April Issue Focus: Immigrant Communities

Every Wednesday, GLUE will bring you information and interviews on that month’s issue focus.  April’s theme: the role immigrants and immigrant communities play in our cities.

Detroiter and 2008 winner of the Michigan AP Broadcasters Association’s best individual journalist award, Martina Guzman, tells stories about immigrant communities in order to change the conversation.  “A human being, by definition, is not ‘illegal,’” she said over lunch today.  Martina went on to explain: Americans are conditioned to think about immigrants simply in terms of whether they came here legally or illegally; we only talk about them in terms of the immigration debate.  We are not accustomed to discussing their role contributing to the arts, culture, and economies of our communities.

As a journalist for Feet In 2 Worlds and Detroit’s WDET, Martina highlights the vibrancy and dynamism of immigrants and immigrant communities, especially powerful when in such stark contrast to the troubling economic news we hear every day.  An antidote to Michigan’s population decline, our immigrant communities are growing–and starting businesses.  Be they Russian artists, Senagalese hair braiders, or Mexican restaurant-owners, Martina describes immigrants, in general, as “entreprenuerial to the max.”

Martina’s story Hispanic Businesses Thrive in Detroit, Despite Poor Economy, showcases the growing population–and growing small business economy–of Mexicans in Detroit (and gives a nod to one of my favorite restaurants, El Barzon).  Counter to a common misconception, the story shares that only 20% of what Hispanic workers make is sent home; the remaining 80% is spent in the local economy.

Other 2008-2009 topics included a new private school in Detroit; Armenian rug-makers; the candidacy for MI State Rep of Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib (she won!); and the effect of the declining auto industry on Latino auto workers.

Martina’s reporting doesn’t beat you over the head with the frame shift she hopes to enable, but the long-term goal is evident.  Martina shares stories of immigrants’ lives in a way that enriches the local and national conversation by acknowledging the complex role they play as extremely active members of our communities–regardless of their legal status.