Hispanic Census Grows; Community Take Steps

Larchmont/Mamaroneck Interfaith Council Addresses Immigration

by Alice Model, photos by Alan Model

(November 5, 2006) The Mamaroneck/Larchmont community will probably become much more Hispanic in the years ahead and should begin planning for it now, Mamaroneck Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried told the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Interfaith Council on November 2. “Local Immigration Past and Present,” was the topic addressed by a panel that also included Gloria Poccia Pritts, Mamaroneck Village Historian; Mariana Boneo, Executive Director of the Hispanic Resource Center; Rev. Marvin Henk of St. John’s Lutheran Church and Jose Luis Fonseca, an American citizen originally from Mexico.

Dr. Paul Fried: Latino Population Will Increase

Drawing on his 19 years as an educator in Ossining, NY, Dr. Fried said that Ossining and Mamaroneck/Larchmont have some immigrant dynamics in common. In the past 20 years, the Ossining schools went from a student population that was between 10% and 15% Latino to one that is approximately 45%. “The Latino population will increase here….it will happen,” Dr. Fried predicted. Only existing “housing patterns are holding it back,” he said.

He also said he believes this community is fully capable of dealing with the challenge and will be enriched in the process, as has Ossining.

The Mamaroneck school system, he indicated, has gotten the message and is putting in place actions and programs to deal with a growing immigrant population. Dr. Fried said the school system is mandated to educate “all our children” and has allocated substantial resources to the Mamaroneck Avenue School, which at the present time is 48% Latino.

But in spite of good programs, diligent teaching, small classes, and remedial assistance, he said, the school struggles with “an achievement gap” between the newcomers and other students, an issue that communities all across the country are confronting. He said educators now are convinced that when many immigrant children arrive at the preschool doorstep, they already display a gap in achievement. In trying to reverse this phenomenon, Mamaroneck schools will soon offer a new educational program for immigrant children three years of age and younger. It is being funded privately by the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation and other private donors. Programs like this are “the new frontier of education,” he said.

The superintendent added that the current Latino enrollment at the elementary schools other than Mamaroneck Avenue is relatively small. The figure grows to 14% Latino at the Hommocks Middle School. To better monitor and assist the progress of the middle school immigrant students, the district has hired a bilingual social worker. It also is hiring a full time translator to help the schools and immigrant parents have better communication.

Gloria Pritts: Immigrants in History

Ms. Pritts provided a thumbnail history of immigration in the tri-municipal area. She began with the arrival of Algonquin-language Indians ten to twenty thousand years ago, whose name for this locality, “Mamaroneck,” meaning “the place where we gather,” has lived on. She included English settlers who arrived in the 17th century, followed by Quakers from Long Island and later Irish and German immigrants. Toward the end of the 19th century, Italian and Jewish immigrants arrived. She said the current wave of Hispanic settlers bears a close resemblance to their predecessors in that they are motivated to work and seek opportunity for their children.

Mariana Boneo: Hispanic Resource Center Like Settlement Houses

Mariana Boneo said that the Hispanic Resource Center serves local immigrants in much the same way as lower Manhattan settlement houses served newcomers in the decades before World War I. She said the Center serves immigrants from ALL countries and tries to accelerate their ability to integrate. She hoped emotions raised by recent day laborer issues would calm down as more and more area residents come to realize that immigrants not only fill many of the construction, gardening, house cleaning, nanny and other jobs no one else wants, but are good neighbors as well.

Rev. Marvin Henk: Hear All Sides

Rev. Marvin Henk, who serves on the Mamaroneck Village task force about the day labor issue, echoed the belief that the community will be enriched by the new immigrants. In turning to the recent day laborer matters he said that it is important for both immigrants and their critics to take the time to understand “where the other side is coming from.” He said that there are real concerns on both sides and there are no good guys or bad guys.

“We can’t write people off,” he said. Only through dialogue and thoughtful listening “can we alleviate fears and anxiety” and bring everyone together.

Jose Luis Fonseca: Living the "American Dream"

Jose Luis Fonseca said he considers that he has lived the “American Dream.” The fifth of nine children, he has helped support his family since he was seven years old. At age 18 he crossed the Mexican border into the US and did back-breaking work. He soon realized that if he were to get anywhere he’d need more schooling, which he got on evenings and weekends. He moved to Westchester, worked for an office-cleaning firm, continued his classes to learn English and become an American citizen. He landed a beginning job in the custodial department at Westchester Jewish Center where he now heads the custodial staff. He and his wife, Lucia, who is also an American citizen, and their two children live in Mamaroneck. The children attend Mamaroneck schools.

His message to other immigrants is: learn English, save money, study so you have special skills. “I could do it, so can you.”

Alice Model is a member of the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Interfaith Council. Additional data provided by Mamaroneck School District.

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