or child nutrition or day care programs.
In June, Robin Vander Groef, the Education, Disabilities, and Transition Manager of Head Start, spoke to the women; so did Luz Quintero, an Early Head Start employee. Both organizations are national programs that operate in Sussex County under NORWESCAP.
Head Start works with children ages three to five; Early Head Start assists pregnant mothers and children too young to enter into Head Start’s day care programs. Both programs provide assistance to low-income families, educating and training the parents and offering information on social services and food pantries.
Approximately a third of the families served by these programs are immigrants.
Alba and Isabela appreciate all of the assistance that these organizations – which often work with El Refugio, the outreach center run by Sparta’s Lelia Gomez – offer. Only five years ago, many of the services did not exist, and the mothers had no outside help.
Today even the existing services are often unavailable to the undocumented migrants. “They don’t have papers,” Quintero explains. “So we can’t provide all of the services.”
The language barrier also poses a problem for many mothers, especially those who have children in school here. “My neighbor suffers a lot because her son is eight years old, and he can’t do his homework, and she can’t help him,” comments Alba.
The mothers want to learn English – and free classes are available – but many cannot. Alba explains that her husband would not approve: she must stay home and raise her children, not go to school.
Many of the children also face discrimination, which is painful for both them and their mothers. Lelia Gomez, a documented immigrant from Ecuador, has a son in middle school who was mistakenly called a border jumper.
“I was thinking, what if it really was a child from Mexico that had jumped the border?” she asks. “It would be so painful.”
* Names have been changed.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
This week, although only half way done, has been busy for me so far. I've had several interviews and been able to flush out the rest of the story for the next piece I'm going to do -- a story focusing on the young mothers. I'll finish that by Friday.
In fact, my focuses for the next three articles have coalesced; I'll be doing one on young mothers, one on restaurant and business owner Aldo Monge and his partner, and one on (documented) older immigrant women who have devoted their time to working with outreach programs and other similar organizations to help less fortunate migrants.
I'm still struggling to figure out what I'd like to do for the last two pieces. I feel as if I've hit a wall: I don't have many new leads. I've gotten to know a lot of the women in the community, but besides Aldo, I haven't met any of the men. Most, as I've mentioned before, work in landscaping or restaurants, and I'd like to do a feature on those men, but I'm not really sure how to meet them. I've gotten the impression that they're less willing to talk than the women. Those that are here alone would be particularly difficult to find a way to meet. I'm planning to attend a few of the masses, and there's a large party in mid-July that I'll be attending as well. Hopefully I can meet more people there.
I also would like to do another feature on the legal aspect of immigration. Many of the stories I've heard and the conversations I've had have raised a lot of questions regarding that issue. For example, why don't some of the County officials and programs report the undocumented migrants they encounter? I'm not by any stretch saying that they should. It's just something that I've been wondering about. Similarly, what happens when an undocumented mother gives birth to a child in a hospital? The child is an American citizen, but do hospital officials have to report the mother?
I need to do more research on the issue. I'm planning on reviewing the current national legislation, talking to local officials about local laws, and hopefully getting in touch with some immigration lawyers. I think it might provide a good angle into the final piece, something tying into the future of immigration in America.
In fact, my focuses for the next three articles have coalesced; I'll be doing one on young mothers, one on restaurant and business owner Aldo Monge and his partner, and one on (documented) older immigrant women who have devoted their time to working with outreach programs and other similar organizations to help less fortunate migrants.
I'm still struggling to figure out what I'd like to do for the last two pieces. I feel as if I've hit a wall: I don't have many new leads. I've gotten to know a lot of the women in the community, but besides Aldo, I haven't met any of the men. Most, as I've mentioned before, work in landscaping or restaurants, and I'd like to do a feature on those men, but I'm not really sure how to meet them. I've gotten the impression that they're less willing to talk than the women. Those that are here alone would be particularly difficult to find a way to meet. I'm planning to attend a few of the masses, and there's a large party in mid-July that I'll be attending as well. Hopefully I can meet more people there.
I also would like to do another feature on the legal aspect of immigration. Many of the stories I've heard and the conversations I've had have raised a lot of questions regarding that issue. For example, why don't some of the County officials and programs report the undocumented migrants they encounter? I'm not by any stretch saying that they should. It's just something that I've been wondering about. Similarly, what happens when an undocumented mother gives birth to a child in a hospital? The child is an American citizen, but do hospital officials have to report the mother?
I need to do more research on the issue. I'm planning on reviewing the current national legislation, talking to local officials about local laws, and hopefully getting in touch with some immigration lawyers. I think it might provide a good angle into the final piece, something tying into the future of immigration in America.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
I'm starting to meet more members of the migrant community, beyond simply those working for the outreach programs. I knew that would take some time; it's hard for many of the immigrants to trust strangers, especially when they hear the word "journalist." As it is, I've been surprised at how quickly I've made inroads -- I only had one person, a doctor, refuse to speak with me.
Earlier this week, I attended a Moms' Club meeting. (The Moms' Club is organized by Pam Madzy, out of the Migrant Ministry at Blessed Kateri, and as I mentioned in a previous post, it provides an opportunity for young immigrant mothers to meet, learn from and help each other, and hear about services in the community that they might be able to use.) I was surprised by how many women and children attended: I counted almost twenty mothers, plus all of the kids.
Many of the women did not speak more than broken English, so, for the first time in this project, I spoke in Spanish. My Spanish is decent, but I'm much better at writing, reading, and listening than I am at speaking myself, so the experience provided me a small glimpse of how the language barrier must feel for those who come to America unable to speak English. It was hard for me to just start speaking, knowing that I would make mistakes, that my accent would be off; it was frustrating to forget words or have to struggle to make myself understood. But the women were very understanding, and very patient, and I managed to carry off several conversations, where I learned a lot more than I had expected.
In fact, the meeting inspired an idea for one of the pieces I'll write for this project: an article focusing on the migrant mothers. I'm meeting with two of the women next week -- one is a single, working mom with 4 kids, and another, who is not much older than I am, stays at home to watch her three children while her husband works. I also want to explore some of the programs that help the mothers and their children, so I've interviewed two Head Start employees and am looking for other agencies that provide similar assistance.
At the same time, I've been trying to learn more about the migrants who work in food services, which I'm hoping to turn into another piece. Today I met with Aldo Monge, the proprietor of Jake's (pronounced Jackie, in honor of Aldo's wife, Jacquelin) and Salsa. Jake's is one of two hispanic grocery stores in Newton; Salsa is a Mexican restaurant a few blocks away. Aldo and Jose Orlando Castillo, Aldo's partner at Salsa, discussed their experience as immigrants and as business owners, and they were kind enough to share their stories with me.
All in all, I'm satisfied with my progress this week. I've gained a lot of information on two separate story lines, and I'm looking forward to learning more about those themes, as well as discovering new avenues to pursue.
Earlier this week, I attended a Moms' Club meeting. (The Moms' Club is organized by Pam Madzy, out of the Migrant Ministry at Blessed Kateri, and as I mentioned in a previous post, it provides an opportunity for young immigrant mothers to meet, learn from and help each other, and hear about services in the community that they might be able to use.) I was surprised by how many women and children attended: I counted almost twenty mothers, plus all of the kids.
Many of the women did not speak more than broken English, so, for the first time in this project, I spoke in Spanish. My Spanish is decent, but I'm much better at writing, reading, and listening than I am at speaking myself, so the experience provided me a small glimpse of how the language barrier must feel for those who come to America unable to speak English. It was hard for me to just start speaking, knowing that I would make mistakes, that my accent would be off; it was frustrating to forget words or have to struggle to make myself understood. But the women were very understanding, and very patient, and I managed to carry off several conversations, where I learned a lot more than I had expected.
In fact, the meeting inspired an idea for one of the pieces I'll write for this project: an article focusing on the migrant mothers. I'm meeting with two of the women next week -- one is a single, working mom with 4 kids, and another, who is not much older than I am, stays at home to watch her three children while her husband works. I also want to explore some of the programs that help the mothers and their children, so I've interviewed two Head Start employees and am looking for other agencies that provide similar assistance.
At the same time, I've been trying to learn more about the migrants who work in food services, which I'm hoping to turn into another piece. Today I met with Aldo Monge, the proprietor of Jake's (pronounced Jackie, in honor of Aldo's wife, Jacquelin) and Salsa. Jake's is one of two hispanic grocery stores in Newton; Salsa is a Mexican restaurant a few blocks away. Aldo and Jose Orlando Castillo, Aldo's partner at Salsa, discussed their experience as immigrants and as business owners, and they were kind enough to share their stories with me.
All in all, I'm satisfied with my progress this week. I've gained a lot of information on two separate story lines, and I'm looking forward to learning more about those themes, as well as discovering new avenues to pursue.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Sparta Parish Helps Migrant Community
When 19-year old Isabela* left Mexico for America, she left behind an infant daughter, Anna*, who was too young to make the journey. Following her long-term boyfriend in search of a job and a better life, she traveled first to Morris County, New Jersey, and then ultimately Sparta.
By the time she had saved up enough money to bring her daughter over, Anna didn’t want to come – she didn’t really remember her mom.
Isabela’s story echoes with many other migrants. Aldo Monge, who now owns both grocery store Jake’s and the restaurant Salsa, came to New Jersey from Mexico because he was hired to work here. He had to leave behind wife Jacqueline and daughter Michelle to make the trip. It took four years before he had saved enough to bring them over.
In fact, for the past ten years, Sussex County has found itself home to a steadily growing immigrant community struggling to integrate into life in northwestern NJ. Sussex County officials are often overwhelmed and, lacking Spanish-speaking employees, unable to cope with many of the migrants’ needs, says Director of the Office of Public Health Nursing, Ellen Phelps.
Several Sparta residents have come together to help the immigrants through the Migrant Ministry at the Blessed Kateri Parish. Blessed Kateri’s program is one of the principal outreach groups serving the migrant population of the Sparta-Andover-Newton area.
Blessed Kateri offers several services to migrants, and one of its principal achievements was establishing a network of approximately 25 doctors to care for the immigrants. “We were trying to address social justice as well as human dignity issues, and those never go away,” explains Pam Madzy, Coordinator for the Ministry at Blessed Kateri. Madzy, a Sparta resident whose experience as a medical technologist helped her develop the network, works with her husband Ed to oversee the Blessed Kateri program.
“Last year we made and assisted over 500 appointments,” says Madzy.
Madzy, along with several other volunteers, also instituted a bilingual hotline that migrants can call for assistance. Libia Eichler, Nohemi Noseli, Kevin Wright, Nieves Martin, and Javier Ramirez operate the hotline and also often provide translation services. “You have to listen to what they say,” comments Eichler. “Many times their pain is not so much physical as of the heart.”
Eichler speaks from experience. She came to America from Peru after she met and married her husband, an American traveling on business there. “I think I was very brave,” she says.
The immigrants are often young adults, homesick and missing family. Some are mothers like Isabela, who either had to leave children behind or are forced to raise young ones in a new country without the support of their own parents. “Sometimes you can’t even talk to a woman without her crying. It’s just heartwrenching,” Madzy confesses.
To help the young mothers with children, Blessed Kateri established a young mother’s club – which Isabela attends when she can - so that the women could meet and support each other. The Sparta parish also holds a Spanish Mass the first and fourth Monday of every month, and Sussex County Community College provides free English classes there in the spring.
Blessed Kateri often coordinates with El Refugio, a Newton-based outreach center, Newton Memorial Hospital, and Sussex County offices to better assist the migrant population. “I want the already established community to know we are ok, we aren’t a threat. Whatever these people do, it’s to work for their family,” insists Lelia Gomez, the director of El Refugio.
“We don’t close our doors to anybody, but we end up working more with Hispanics,” says the current Ministry Director, Brother John Skrodinsky. Most migrants come from Guatemala, Mexico, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Argentina, although Ellen Phelps says that there is a small Chinese population as well.
Madzy is proud of her parish’s accomplishments. “Blessed Kateri is a very open community…it’s a very, very welcoming community. They reach out to a lot of different needs, so it’s the perfect place for this ministry.”
In 1998, members of the Patterson Diocese founded the Migrant Ministry to serve the needs of the newly emerging immigrant community in the Morris-Sussex County area. Shortly thereafter, Blessed Kateri became one of the centers of the Ministry. (Since the Ministry is a diocese-wide program, several individual parishes within the diocese operate as centers.)
“The idea then was just to help, to be a welcoming committee. To open the doors to them, and help them form a community of their own,” explains Brother John.
*Names have been changed.
By the time she had saved up enough money to bring her daughter over, Anna didn’t want to come – she didn’t really remember her mom.
Isabela’s story echoes with many other migrants. Aldo Monge, who now owns both grocery store Jake’s and the restaurant Salsa, came to New Jersey from Mexico because he was hired to work here. He had to leave behind wife Jacqueline and daughter Michelle to make the trip. It took four years before he had saved enough to bring them over.
In fact, for the past ten years, Sussex County has found itself home to a steadily growing immigrant community struggling to integrate into life in northwestern NJ. Sussex County officials are often overwhelmed and, lacking Spanish-speaking employees, unable to cope with many of the migrants’ needs, says Director of the Office of Public Health Nursing, Ellen Phelps.
Several Sparta residents have come together to help the immigrants through the Migrant Ministry at the Blessed Kateri Parish. Blessed Kateri’s program is one of the principal outreach groups serving the migrant population of the Sparta-Andover-Newton area.
Blessed Kateri offers several services to migrants, and one of its principal achievements was establishing a network of approximately 25 doctors to care for the immigrants. “We were trying to address social justice as well as human dignity issues, and those never go away,” explains Pam Madzy, Coordinator for the Ministry at Blessed Kateri. Madzy, a Sparta resident whose experience as a medical technologist helped her develop the network, works with her husband Ed to oversee the Blessed Kateri program.
“Last year we made and assisted over 500 appointments,” says Madzy.
Madzy, along with several other volunteers, also instituted a bilingual hotline that migrants can call for assistance. Libia Eichler, Nohemi Noseli, Kevin Wright, Nieves Martin, and Javier Ramirez operate the hotline and also often provide translation services. “You have to listen to what they say,” comments Eichler. “Many times their pain is not so much physical as of the heart.”
Eichler speaks from experience. She came to America from Peru after she met and married her husband, an American traveling on business there. “I think I was very brave,” she says.
The immigrants are often young adults, homesick and missing family. Some are mothers like Isabela, who either had to leave children behind or are forced to raise young ones in a new country without the support of their own parents. “Sometimes you can’t even talk to a woman without her crying. It’s just heartwrenching,” Madzy confesses.
To help the young mothers with children, Blessed Kateri established a young mother’s club – which Isabela attends when she can - so that the women could meet and support each other. The Sparta parish also holds a Spanish Mass the first and fourth Monday of every month, and Sussex County Community College provides free English classes there in the spring.
Blessed Kateri often coordinates with El Refugio, a Newton-based outreach center, Newton Memorial Hospital, and Sussex County offices to better assist the migrant population. “I want the already established community to know we are ok, we aren’t a threat. Whatever these people do, it’s to work for their family,” insists Lelia Gomez, the director of El Refugio.
“We don’t close our doors to anybody, but we end up working more with Hispanics,” says the current Ministry Director, Brother John Skrodinsky. Most migrants come from Guatemala, Mexico, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Argentina, although Ellen Phelps says that there is a small Chinese population as well.
Madzy is proud of her parish’s accomplishments. “Blessed Kateri is a very open community…it’s a very, very welcoming community. They reach out to a lot of different needs, so it’s the perfect place for this ministry.”
In 1998, members of the Patterson Diocese founded the Migrant Ministry to serve the needs of the newly emerging immigrant community in the Morris-Sussex County area. Shortly thereafter, Blessed Kateri became one of the centers of the Ministry. (Since the Ministry is a diocese-wide program, several individual parishes within the diocese operate as centers.)
“The idea then was just to help, to be a welcoming committee. To open the doors to them, and help them form a community of their own,” explains Brother John.
*Names have been changed.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Early Progress
It's a week and a half into this project, and I'm pleased with my progress so far. I've learned that the migrant population in Sussex County (the area that I'm focusing on) is predominantly hispanic, from Latin American countries such as Mexico - Vera Cruz and Puebla in particular - Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Argentina. However, there are also small Chinese, Indian, and Polish populations. Since there aren't really any factories in this area, most migrants work in food services or landscaping.
Aside from this basic information, two issues have captured my attention. First, the local and county governments seem to have trouble coping with the needs of the migrants. While the various departments want to assist the migrants, most simply do not have the resources to do so completely. Ellen Phelps, the Chief Nurse at the Department of Health and Human Services, cited the language barrier as the primary difficulty. She said that her office is unable to offer classes to the migrants because no one in her department speaks Spanish. Anne Kakerbeck, an official at the Social Services Division, informed me that her Division faces a similar situation; employees must call a language line to access translators. I cannot help but wonder: why don't the Sussex County offices hire at least some bilingual employees?
Which brings me to issue number 2. Non-governmental organizations (NGO's) appear to provide most of the assistance to the immigrant community of Sussex County. So far, I have learned of two main organizations that serve the area, El Refugio and the Migrant Ministry, part of Catholic Charities.
Based in Newton, El Refugio is an outreach center founded in April 2006; it provides translation services, helps migrants navigate through the bureaucracies of social services, hospitals, and schools, and acts as "a bridge between the number of social services providers who seek to access an underserved community." I met yesterday with Lelia Gomez, the director of El Refugio. Lelia migrated to the US from Ecuador in her early 20's; she has a history of helping the immigrants in her community. "I want the already established community to know that we are ok, we aren't a threat. Whatever these people do, it's to work for their family," she says. I'm hoping to feature Lelia's story and work in one of my articles for this project, so you should be hearing more about her in the future.
The second organization, the Migrant Ministry, operates under the Patterson Diocese of New Jersey. One of the Ministry's centers is Blessed Kateri, a parish in Sparta, NJ. The Ministry at Blessed Kateri is the subject of my first article, which I will be posting tomorrow, so I won't say more about it now.
I do want to say something, though, about the three people I spoke with so far who work with either El Refugio or the Migrant Ministry: Brother John Skrodinsky, Director of the Migrant Ministry, Lelia Gomez, and Pam Madzy, coordinator for the Blessed Kateri Ministry. The compassion and dedication of these individuals humbles me.
Katie
Aside from this basic information, two issues have captured my attention. First, the local and county governments seem to have trouble coping with the needs of the migrants. While the various departments want to assist the migrants, most simply do not have the resources to do so completely. Ellen Phelps, the Chief Nurse at the Department of Health and Human Services, cited the language barrier as the primary difficulty. She said that her office is unable to offer classes to the migrants because no one in her department speaks Spanish. Anne Kakerbeck, an official at the Social Services Division, informed me that her Division faces a similar situation; employees must call a language line to access translators. I cannot help but wonder: why don't the Sussex County offices hire at least some bilingual employees?
Which brings me to issue number 2. Non-governmental organizations (NGO's) appear to provide most of the assistance to the immigrant community of Sussex County. So far, I have learned of two main organizations that serve the area, El Refugio and the Migrant Ministry, part of Catholic Charities.
Based in Newton, El Refugio is an outreach center founded in April 2006; it provides translation services, helps migrants navigate through the bureaucracies of social services, hospitals, and schools, and acts as "a bridge between the number of social services providers who seek to access an underserved community." I met yesterday with Lelia Gomez, the director of El Refugio. Lelia migrated to the US from Ecuador in her early 20's; she has a history of helping the immigrants in her community. "I want the already established community to know that we are ok, we aren't a threat. Whatever these people do, it's to work for their family," she says. I'm hoping to feature Lelia's story and work in one of my articles for this project, so you should be hearing more about her in the future.
The second organization, the Migrant Ministry, operates under the Patterson Diocese of New Jersey. One of the Ministry's centers is Blessed Kateri, a parish in Sparta, NJ. The Ministry at Blessed Kateri is the subject of my first article, which I will be posting tomorrow, so I won't say more about it now.
I do want to say something, though, about the three people I spoke with so far who work with either El Refugio or the Migrant Ministry: Brother John Skrodinsky, Director of the Migrant Ministry, Lelia Gomez, and Pam Madzy, coordinator for the Blessed Kateri Ministry. The compassion and dedication of these individuals humbles me.
Katie
Friday, June 5, 2009
Introduction
Dear readers,
My interest in migration originated from two very different sources. Last year, as a freshman at the University of Rochester, I took ANT104, an introductory course that examined migration to the United States. We discussed refugees, documented and undocumented immigrants, different ethnic groups that have migrated to the US, and the resulting US backlashes. I was hooked. Since then, I have discovered that migration is one of my primary academic interests as an International Relations major (and Spanish minor).
At the same time, migration touches my personal life. I live in Blairstown, a small, rural community in northwestern NJ that embodies most of the cliches that you hear about small towns. Most of the surrounding area is similarly rustic; farms, not factories, predominate. Northwestern NJ is a far cry from Miami, or the southwestern border towns filled with maquiladoras, or even the crowded northeastern cities that have large migrant communities. Yet it is home to a new and growing migrant population. I don't know much about this community. But I have visited the new hispanic grocery store; enjoyed the food in El Paraiso, a restaurant run by a Dominican immigrant; heard the comments about the Indian students who attend my former high school (which was, according to the statistics, 99% white).
Through this project, I hope to explore and better understand my personal interest and academic passion. Who lives in the migrant community of Northern NJ? Where do they come from, and how do they live here? Most importantly, though, how do they perceive life in America?
Katie
My interest in migration originated from two very different sources. Last year, as a freshman at the University of Rochester, I took ANT104, an introductory course that examined migration to the United States. We discussed refugees, documented and undocumented immigrants, different ethnic groups that have migrated to the US, and the resulting US backlashes. I was hooked. Since then, I have discovered that migration is one of my primary academic interests as an International Relations major (and Spanish minor).
At the same time, migration touches my personal life. I live in Blairstown, a small, rural community in northwestern NJ that embodies most of the cliches that you hear about small towns. Most of the surrounding area is similarly rustic; farms, not factories, predominate. Northwestern NJ is a far cry from Miami, or the southwestern border towns filled with maquiladoras, or even the crowded northeastern cities that have large migrant communities. Yet it is home to a new and growing migrant population. I don't know much about this community. But I have visited the new hispanic grocery store; enjoyed the food in El Paraiso, a restaurant run by a Dominican immigrant; heard the comments about the Indian students who attend my former high school (which was, according to the statistics, 99% white).
Through this project, I hope to explore and better understand my personal interest and academic passion. Who lives in the migrant community of Northern NJ? Where do they come from, and how do they live here? Most importantly, though, how do they perceive life in America?
Katie
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