Newly Immigrated Hispanics in North Carolina: Experiences with Housing and Neighbor Relations

No Thumbnail Available

Date

2002-08-29

Journal Title

Series/Report No.

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Abstract

The state of North Carolina has proven to be a popular destination for Hispanic immigrants, especially in the 1990s. The 2000 Census indicates a rapid increase in Hispanic population nationwide, with North Carolina among the top ten states for increase from 1990 to 2000. While previous studies have focused on the effects of such immigration on employment, little research has been done in the area of housing. This thesis is a first step toward describing and evaluating the experiences in housing from the vantage points of both newly immigrated Hispanics and long-term residents. My main research goal is to examine what conflict, if any, exists over housing between newly immigrated Hispanics and long-term residents. The study utilizes qualitative interview data collected in 1999 in Duplin and Cabarrus Counties in North Carolina, both of which had experienced an influx of Hispanic immigration during the prior eight years, along with other information about the increasing number of Hispanics in the state. By utilizing newspaper articles, economic studies, and histories of immigration processes, along with the interview data, this analysis highlights the interface between fact and perception regarding stereotypes and conflict surrounding issues of housing. The practical goal of this study is to better understand the complexities of inter-ethnic relations surrounding issues of housing, in order to lessen tensions between long-term residents and newly immigrated Hispanics and to promote community solidarity. Newly immigrated Hispanics have much to offer a community. If their determination and work ethic were combined with long-term residents' best traits, everyone could benefit. Community benefit might include the following areas that interviewees of all ethnicities have identified as important: security, neighborhood relations, language education ? Spanish and English, schools, health care, workers' rights, housing issues, property values, and violence, crime and drugs. If both long-term residents and new immigrants come to recognize that they hold these community desires in common, the breaking of stereotypes will have begun. Frequent and meaningful interaction between the communities' ethnic groups is a major key to success. Residents of all ethnicities/races will need to push past stereotypes and allow personal experiences to speak for themselves, as they work together to accomplish common community desires. As increasing numbers of Hispanic individuals and families settle permanently in North Carolina, frequent and meaningful interaction with long-term residents will be a major key to community success. In this thesis, I uncover stereotypes and complaints affecting inter-ethnic community interaction, 'humanize' newly immigrated Hispanics by highlighting commonalties between them and long-term residents, address community benefits of inter-ethnic cooperation in neighborhoods and communities, and suggest ways for improving communities through increased interaction resulting from integration in housing. Improving communities involves both bettering neighbor relations through increased personal contact such as borrowing from/lending to neighbors, visiting with neighbors, and giving/receiving help from neighbors. Improvement also involves neighbors working together on shared community problems such as littered streets, drugs, and/or violence. Inter-ethnic contact can greatly change what people think about 'others.' Stereotypes abound at the stages leading up to community integration, yet physical integration alone doesn't change the stereotypes. Rather, it is frequent and meaningful interaction toward shared rewards that results in the breaking of stereotypes, and in turn leads to further increases in interaction. My main finding is that that the rate of conflict seems to diminish with increased interaction between long-term residents and newly immigrated Hispanics. As interaction increases, negative stereotypes decrease and residents rely more on experience than on prior assumptions.

Description

Keywords

Latinos

Citation

Degree

MS

Discipline

Sociology

Collections