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Show A quarterly publication serving communities in the western portion of Salt Lake City Issue No. 8 SPRING 2003 Myths and Facts each other, despite our cultural, ence in having her own place. religious and ethnic differences. About the West Side Living in Rose Park is a “fantaWhen Maria walks her children to school in the spring, she | sy” says Maria, where her chilhears the song of birds and enjoys" dren meet other children from such exotic places as the budding trees. She exclaims Afghanistan, Russia, Bosnia and to her children, “This is like we Sudan. — are in Mexico!” And her children For both women, there are reply “No, Mom! We're not moments of homesickness for the there! We’re here!” peers small villages of Mexico. To ease _ Patricia and Maria and their this longing, families from families found the Rose Park Mexico get together for baptisms, neighborhood by word of mouth, Those celebrations bring culture, homes and quiet streets is more familiar to them than other parts ‘guage together to create a sense This article is the second in a series of four, examining myths and facts ‘about the West Side. Magdalena Lowe, coordinator and liason for Spanish-speaking at —_—~ Northwest Intermediate, served as an inter- Maria del Carmen del Carmen Perez have lived in the Rose Park neighborhood for two years. Their stories are two among a myriad of Sto» ries from the many immigrant families in our polyglot west side neighborhoods. Patricia is from Micholan, Mexico and Maria is from Vera Cruz, Mexico. preter for the two women who Myth and Fact _ II: We wel- agreed to be interviewed for this come newcomers to our west side article. neighborhoods Patricia Barradas and tradition, food, music and lan- and we ee says Patricia, because of the language barrier. “More education is necessary before we have the confidence to participate.” The schools, however, provide support, translation and encouragement for them to participate in their children’s education. Both moms attend parent-teacher con- ferences, school meetings and visit their children’s classes. . Lowe says that non-English speaking parents can volunteer by reading to children in their native language, which increases language skills as they transition — .to English. In these ways, the schools teach Patricia and Maria © how to engage in the greater new and strange land. In addition to visiting the neighborhood, Patricia. checked of their former home. The children of Patricia and Maria miss Mexico too, but they are adapting much more quickly. out the two schools that her sons Learning English is much easier families learned that skill from Ari (12) and Luis (7) would be for children than for adults and PTA and other school-sponsored events. Both women know that learn) ing English is important for success in their new home. Their children are willing to translate _for their parents, but impatient for them to learn more quickly. The assimilation into language and culture by the younger generation is both amazing and sad. Maria’s son, Fabian, often cannot ‘tell her in Spanish about-a day’s attending. She was satisfied that — they also learn quickly how to fit Maria by Edie Trimmer families and weddings and other celebrations. from the advice of friends and family. The neighborhood feel of. of the city, living as they are in a Patricia Barradas, Magdalina Lowe, Perez at Northwest Intermediate neighborhood and the independ- her children would be in compecaring hands at tent and into the culture of their adopted home. Patricia worties about Ari, and as he struggles with learning English at an age when being Maria’s family, which includes cool and fitting in are so important. “She worries too much!” Magdalena Lowe interjects, “Ari is a wonderful kid with so much promise!”’ Northwest Intermediate. Escalante Elementary. children Vieaney (13), Anayela (10), Vayana (7) and Fabian (4), were living in an apartment in West Valley City. with another family. They, moved..to Rose “Park, even though apartments were cheaper in West Valley, because she wanted a sense of How. do. these newcomers to Rose Park participate in the com- community, not so different from how many young. munity? “Taking part in community councils is too difficult,” native-born see Myths page 2 Utah Center for Documentary Arts — Focuses on West Side Science and Culture. CDA mu open the by Beth Hoffman between the east documentary center and museum with an exhibit focused on the west side of and west sides of Salt Lake City is Salt Lake City. The exhibit documents ‘he separation an historical divide, which is debated, reinforced and often denied. Many sider the dividing line between the worlds of east and west the tracks, ers feel that it is the highway, and contwo othstill others believe that the division is as far east as 700 East. For the Center for Documentary Arts, the division is Main Street, for it is here that the city was first divided into east and west halves by Brigham Young. But what does such a division mean to the city and her inhabitants? Who are the people that live and work on the west side? . _ The Center for Documentary Arts (CDA) is dedicated to conducting and the area’s history, eenpe a people and future plans. ~ For the past two years CDA has been conducting oral interviews, taking: pho- tos, and collecting sound for this project. A weekly radio show, titled “On the Mas Side”, airs weekly on KRCL 90.9 (Mondays at 4:30 p.m. and bales. at 9:30 a.m.). The project aims to give a well-rounded and accurate picture of the west side and _ has, therefore, involved people from all walks of life. CDA would like the community’s Salt Lake City, CDA plans to move into. input into this project and is particularly interested in collecting and making copies of old photographs of businesses, homes, families and activities. CDA‘is also looking for documents and artifacts interview people with both long-stand- the former downtown library in 2004, as that help us better understand the west ing and newer ties to the area. part side (past and present), and continues to supporting documentary work in Utah and throughout of the the world. Leonardo Located Center in for Art, May 5, 2001, Cinco de Mayo Please. contact the at the Centro Civico Mexicano, Center®—for | Sports: Documentary Arts Salt Lake City. at 355-3903 if you have any information or wish to participate in the west side project. |
