Industry
Housing "[The greatest need in Robbins is] for people to be understanding and to be able to communicate with each other."
-Resident
Although 1990 U.S. Census data and Moore County population statistics do not reflect an increase in the Hispanic population of Robbins, Robbins Elementary School enrollment and Moore Regional Hospital's birth records both point to a dramatic shift in the composition of the population. Nearly 40% of the students enrolled for the 1999-2000 school year are of Hispanic origin. From September 30, 1998 to October 1, 1999, Moore Regional Hospital had 52 Hispanic births on record as Robbins residents.
In the past 5 years a large number of Hispanics, mainly Mexicans and Guatemalans, have moved into the Robbins community. Some residents believe the Hispanics came to Robbins to fill low income agricultural and poultry plant jobs created through nearby industries. As one community member stated, "well, there's some cheap housing… and there's work." This new segment of the Robbins community has introduced a culture that many residents had no exposure to prior to this influx. The characteristics within the Hispanic community, such as cohesion, interdependence, and limited fluent English speakers, have maintained divisions between Hispanics and the larger Robbins community. This community member's sentiment was reiterated in several interviews: "You will find there is a division. I think geographically, races are located in different areas. I don't know if that's by choice or if it just worked out that way, or [if it is] the price [of housing]." Several residents and service providers mentioned housing conditions as a major concern, particularly for the Hispanic community. Many Hispanic families share houses; some are extended families living together, but most are trying to save money. Numerous houses and trailers were not being adequately maintained and were too small for the number of people living in them. Residents and service providers felt landowners are responsible for these poor housing conditions and neglected repairs. The assumptions were that landowners are not maintaining these houses because the tenants do not speak English well enough to request maintenance, or complain when there is a problem. Community members also feel the landowners are not concerned about multiple families sharing houses because they are often getting paid per person occupying the house.
The changing face of Robbins has brought new challenges. As the number of Hispanics continues to rise, the community is forced to address the growing diversity of Robbins. Hispanics are becoming more visible in the community; there is a small grocery store, a restaurant, and several video stores owned and operated by Hispanics. Many Latin American cooking ingredients are prominent in the larger grocery stores as well. From the rise in these industries, it is obvious the Hispanic community is growing, though it remains separate from the rest of the community of Robbins. It is apparent this separation is mostly due to communication difficulties between the groups.
As the community of Robbins changes, residents attempt to understand and appreciate differences between races and cultures. It is particularly hard to do this when it is a new group moving into a historically defined community. Many community members expressed concerns about how these new cultures are integrating into the small-town atmosphere of Robbins. One community member said, "it's just like anywhere, if you don't know about a person, or if they look different than you, [or] eat different things, there's always suspicion." This questioning continues when groups do not interact and people only recognize other ethnic groups without getting to know the people that comprise these groups.
The Robbins area schools have made a tremendous effort to help new students quickly adjust and learn the English language. A service provider explained, "[Robbins Elementary has] three ESL teachers, an ESL tutor and an ESL teacher's assistant." The schools also attempt to address cultural differences through celebrations of cultural diversity. These great efforts have caused the community to depend on the schools to integrate the cultures, as well as interpret for many people in the community. One resident stated:
In the town, people pretty much do their own things. The school is the only place where there is a mingling of people. The feeling for the Hispanic community is not that welcoming. The only thing that brings people together is school.
Many businesses and services do not have any bilingual staff. In order to receive needed services, Hispanics often must bring their own interpreters; frequently, that person is a child taken out of school to interpret legal or medical situations for their parents. Community members and service providers all encounter communication problems. Some community members are comfortable with the current situation. Others feel more should be done: "I think it is difficult [when service providers do not speak their language] and I think, even though a great effort is being made, … the bilingual issue is still a problem." Several community members and service providers felt there were options not yet considered. "We try to teach English to the Hispanics but we don't have any classes to teach Spanish to the English speakers."
The topics of growth of the Hispanic population and cultural diversity were both discussed extensively at the community forum. Many of the same concerns and ideas community members expressed in interviews were also addressed at the forum.
One discussion at the forum centered on housing conditions in Robbins. Ideas on how to improve housing conditions for many Hispanics were brought up, such as: a need for more low-rent housing made available for everyone in the community, enforcement of housing codes, and the responsibility of landowners to keep rental properties up to code.
Many people expressed a need for more understanding of the cultures in Robbins. People felt Hispanic issues would be addressed more appropriately if there were a leader to give those community members a voice. In addition, it was mentioned that town officials should reach out to the Hispanic community to learn more about their needs and concerns. Other suggestions were to learn more about Hispanic celebrations and increase the communication between different cultures. Most community members involved in the forum discussions believed more of an effort should be made for English speakers to learn Spanish, as well as Spanish speakers learning English. Many people thought adults did not have enough convenient opportunities to enroll in a language class. Community members present showed an interest in Sandhills Community College's potential plan for creating a satellite program to teach Spanish in addition to other classes for adults.
The issues discussed at the forum centered on improving communication skills within the community. Several of these issues would be addressed through language skills allowing all community members to communicate effectively and integrating the diverse cultures of Robbins.
"[In the future] I think that we will see a more dramatic change, in that people will begin to know each other, and we are in the process of beginning to understand each other rather than fight each other. We will see three times more accuracy in the communication of the ethnic groups, regardless of the color of the skin."
-Resident
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