A Changing Princeton

Twelve-year-old Janet bounded through the aisles of the public library on Witherspoon Street. She muttered to herself in Spanish. Occasionally, she paused to scan the collection of young-adult fiction. Her persistence did not yield success as she approached a librarian and asked in English, "Where would I be able to find 'Summer of my German Soldier?' "

Janet, who requested that her last name not be used, has lived on John Street with her family since they came from Mexico in 1990. Communicating in English only became second nature after Janet spent four years in an English as a Second Language (ESL) program at a local school. Now, she is teaching her mother and sisters to speak English. She feels empowered.

"I speak two languages," she explained. "That gives me confidence. I have friends who speak English and [friends who speak] Spanish."

Janet's father works in landscaping and her mother cares for their children at home. Janet commented indignantly upon her relationship with her American neighbors, "They think we talk about them in Spanish and complain about them. They complain about our music. They don't like us because they don't want us here.

"I don't really care what they say. It's all just words," she added.

"There is no question that there has been a significant increase in the Hispanic population of Princeton," began Princeton Borough Mayor Marvin Reed. According to Reed, there always have been people from Spain and a variety of Central American countries.

Over the past 15 years, however, there has been an influx of immigration from Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador. In response, local governments and non-profit organizations have taken actions to accommodate the needs of this burgeoning population.

But Princeton is not new to waves of immigration. Marueen Smyth, curator at the Princeton Historical Society, said, "Princeton has been reflective of the American experience in that it has enjoyed the influx of different kinds of people. We have enjoyed communities that become a part of our community."

Smyth mentioned that the Historical Society has housed exhibits on Irish immigrants who have helped to build the Delaware & Raritan Canal, the role of African-Americans in Princeton and the experiences of Italian-American stonecutters and their indispensable role in building the University.

There are no current plans to run an exhibit on the Hispanic community. "It's not a very deep history here in Princeton," Smyth said.

As a resident of Princeton for six years, Smyth said she realizes the growth of the Hispanic population by "reading the census and reviewing statistics about school enrollment. Also, when going into my favorite restaurant, I'm as likely to hear Spanish being spoken as I am likely to hear English."

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"Growing up, I never knew that Princeton had a minority population," said Hector Mantez, a bilingual and ESL teacher at Community Park Elementary School on Witherspoon Street.

Mantez is from Newark and is of Puerto Rican decent. "I visually imagined Princeton as a very prosperous, wealthy community. I think this is a better community because of it [diversity] and people learn from each other."

In the 1980s, Princeton's churches, out of social concern and conscience, acted to "adopt" political refugees from Guatemala's authoritarian government.

Borough Council member and attorney Roger Martindell explained the opportunities found here. "Princeton needs people to cut the lawn, wash the dishes, take care of the children, clean the houses and perform a large number of service jobs that would otherwise go unfilled."

The majority of Martindell's clients are Hispanic, and according to the voluminous list of legal and social problems he has handled, shows that the town and its new immigrants often become acquainted with the courts.

Problems center about employer and employee disputes — failure to pay overtime wages, for example — civil rights issues and criminal issues.

"There is a racism here," Martindell acknowledged. "On the whole, employers don't deal fairly with their Hispanic employees."

The more than 60 percent growth in the Hispanic population over the past decade can be attributed to the strong family and community ties. "Once that movement started, initial families brought relatives and people from those same villages," Reed said.

Reed is skeptical as to the exact number of Spanish speaking people here in Princeton, and Martindell explained why many of these community members do not want to identify themselves, especially to government officials.

"They come here mostly legally," Martindell said. "Some here bother to get papers, but a lot of them don't."

According to Reed and Martindell, the growth in the community is welcomed, but housing is sparse and the cost of living in Princeton rises incessantly.

"The influx is not without its problems," Reed reflected.

Overcrowding and ever rising costs in rental housing in the north end of town and the community surrounding John and Witherspoon Street are what Reed described as "severe problems" which the government "could always do more" to alleviate.

Many families are confined to houses populated by 20 people. Byproducts of this overcrowding tend to be excessive noise, traffic and garbage. The lowest-priced housing is enclosed to what has become the African-American region of town, and concerns of resentment and apprehension mount when African-Americans feel they are now being "displaced" by the incoming Hispanic families.

"Occasional outbreaks don't manifest themselves in much violence, but we are very watchful in those neighborhoods," assured Reed.

Martindell acknowledges complaints from his clients on a regular basis and recognizes that cultural differences can manifest themselves in public disputes.

"Anytime there are differences, there can be tensions," added Martindell.

Janet's feelings of hostility are not typical of the residential experience in Princeton. Other residents of the neighborhood have had more positive experiences.

Arturo is a middle-aged clerk working the night shift at McCaffrey's in the Princeton Shopping Center. He has lived in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Texas and came to John Street three years ago.

"In too many words, I am very happy here," Arturo said with a content smile. "I love Princeton. It's beautiful. I have many friends. Even the cops are nice people. Here they say, 'Can I help you?' In Texas, they just want to take you away." Arturo recalled a day when during a snowstorm, two police officers offered to drive him to work.

"It's not the job of the town to provide for this community, it's the job of the town to permit the community to provide for itself," said Martindell resolutely.

The Mercer County Hispanic Association (MeCHA) is a community resource center located on Leigh Avenue. MeCHA assists clients in obtaining better employment opportunities, enhancing English language skills, placing individuals in transitional housing and offering after school enrichment programs and workshops on tenants' rights and home ownership.

Arturo was a beneficiary of MeCHA's services when he came to Princeton three years ago. "MeCHA helped me find a job and an apartment," he said. "I am thankful."

In addition, the Clay Street Learning Center in conjunction with the Princeton Regional School District runs after-school programs and offers tutoring for bilingual students in the community.

Tracey Goldberg serves as the bilingual/ESL coordinator at Community Park and also acts as a community liaison for Hispanic parents. In this role, Goldberg provides support for parents and faculty with hope of increasing awareness and pride for Latin Americans.

"The kids come in with a certain amount of culture shock. Most parents want their children to succeed, but they are worried about their children losing their first language. We do mainstream the children so their Spanish doesn't get as developed as the parents might like, but they can function in our school system," Goldberg said.

She explained the goals of the bilingual and ESL programs. "ESL is for any student who has not achieved any level of English and bilingual is for students to achieve a higher level in the language they know best, while gradually transitioning to English.

Workshops in parenting offered through the school district attempt to empower the parents to get their children out into the community as well as modeling for them what their teenagers' experiences should be. "Some conflicts arise as far as what an American teenager's life is like as opposed to what a Latino teenager is like. Parents are still operating in terms of the expectations of the home culture."

Mantez sees the primary contribution of the Hispanics as the language and culture. "It's great to see the majority population enjoying Mexican traditions like Cinco de Mayo and the dances and fiestas and foods," Mantez said.

Elba Barzelatto is a coordinator of bilingual programs at the public library. On behalf of the library, Barzelatto boasted a Spanish section of videos and books, translation services, and homework help programs, and a newsletter published in Spanish. She also remembered an afternoon last August when a mariachi band was invited to play outside the library.

"We had about 150 people there. It was a nice mixture of Anglos and Hispanics from the community," Martindell added. "The Hispanic community provides for a cultural diversity that would not otherwise exist. Even the Arts Council has a program for the Dia de los Muertos and other activities with a Hispanic slant."

With the documented successes of the non-profit organizations, after-school programs and cultural opportunities, Martindell and Reed see the Hispanic community becoming more "assimilated" and "acculturated."

"The Hispanic population in Princeton will gradually become an assimilated population subgroup. We will no longer refer to them as 'the Hispanic population.' I can foresee continued economic and educational upward mobility," Reed predicted. "They're a hardworking population and their offspring are applying themselves. They are definitely moving into the mainstream."