Race and my Community 1
Race and Your Community
Daniel Ortega
Axia College of Universal studios
Race and my Community 2
Where you live definitely has an influence on your view towards diversity. Some people
don’t value diversity and wish their communities were filled with people just like them, or wish
there were fewer of some types of people. However, many people value diversity for the richness
it brings to a community. Living in Port Saint Lucie has given me a positive outlook on diversity.
Port Saint Lucie is called the Treasure Coast; probably because the area is so beautiful. During
the big real estate boom of the early 2000’s, Port Saint Lucie was considered one of the safest
cities to raise a family. Port Saint Lucie is where you can find Tradition Field, home of the New
York Mets Spring training camp. One of the things I like about Port Saint Lucie, and perhaps the
main reason why Latinos find this a good place to live, is its diversity. Although the
representation of Latino people in my community is a work in progress, the Latin race has still
had an influence on my community.
How my Latino race has influenced my community.
I can remember the first day that I felt the influence of the Latino people in Port Saint
Lucie; it was at a spring training baseball game at Tradition Field where the New York Mets
faced the Puerto Rican National team. It was the final practice game for the Puerto Rican
National team before they started the world tournament in 2007. The Puerto Rican Nationals
won that game, with a score of 6-0. The turn out of my people was overwhelming, as I had no
idea that this region had so many Puerto Ricans. Although I had no idea what the Latino turnout
would be, the organizers of the stadium event apparently knew exactly what to expect, and they
had prepared well. The stadium had salsa music playing between innings and the announcers
spoke in both English and Spanish. I have to admit that it was the authenticity of the Puerto
Race and my Community 3
Rican food sold behind the concession stands that left me most impressed. I remember telling my
father at the time, that I finally felt welcome in Port Saint Lucie. From that day on, I have had
my eyes open and I can see how well my people are adapting to this city. There are Latino
owned businesses, from supermarkets to restaurants, that assist the Latin community in keeping
their cultural heritage intact. With the rise of the Latino population in this region, it is essential
to have Latino owned businesses.
Latino businesses serve three important purposes in the community. First, they provide
services and goods that are important to Latin people. We can get Spanish-language books and
newspapers, ingredients for cooking, and good, authentic food from our cultures. Secondly, they
provide a source of community. For example, Latinos gather at Latino-owned coffeeshops, so
they are good places to meet and connect with others of the same race. Finally, it makes young
people feel that they are truly a part of the community and can achieve anything they want. It
would be difficult to grow up feeling that you would always be second-class because of your
skin color. Seeing successful Latin businesses lets kids know that they have something to aspire
to.
Florida cultural affairs department director Jon Ward supports my assessment of the
growth in our community with this statement:
There are so many Latinos who are moving into Florida’s Treasure Coast area, that
researchers in that region are having a difficult time keeping an accurate count. I’ve seen
figures range from seven to 30% of the area’s population being identified as Latino.
(Olivas, K, 2005, p 1)
I believe the city of Port Saint Lucie has recognized this growth because they have done things to
improve our way of life here in the city, like having people who speak Spanish at the voting
Race and my Community 4
precincts and for promoting Latin heritage month with a Latino festival annually. Although Port
Saint Lucie has proven that they support the Latino community I believe they can improve on
how they represent us in general.
Representation of my Latino people in my community.
I believe that the city of Port Saint Lucie has done a wonderful job acknowledging the
existence of the Latino community but they definitely could do more to represent us. One thing
that would help a lot is a Latino newspaper or copies of the city’s leading newspapers written in
Spanish, with some content concentrating on Latino issues and current events. My people have
made a home for themselves here, spending their hard earned money and contributing to the
growth of this community, so I believe the newspaper is not much to ask for to show
representation of our people. The city needs to do a better job of showing the world that Port
Saint Lucie has a strong positive Latino rooted community that helps make up the foundation of
this wonderful place to live. Back in 2005, Roberto Roldán, president of the Puerto Rican
Association for Hispanic Affairs and a resident for 16 years, said;
I have tried on several occasions in the past to get coverage of our San Juan Festival. I
have had no response from the newsrooms of these papers. Instead, I have had to go to the
marketing department of the Treasure Coast Newspaper to get help.
(Olivas, 2005, p. 1)
If we had our own newspaper, we wouldn’t encounter problems like the one Roberto faced. A
Latino paper would happily publish reports about events of Latino interest. In addition, many of
Race and my Community 5
our community members have interesting backgrounds and activities which would make
excellent feature articles. These articles would be of interest to the entire community.
Similarities and differences of my Latino people in my community.
As Table 1 shows, Port Saint Lucie has a diverse population, with white people in the
majority. While certain things are common to people of all races, real cultural differences also
exist. In many ways, we all like and value many of the same things, such as friends, family, and
financial success. However, even without stereotyping, differences in cultural heritage lead to
different values and preferences . I believe that my people are different from other groups solely
because of our culture heritage. Latinos are of course different from whites in their physical
appearance, but my people are diversely mixed with so many nationalities that it’s now
impossible to identify a Latino by his or her looks alone. Racism has created many stereotypes of
my people, but I haven’t encountered any of them in my five years of living here.
Table 1
POPULATION DEMOGRAHICS AND DIVERSITY:
Total Population by Race/Ethnicity
2000
Non-Hispanic White
251,509
Hispanic
25,239
Non-Hispanic Black
37,413
Race and my Community 6
Asian/Pacific Islander
3,767
Definition: The total population of the metro area.
Notes: Non-Hispanic Black and Asian/Pacific Islander groups include people who identified
themselves as those races “alone” or those races “ in combination with other races.”
Sources: “Racial and Ethnic Residential Segregation in the United States: 1980-2000,”
U.S.
Census Bureau, Series CENSR-3, and 2000 census, Summary File 1.
Racism and inequities within my community.
Unfortunately, there is significant evidence of racism here in Port Saint Lucie, as the
headquarters of the TEMPLAR KNIGHTS OF THE KU KLUX KLAN is positioned in Saint
Lucie County. I will never forget the time that Geraldo Rivera got his nose broken by the KKK.
That must have happened to him 15 years ago or more. It was in Port Saint Lucie Florida where
that altercation took place, but I have never personally witnessed any behavior of this kind in
beautiful Port Saint Lucie. Although I have not witnessed any racism or know of anyone who has
had to deal with forms of racism in Port Saint Lucie, I am sure there are some Latinos and other
races that have faced racism here.
One inequity that I would change or improve here in Port Saint Lucie is the bilingual
education programs in our public schools. With the Latin population growing as fast as it is, we
will need to ensure that Latinos get the kind of education they need to continue to be productive
people in Port Saint Lucie and society in general. Bilingual would help children to learn more
quickly, while still keeping their cultural heritage.
Race and my Community 7
In conclusion, although representation of Latino people is a work in progress in my
community, the influences we have had here in Port Saint Lucie are noticeable from our
contribution to diversity and the many positive differences we have to share. Despite the racism
and the inequities in Port Saint Lucie, would you consider moving here now that you know about
race in my community?
References
Fort Pierce-Port Saint Lucie, FL. (2005). Metropolitan quality of life data. Retrieved November
28, 2008, from
http://diversitydata.sph.harvard.edu/profile_printer.jsp?ma=2710&dm=sum&sh=2710
Olivas, K. (2005). NAHJ’s parity project comes ashore along Florida’s Treasure Coast.
Retrieved November 28, 2008, from
http://www.nahj.org/parityproject/articles/2005/march/031705_TreasureCoastLaunches.sht
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Schaefer, T. R. (2006). Racial and Ethnic Groups (10th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.