Hispanics grow, assimilate into community life

Copyright 2008 - Poughkeepsie Journal NY - All Rights Reverved

One of the fastest-growing segments of Dutchess County also is among the newest - Hispanics.

The Hispanic population in Dutchess County has grown significantly over the past two decades; it has been the fastest-growing segment of the population since 2000 when it went from 18,060 to 24,879 in 2006, according to Census data.

The increase in Hispanic residents - from Puerto Rico, Guatemala and Oaxaca, Mexico, among other places - accounted for nearly half of the county's overall growth during that period.

That growth has meant changes in the community, a growing acceptance of Hispanic culture and the potential for a role in local government.

Poughkeepsie High School guidance counselor Franky Perez has seen the district's Hispanic students become more involved in school life over the 14 years he's worked there.

From playing sports, joining clubs and being part of the larger school community, Perez said, Hispanic students get along well with their peers in a school district where approximately 63 percent of the population is black, 18 percent is white and 17 percent is Hispanic.

The district "has changed in terms of inclusion," said Perez, who founded the Latinos Unidos student group more than a decade ago. "They really mix in. You see it at the prom. You see kids all going together," he said about the students.

Perez said tension among ethnic groups has been minimal. "I just don't see that happening here," he said.

Harmonious ties

Community leaders said relations between Hispanics and blacks, still the most populous minority group, have generally been good.

Romi Domoulin has been active in Beacon's Hispanic community for years and is president of the Latino group Comite Mi Gente, or Committee of My People.

She said various festivals and celebrations held by ethnic groups in the city attract residents of all backgrounds and bring the community together.

"I haven't seen any conflicts, really," Domoulin said of the Hispanic community's interaction with whites and blacks. "We're seeing more and more Anglos at a lot of our events."

Poughkeepsie also hosts a variety of ethnic festivals celebrating the Hispanic and Caribbean cultures and more.

Whether the increase in Hispanic residents in Dutchess' cities will translate into more political muscle for that community remains to be seen.

Getting more active

Poughkeepsie Democratic Chairman Roger Christenfeld said his party's committee has added Hispanic members in recent years. Becoming a committee member is often the first step for residents interested in someday running for public office.

The party last year also distributed campaign literature in Spanish to reach out to a community that already boasts a large economic presence through the many Hispanic stores and shops that have opened over the past decade.

"We're beginning to recognize that," Christenfeld said of the Hispanic community's growing economic and political importance.

He envisions a time not too far away when Hispanics will run for local office.

"We certainly hope that they will," Christenfeld said of Hispanics becoming more involved in city politics. "We'll encourage them and we will incorporate them into the mainstream."

It often takes decades for newly arrived ethnic groups to become fully integrated into a city's political life.

But if numbers from Dutchess Community College are any indication, that could happen soon for Hispanics.

For the first time, the college enrolled more new students of Hispanic origin (10 percent) than black students (9 percent) in 2007. Overall, the black student population grew by 2 percent, while Hispanic students increased by 14 percent.

Reach Michael Valkys at mvalkys@poughkeepsiejournal.com

Michael Valkys. The Poughkeepsie Journal. Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: Jan 20, 2008. pg. A.3