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By Haylee Bragg

Covered-dish dinners, salsa dancing, and picnics outside on a sunny day provide more than just a good time for the local Hispanic community. Activities sponsored by a Kingsport social club take the initiative to focus on positive change and to link together the area’s Latinos.

“I have made countless friends through Club Latinoamericano and made friendships that I consider part of my extended family,” said Humberto Collazo, an Eastman engineer and native of Puerto Rico.

“It also helps me integrate into the community, especially when we have the opportunity to share our culture with the people of the TriCities,” he said.

Currently, 20 countries are officially Spanish speaking, with the club representing almost every one.  Members are mostly from North, South, and Central America, but also the Caribbean and Spain.

It’s comprised of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginian residents. Although it is open to everyone, many members represent many cultures and hold a variety of positions in the community. The club does not hold regular meetings, but sponsor dinners, parties, dancing classes, festivals, and picnics within the region.

“We would like to have more cultural activities in the area, where we can share our culture, food and music with the community,” said Collazo.

The club uses word-of-mouth advertising to attract members. They say more advertising methods are planned for the future. 

“It’s mostly just been us telling one another,” said Victoria Debastiani, member of the steering committee and a native of Mexico. “We put up fliers for events in grocery stores and restaurants, but we are looking into new ways to invite members.”

The club works with schools and various organizations in the area to sponsor the education of young Hispanic students. The group also holds literary contests for high school students.

“We send out memos to both county and city schools in the region,” said Georgia Gray, one of the three vice presidents. “The topics change, but the essays are required to be written in Spanish.”

Members are hopeful for more scholastic programs in the future.

 “I would like to see more programs to help motivate young Hispanics to stay in school and to make educational goals,” said Collazo. “They can become active participants of this community and then serve as examples to our other generation of young people.”

Members are interested in preserving their culture and at the same time, learning that of others. “We try to remember our Hispanic heritage here and all the good things Spain left for us,” said Gray.  “The culture, the language, and the history are all very important.”

Parties more than covered dishes

“Our past president used to host parties and put up pictures of Puerto Rico on his TV while we ate,” said Debastiani. “We would see it and then talk about Puerto Rico. Many of us had never been there.”

Current president Katy Diaz seems to have taken the same approach to broadening the members’ perspectives. “Ms. Diaz brings more information from different countries,” said Debastiani. “We all learn, because we don’t know about other countries. We read points of view from other people and we learn history while eating dinner. “

The club prints a bilingual monthly newsletter with information from the board meetings and lists of events and also, includes a cultural article focusing on an event or tradition from different Latino countries. 

Children embrace their heritage

While mainly an adult club, the committee does try to gear some events towards the children. “We always take our kids to the dinners and parties,” said Debastiani, mother of three. “During our Easter celebration, we’ll have egg hunts. They adjust and learn from coming, as well. It’s very important to us for the children to learn to greet each other.”

 “For some of our children, the exposure to their Hispanic culture is key in understanding their roots and their role in society,” said Collazo, father of two. “Being able to share that not just with their parents, but with children of their age is an important step in their growth as an individual and will provide a solid foundation from which they can build in the future.”

 “Here we are in this country of many different people,” said Gray, a teacher in the Kingsport school system. “If you want to try and maintain your cultural heritage, you have to do something about it. The children aren’t going to know anything about their Hispanic culture unless you tell them. It’s not a dislike of the American culture.”

FACTS:

• Founded in 1990, Club Latinoamericano currently has about 60 members.
• Membership cost: $25 for families, $15 for singles and $10 for students.
• Club publishes monthly bilingual newsletter for members.
• Club Latinoamericano mailing address:

     P.O. Box 3961, Kingsport, TN 37664-0961