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I worked a lot on what is called “Community Organizing” (Organización de la Comunidad”),
which taught me how to work on social issues and stand up for those in need.
I started working with my parish in ’87 at that time as a staff member.
I worked for 12 years as the administrator of a large parish
of 6,500 registered families in California.
In my opinion, a calling is when you do whatever it is you like to do and get paid to do it;
to be able to earn your way doing that thing.
I am concerned for the wellbeing of others, not just my own.
If I see an opportunity to give someone something they need,
whether it be education or a job opportunity or anything they don’t have,
if it is something I can give, then I am moved to help them better themselves.
I know this is my life’s calling and I wouldn’t want it to be any other way,
but if I were to do something else with my life, being Hispanic would not pose an obstacle for me.
“I am too old. I can’t learn anymore.”
With all due respect, Ma’am, you are about to turn 48.
Another year will go by with or without you being educated,
with or without you knowing how to read;
time will pass regardless, which is why we must take full advantage of it.
It’s such a good thing to have a place like Centro,
where people can have the opportunity to advance their education.
It makes me enthusiastic every time someone in our community tells me they are coming here to study for the GED.
It is fantastic.
More than anything else, I have the type of personality that doesn’t take "NO" as an answer.
I don’t like "NO's". "NO" is always the easiest response.
I believe "YES" require you to dig a little deeper to make things work.
What motivates me is being a good role model for my two children.
I can look them in the face always knowing that I did
everything possible in every activity I undertake.
On the other hand, I believe that for those of us who have found stability within the community,
be it in whatever role we perform,
we have a duty to create a better world for those who perhaps are in a more fragile state.
I believe that, because of our history and because we are immigrants,
we can bring about a ton of creativity and contribution,
not only in professional terms, but also in terms of culture,
politics and any other realm we venture into because we were exposed to a different set of experiences.
I believe the Hispanic community has a sense of community,
of helping each other and knowing that you can always count on each other.
It seems to me that a spirit of community is the strongest value among East Tennessee’s Hispanic population.
Yes! I feel Hispanic.
It is an advantage. You really can understand two cultures instead of one.
You can speak two languages. You have access to significantly more literature and music.
I feel it is just like people sometimes say,
that it is an “unfair advantage” to be able to partake in two conversations at the same time.
Basically, my advice to anyone is to be true to yourself,
don’t give up, work hard, and be the best person you can be.
My name is José Luis Santiago. I am from Chiapas, Mexico.
I have been living here in Knoxville, TN for 11 years and I work for a construction supply store.
First of all, live every day as if it were your last, because nobody knows when their time is up.
I am strongly driven to live each day to its fullest.
One of the things I enjoy is being involved in people’s lives, and sometimes in their problems.
Sometimes I can see that something’s wrong, and I try to find out if there is any way I can help.
I am so grateful to God for helping me realize the goals that I came to this country to achieve,
and above all that my children could finish college.
They are practically done now, and we have to recognize that we owe much of it to this country.
It is something to be proud of!
I think being Hispanic is the best thing that can ever happen, or at least, it is the best thing that has ever happened to me.
I was born in Mexico and I am very, very proud of my roots, of the way we are as people.
We are very open, hard-working, and above all very sincere. Truth be told, I am very proud to be Hispanic.
I was granted an opportunity for my oldest daughter to come to this country to receive surgery at no charge at St. Mary’s Hospital.
That meant so much to me. Honestly, I have always said that even if today is my last day in this country, it was still worth it.
I was born and raised in Hawaii. My father worked for a pineapple company (“Dole Pinneapple Company”) and…
around when I was entering sixth grade my family moved to Honduras.
It was definitely a huge change. We lived there for nearly 5 years.
We lived in the rainforest, and that is where I learned Spanish.
I decided to get a degree in Texas. That experience was tremendous.
I met lots of people and definitely managed to learn a lot about Latin-American politics and culture.
I wrote my master’s thesis on religion and politics in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
We organized 10 trucks full of people for a march in Washington, DC in 2010.
It was a really emotional thing because we arrived to a crowd of 250,000, all of them fighting for immigrant rights.
There were flags. The Tennessee group had music going. They were playing music and everyone was dancing.
We had posters and a ton of other stuff. It was a huge job to organize all of it but it was worth it.
Well, it’s just that when you organize an event, everyone comes out to contribute and !poof!—You have your event.