here's another installment in the series on Boone County, according to estimates, roughly 20% of the county may be Mexicans. Are Mexican-Americans the new sprawlmasters????
Boone's 'little Mexico'
About 80 percent of Boone County's Hispanic residents live in Belvidere; most are from Mexico
By ROBERT BAXTER, Register Star Boone County Bureau
>> Click here for more about Robert
BELVIDERE — Teen sisters Alejandra and Giselle Lara can’t remember the last time they missed dinner with the family at their Boone County home.
They call it an hour of sharing the day’s events and talking about what lies ahead, where the family, without hesitation, reinforces the loving commitment they made to each other long ago.
Being with family is part of an unmistakably strong Latino heritage that dates back generations in places such as South America and Mexico, their father Javier Lara says. The Laras also believe in giving back to the community, a tradition they take great pride in and one they believe will lead to a “better life for all.”
Other Hispanics in Belvidere and Boone County share the same commitment to hard work, family and community.
“It’s been in the blood for generations,” said longtime Belvidere resident and business owner Carlos Martinez. “We are always together; we are taught from an early age to respect our parents and grandparents. We are a family.”
As Boone County’s population soars, the number of Hispanics also has increased drastically. The Latinos bring with them new ideas, valuable old traditions and a growing presence that is being recognized and embraced by others.
Today, estimates show as many as 8,500 Hispanics living in Boone County. That is up from 7,157 in 2003 and 5,219 recorded three years earlier during the U.S. Census.
The arrival of Boone County’s southern neighbors began in earnest in the 1970s, said Ruben Hernandez, whose impact in Belvidere has included the City Council, School Board and formation of ALERTA, a Hispanic advocacy group.
Hernandez said bringing together the new Hispanic community and longtime Anglo residents presents many ongoing challenges. But both populations can learn from each other and together make Boone County a better place to live, work and play.
“I see history in the making,” Hernandez said. “We are bridging a cultural gap. It will always be there but I see great progress being made.”
‘Little Mexico’
About 80 percent of Boone County’s Hispanics live in Belvidere.
Some on the street speak English. Many don’t but are polite as they smile and nod, lessening the importance of any language barriers that may exist.
A visual count finds 19 Hispanic businesses in about seven blocks of downtown along South and North State streets.
Locals sometimes refer to the area as "Little Mexico," with its colorful array of Mexican restaurants, groceries and other Hispanic businesses.
Paula Britos, manager at El Centenario market, has noticed the influx of new people, in particular Hispanics.
"In five years, I have seen it," she said. "More and more are coming in, but they don't just live downtown. They drive, walk here from other areas (of the city and the county). Now, they are everywhere."
At La Canasta grocery, owners Katie and Genaro Hernandez cater to Hispanics with their own line of spices and other food items created last October and shipped from Mexico.
"They often look for things from their homeland, like certain bananas," Katie said. "It has to be a certain one. When they find them, they will take with them a little extra."
In summer, long lines of people gather near the meat counter to get their fill of skirt steak, which some compare to strips of lean, tender steak that could be used in fajitas.
Mexican families often use the meat on the grill in the summer as they gather to celebrate special events or simply appreciate being together, the Hernandezes said.
"We would have 20-minute waits," said Genaro, as he talked about last summer's lines as employees hand-carved and packaged the delicacy. This year, additional refrigerated meat cases are being installed so packages of the special meat can be made ahead of time.
"We want to be able to provide better service to our customers," he added. "We opened this store eight years ago. The first couple of years were leaner. We have 100 percent more people coming in today."
Among its new customer base: white residents and some African Americans who previously were scarce inside the store.
Their son, Mario Hernandez, 22, a full-time employee at the store and Rock Valley College student nights, recognizes the changes.
"We are seeing more customers and more Anglo and African Americans," Mario said. "I want to say in the past two years is when the diversity has started to come more and more."
It's a cultural oasis of sorts that some say could spawn greater understanding among people from very different backgrounds.
"There will always be differences and biases," said Ruben Hernandez. "But as long as we have two-way communication and work on understanding each other's differences, this will work and we will maintain this cultural bridge we are building."
A helping hand
Alejandra Lara gently grabs the hand of a young boy she is helping to learn English. She smiles softly and congratulates him as he squirms in his chair, getting set for the next lesson.
Lara, 17, volunteers with ALERTA, a Hispanic advocacy group working to provide services to Hispanics, many of whom don't speak English and don't know where to go for help, yet want the best for their children.
"Some of these kids have parents that don't speak English at home," said Alejandra "Allie," who with her sister Giselle and father, Javier, and high school friends volunteer Mondays and Wednesdays at Belvidere's Lincoln Elementary School.
Up to 20 kids gather for help with school there. Mom Adriana Lara attends classes at NIU.
"We didn't have that problem; our parents spoke English at home," Allie said. "Some of the poorer families in particular, they really need this help."
"If it means one hour of speaking English, that is one more hour than they would get at home," said Giselle.
The Laras moved to Belvidere in 2003 from the Bloomington area. Javier, an engineering supervisor at DaimlerChrysler, was transferred for his job. In a short time, the family has worked to make a difference in the Belvidere community by volunteering their time to help others. They believe by making each generation of Hispanics stronger and better educated, everyone around them will benefit.
"You carry the generation behind you and in front of you, always," said Javier Lara, whose roots trace back to Mexico City. "Every time you travel outside the U.S., it's becoming very common for people to be bilingual, even speak three languages. In my opinion, the schools all need to have it. We need to encourage it for everyone because it is becoming a global issue.”
In the 1960s and 1970s, Mexican immigrants, some from south of the U.S. border, others from Texas, made their way north to Boone County where manual labor jobs were plentiful and pay was good at companies like General Mills Green Giant.
Among those who made the early trek was Ruben Hernandez, who arrived in 1967. Hernandez was a pioneer; he would become the city’s first Hispanic alderman in 1989 and a School Board member. He would also create the Boone County office of ALERTA, a Hispanic advocacy group.
Hernandez estimates that when he went to Belvidere there were only 10 Hispanic families. That number rose quickly in the 1970s and 1980s as good words about Boone County reached friends and relatives back home.
What followed was upheaval for some of those arriving and for those who had been born and raised in Belvidere. For the Mexican immigrants, there was little in the way of services and shops to meet their needs.
There also was a significant language barrier and racism, which often fostered harmful stereotypes. Hernandez attributes those incidents to a lack of understanding between two cultures that previously had not been exposed to each other.
“I think you will always find people that are racist in one form or another,” said Hernandez. “We encountered some issues with people calling racial slurs, but we never really thought too much about it.”
Hernandez said language barriers continue to be a problem for many Hispanics. Throw in Belvidere’s well-known “conservative” political slant and the stage has been set for a “cultural education” that continues to evolve.
Carlos Martinez arrived in Belvidere in 1980. He and his wife, Raquel, moved away twice before returning for good in 1994.
The owner of Three Com Drywall, which can employ up to 30 people during busy times, Martinez and his wife recently opened a sports bar in Belvidere, La Cantina Bar and Grill on Buchanan Street.
“We came here the first time from El Paso, Texas,” said Carlos Martinez. “There were lots of good jobs, good work. My aunt had lived here for a long time. I could make triple the money here that I made in Texas.”
For Raquel Martinez, it was the quality of life, the “green, quiet, rural,” setting here that brought the family back a final time.
They were willing to look past any hardships they may face to make sure their children, daughter, Erit, and son, Carlos Jr., were given opportunities they never had.
“It is a good atmosphere here,” said Raquel Martinez.
Belvidere’s growing reputation as a “family oriented” community continues to draw new generations of Hispanics from the south, and most recently, from the Chicago suburbs, Ruben Hernandez said.
Maggie Ortiz moved to Belvidere from Elgin to get her children away from the temptations of gang life and other big-city problems.
“When you have a teenage son or daughter, it is a big concern,” she said. “It has been a positive move overall. There is nothing I miss. When I go back there and visit friends and come back, I thank God we moved here.”
For Eric Gonzalez, 18, a move from Indiana nine years ago was devastating. He did not like the idea of moving from a larger city to a smaller one.
Gonzalez said when he first moved to Belvidere, there was a lot of racism in neighborhoods. But things have gotten much better, he said.
“I don’t see much racism anymore, but I do see people who are confused about who they really are, what they are and what we are,” he said. “Before, you were singled out. Now, you still have some people pointing at you.”
Overall, Ruben Hernandez believes things have improved.
“As I see it, it began in 1989 when I was elected to the City Council,” said Hernandez. “The Anglo community elected me. At that time, some Anglo people in business wanted to reach out to us but did not know how.
“One of the first things I did when I was elected was get both sides to begin to reach out and try to understand each other’s cultures.”
Family is numero uno
Friday night, when many teens are heading out to the movies, parties or the mall, Giselle and Allie Lara first must sit down to dinner with mom, Adriana, and dad, Javier, at their Boone County home.
It’s a “golden hour” of time that plays itself out at the dinner tables of Hispanic families across the Rock River Valley.
That doesn’t mean that Allie and Giselle won’t still go to the movies, after-school activities and out with friends, but they must first settle in for a good meal and meaningful talk with mom and dad.
“Asking to be excused from dinner is not an option,” Allie laughs.
“I don’t think I ever had a day when I didn’t have a family dinner,” Giselle remarks.
Talk with Hispanics across Boone County from all walks of life and you find one central theme; family is numero uno, number one.
Just ask Maggie Ortiz, mother of two.
“We take care of our families,” she said. “In our culture, we are just a lot closer. None of that has changed since we moved here. We look for any excuse to get together.”
Eric Gonzalez said the respect he has for his parents, Edward and Lydia, runs deep. It began with his grandparents and continues from generation to generation.
“My grandpa was, I don’t want to say strict, but kept us well grounded,” said Eric. “I have friends who don’t treat their parents with the same respect I do. But I think some of that has to do with where you came from, what block you grew up on. I grew up where my whole block was a family and other parents would yell at me for messing up.”
Despite running two businesses with dozens of employees, Carlos and Raquel Martinez say they always find time for family.
“We talk, we work together, we get together, we make sure of that,” said Raquel, who has been married to Carlos for 27 years. The couple have two children. “It can be to drink the coffee. For cookouts, birthdays, weekends or when somebody you know needs your help. It’s about love.”
Carlos Martinez says it’s all about respect for each other, respect for a God-given bond that transcends time.
Martinez offered one last example of Hispanic family pride and respect.
“One day, I yell to my son at work and one of the other employees said, don’t let him talk to you that way, you are a big boy,” Martinez said. “You can hit him, beat him up. My son said, I would first cut my hands off; I would never hit my father.”
Boone's 'little Mexico'
About 80 percent of Boone County's Hispanic residents live in Belvidere; most are from Mexico
By ROBERT BAXTER, Register Star Boone County Bureau
>> Click here for more about Robert
BELVIDERE — Teen sisters Alejandra and Giselle Lara can’t remember the last time they missed dinner with the family at their Boone County home.
They call it an hour of sharing the day’s events and talking about what lies ahead, where the family, without hesitation, reinforces the loving commitment they made to each other long ago.
Being with family is part of an unmistakably strong Latino heritage that dates back generations in places such as South America and Mexico, their father Javier Lara says. The Laras also believe in giving back to the community, a tradition they take great pride in and one they believe will lead to a “better life for all.”
Other Hispanics in Belvidere and Boone County share the same commitment to hard work, family and community.
“It’s been in the blood for generations,” said longtime Belvidere resident and business owner Carlos Martinez. “We are always together; we are taught from an early age to respect our parents and grandparents. We are a family.”
As Boone County’s population soars, the number of Hispanics also has increased drastically. The Latinos bring with them new ideas, valuable old traditions and a growing presence that is being recognized and embraced by others.
Today, estimates show as many as 8,500 Hispanics living in Boone County. That is up from 7,157 in 2003 and 5,219 recorded three years earlier during the U.S. Census.
The arrival of Boone County’s southern neighbors began in earnest in the 1970s, said Ruben Hernandez, whose impact in Belvidere has included the City Council, School Board and formation of ALERTA, a Hispanic advocacy group.
Hernandez said bringing together the new Hispanic community and longtime Anglo residents presents many ongoing challenges. But both populations can learn from each other and together make Boone County a better place to live, work and play.
“I see history in the making,” Hernandez said. “We are bridging a cultural gap. It will always be there but I see great progress being made.”
‘Little Mexico’
About 80 percent of Boone County’s Hispanics live in Belvidere.
Some on the street speak English. Many don’t but are polite as they smile and nod, lessening the importance of any language barriers that may exist.
A visual count finds 19 Hispanic businesses in about seven blocks of downtown along South and North State streets.
Locals sometimes refer to the area as "Little Mexico," with its colorful array of Mexican restaurants, groceries and other Hispanic businesses.
Paula Britos, manager at El Centenario market, has noticed the influx of new people, in particular Hispanics.
"In five years, I have seen it," she said. "More and more are coming in, but they don't just live downtown. They drive, walk here from other areas (of the city and the county). Now, they are everywhere."
At La Canasta grocery, owners Katie and Genaro Hernandez cater to Hispanics with their own line of spices and other food items created last October and shipped from Mexico.
"They often look for things from their homeland, like certain bananas," Katie said. "It has to be a certain one. When they find them, they will take with them a little extra."
In summer, long lines of people gather near the meat counter to get their fill of skirt steak, which some compare to strips of lean, tender steak that could be used in fajitas.
Mexican families often use the meat on the grill in the summer as they gather to celebrate special events or simply appreciate being together, the Hernandezes said.
"We would have 20-minute waits," said Genaro, as he talked about last summer's lines as employees hand-carved and packaged the delicacy. This year, additional refrigerated meat cases are being installed so packages of the special meat can be made ahead of time.
"We want to be able to provide better service to our customers," he added. "We opened this store eight years ago. The first couple of years were leaner. We have 100 percent more people coming in today."
Among its new customer base: white residents and some African Americans who previously were scarce inside the store.
Their son, Mario Hernandez, 22, a full-time employee at the store and Rock Valley College student nights, recognizes the changes.
"We are seeing more customers and more Anglo and African Americans," Mario said. "I want to say in the past two years is when the diversity has started to come more and more."
It's a cultural oasis of sorts that some say could spawn greater understanding among people from very different backgrounds.
"There will always be differences and biases," said Ruben Hernandez. "But as long as we have two-way communication and work on understanding each other's differences, this will work and we will maintain this cultural bridge we are building."
A helping hand
Alejandra Lara gently grabs the hand of a young boy she is helping to learn English. She smiles softly and congratulates him as he squirms in his chair, getting set for the next lesson.
Lara, 17, volunteers with ALERTA, a Hispanic advocacy group working to provide services to Hispanics, many of whom don't speak English and don't know where to go for help, yet want the best for their children.
"Some of these kids have parents that don't speak English at home," said Alejandra "Allie," who with her sister Giselle and father, Javier, and high school friends volunteer Mondays and Wednesdays at Belvidere's Lincoln Elementary School.
Up to 20 kids gather for help with school there. Mom Adriana Lara attends classes at NIU.
"We didn't have that problem; our parents spoke English at home," Allie said. "Some of the poorer families in particular, they really need this help."
"If it means one hour of speaking English, that is one more hour than they would get at home," said Giselle.
The Laras moved to Belvidere in 2003 from the Bloomington area. Javier, an engineering supervisor at DaimlerChrysler, was transferred for his job. In a short time, the family has worked to make a difference in the Belvidere community by volunteering their time to help others. They believe by making each generation of Hispanics stronger and better educated, everyone around them will benefit.
"You carry the generation behind you and in front of you, always," said Javier Lara, whose roots trace back to Mexico City. "Every time you travel outside the U.S., it's becoming very common for people to be bilingual, even speak three languages. In my opinion, the schools all need to have it. We need to encourage it for everyone because it is becoming a global issue.”
In the 1960s and 1970s, Mexican immigrants, some from south of the U.S. border, others from Texas, made their way north to Boone County where manual labor jobs were plentiful and pay was good at companies like General Mills Green Giant.
Among those who made the early trek was Ruben Hernandez, who arrived in 1967. Hernandez was a pioneer; he would become the city’s first Hispanic alderman in 1989 and a School Board member. He would also create the Boone County office of ALERTA, a Hispanic advocacy group.
Hernandez estimates that when he went to Belvidere there were only 10 Hispanic families. That number rose quickly in the 1970s and 1980s as good words about Boone County reached friends and relatives back home.
What followed was upheaval for some of those arriving and for those who had been born and raised in Belvidere. For the Mexican immigrants, there was little in the way of services and shops to meet their needs.
There also was a significant language barrier and racism, which often fostered harmful stereotypes. Hernandez attributes those incidents to a lack of understanding between two cultures that previously had not been exposed to each other.
“I think you will always find people that are racist in one form or another,” said Hernandez. “We encountered some issues with people calling racial slurs, but we never really thought too much about it.”
Hernandez said language barriers continue to be a problem for many Hispanics. Throw in Belvidere’s well-known “conservative” political slant and the stage has been set for a “cultural education” that continues to evolve.
Carlos Martinez arrived in Belvidere in 1980. He and his wife, Raquel, moved away twice before returning for good in 1994.
The owner of Three Com Drywall, which can employ up to 30 people during busy times, Martinez and his wife recently opened a sports bar in Belvidere, La Cantina Bar and Grill on Buchanan Street.
“We came here the first time from El Paso, Texas,” said Carlos Martinez. “There were lots of good jobs, good work. My aunt had lived here for a long time. I could make triple the money here that I made in Texas.”
For Raquel Martinez, it was the quality of life, the “green, quiet, rural,” setting here that brought the family back a final time.
They were willing to look past any hardships they may face to make sure their children, daughter, Erit, and son, Carlos Jr., were given opportunities they never had.
“It is a good atmosphere here,” said Raquel Martinez.
Belvidere’s growing reputation as a “family oriented” community continues to draw new generations of Hispanics from the south, and most recently, from the Chicago suburbs, Ruben Hernandez said.
Maggie Ortiz moved to Belvidere from Elgin to get her children away from the temptations of gang life and other big-city problems.
“When you have a teenage son or daughter, it is a big concern,” she said. “It has been a positive move overall. There is nothing I miss. When I go back there and visit friends and come back, I thank God we moved here.”
For Eric Gonzalez, 18, a move from Indiana nine years ago was devastating. He did not like the idea of moving from a larger city to a smaller one.
Gonzalez said when he first moved to Belvidere, there was a lot of racism in neighborhoods. But things have gotten much better, he said.
“I don’t see much racism anymore, but I do see people who are confused about who they really are, what they are and what we are,” he said. “Before, you were singled out. Now, you still have some people pointing at you.”
Overall, Ruben Hernandez believes things have improved.
“As I see it, it began in 1989 when I was elected to the City Council,” said Hernandez. “The Anglo community elected me. At that time, some Anglo people in business wanted to reach out to us but did not know how.
“One of the first things I did when I was elected was get both sides to begin to reach out and try to understand each other’s cultures.”
Family is numero uno
Friday night, when many teens are heading out to the movies, parties or the mall, Giselle and Allie Lara first must sit down to dinner with mom, Adriana, and dad, Javier, at their Boone County home.
It’s a “golden hour” of time that plays itself out at the dinner tables of Hispanic families across the Rock River Valley.
That doesn’t mean that Allie and Giselle won’t still go to the movies, after-school activities and out with friends, but they must first settle in for a good meal and meaningful talk with mom and dad.
“Asking to be excused from dinner is not an option,” Allie laughs.
“I don’t think I ever had a day when I didn’t have a family dinner,” Giselle remarks.
Talk with Hispanics across Boone County from all walks of life and you find one central theme; family is numero uno, number one.
Just ask Maggie Ortiz, mother of two.
“We take care of our families,” she said. “In our culture, we are just a lot closer. None of that has changed since we moved here. We look for any excuse to get together.”
Eric Gonzalez said the respect he has for his parents, Edward and Lydia, runs deep. It began with his grandparents and continues from generation to generation.
“My grandpa was, I don’t want to say strict, but kept us well grounded,” said Eric. “I have friends who don’t treat their parents with the same respect I do. But I think some of that has to do with where you came from, what block you grew up on. I grew up where my whole block was a family and other parents would yell at me for messing up.”
Despite running two businesses with dozens of employees, Carlos and Raquel Martinez say they always find time for family.
“We talk, we work together, we get together, we make sure of that,” said Raquel, who has been married to Carlos for 27 years. The couple have two children. “It can be to drink the coffee. For cookouts, birthdays, weekends or when somebody you know needs your help. It’s about love.”
Carlos Martinez says it’s all about respect for each other, respect for a God-given bond that transcends time.
Martinez offered one last example of Hispanic family pride and respect.
“One day, I yell to my son at work and one of the other employees said, don’t let him talk to you that way, you are a big boy,” Martinez said. “You can hit him, beat him up. My son said, I would first cut my hands off; I would never hit my father.”
