A message to the Battle Creek Latinx community: "This place is yours".

Editor's note: Names have been changed out of respect to privacy.

When Ramiro first arrived at Battle Creek, he didn't know where to start looking for help. In 1998, Battle Creek counted with a small Latinx community compared with other cities, especially Hispanics from Mexico. He came to the area because his brother-in-law lived and worked in Battle Creek. He told Ramiro it was a quiet town to start a new life away from his home country's economic and social hardships. Ramiro, a woodworker, is self-employed; he cannot obtain a permanent job because of his immigration status and age.

For Roberto, who also arrived in Battle Creek in the late 1990s, moving to the United States brought many challenges. “You need to seek help for everything: medical care and housing," Roberto said. He faced language barriers up close while trying to seek help with a housing issue. "I had to submit a document to the mortgage company for the house, and I couldn't get anyone to help me."

On another hand, Camila gave birth at home, but not because of a preference. After going to the hospital, they sent her back to where she lived because they didn’t understand she was already having contractions.

These cases have been part of the reality for Hispanics in Battle Creek.

Voces staff poses in the building where its offices are located.

Photo: Juan Grillo - New/Nueva Opinón

The Challenges

Language is perhaps one of the main challenges for Latinos in the United States. Most Latinos recognize the great need to learn the language, so they take English as a second language class to get jobs, make friends or perform simple tasks such as grocery shopping or filling out forms. However, this doesn’t make it very easy to meet other obligations like making time between jobs and taking care of children. Additionally, it is even more difficult if you are not literate in your native language.

Also, it can be challenging for those who have received an education in another country to help their children with homework and deal with the school system. Children are often assigned to a classroom by age rather than ability, and for those who cannot speak English, it is virtually impossible to keep up with their peers. In addition, parents may not have the education or language skills to help their children, so they may not be able to communicate with teachers to address any problems.

Finding a job and progressively moving up the ladder is very difficult, even if we leave aside undocumented immigrants who face a more significant challenge in getting a job in the first place. Highly educated refugees and immigrants who had good jobs in their home countries are frustrated that they cannot get the same jobs here. Employers often prefer in-country work experience. On the other hand, degrees obtained in other countries are generally not automatically revalidated. That is why it is common for your waiter to have worked in your home country as a teacher or engineer. In addition, some employers recognize these groups' urgency and desperation to keep their jobs, so they hire them to do the less desirable and sometimes dangerous work. Undocumented immigrants assume they have no rights, while non-English speaking workers are seen as easy prey.

Trying to get housing accommodation is complex. For that reason, large families often choose to live together, creating a stressful and noisy environment that is hardly conductive to study or rest.

Access to services is another issue. Undocumented immigrants have many difficulties accessing services, primarily because they fear being deported and cannot comply with the necessary documentation to obtain the service. As a result, people avoid going to the doctor or seek services such as legal advice, even if they need them urgently. On the other hand, people who are legally residing in the country are not necessarily safe. Difficulties speaking English, problems with missing work, and limited transportation are authentic problems.

Receiving help with mental health related problems is also challenging. Immigrants have often been exposed to violence, rape, and even torture, yet they may not know how to seek help. In addition, mental health problems are a taboo subject in many cultures, creating an additional barrier for those needing assistance.

Hispanic Presence in Battle Creek

Latinos are attracted to the Battle Creek area because of the opportunities to get jobs, especially in the factories located in the Fort Custer Industrial area. In the '80s and 90s, immigration was on the rise. As families and their children grew up, many left the migration chain, but the community continued to grow.

The city of Battle Creek has 51,057 residents and a metropolitan area population of 134,379 in total, including rural areas and suburbs. The Hispanic population comes in at 7.48%, with almost 10,000 residents. Battle Creek is home to a Mexican grocery store, a Spanish-language newspaper, and an organization representing their community.

According to the Census data in 2021, only 11.41% of Battle Creek's Latino high school graduates will complete college - a low percentage when compared to 22.6% of Caucasian descent, 21.62% of Asian descent, and 14.18% of people of African descent. This data is consistent with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Equity Profile of Battle Creek study, which also adds that 39% of Latinos in the Battle Creek area have not graduated from high school. It makes them the group with the lowest level of education compared to White and African-descendant community. Additionally, according to the same study, the average Latino age is 23 years old.

Since 2000, the Latino population has grown by 58% - going from almost 5% of the total population to nearly 8% - while the total population has decreased. Additionally, contrary to what the general population imagines, 73% of Battle Creek's Latinos are U.S. born, while 27% are foreign-born. According to census data, eight percent of foreigners living in the Battle Creek metro area are from Latin America.

Although 62.70% of Battle Creek Hispanics are in the labor force, Hispanics rank third in poverty. They are above Native Americans and African-descendants and below those in the Asian and White communities.

Regarding health, 21% of Latinos in Battle Creek do not have health insurance, compared to 22% of African Descendants and 17% of Whites.

A voice in need

The cases of Ramiro, Roberto, and Camila only confirm the reality of these challenges and numbers.

Latino residents have been part of the community in Battle Creek for decades, and the community has come to realize that. In 2008, El Proyecto Latino de Battle Creek began operating with a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and focused on English-Spanish interpretation services, specifically in the medical and community interpretation areas. In 2010, after submitting the name to a contest open to the community, the name of the organization was changed to Voces with the slogan "many voices, one community."

En la foto Evelia Bautista directora del departamento de educación de Voces.

Foto: Proveía por Voces

"I know the importance and the need for interpreting services," says current Voces director José Luis Orozco, who took the helm more than two years ago. Orozco was born to Mexican parents and was raised by his Mexican grandparents. "I know this from my mom, who struggled with English." He was born and raised in San Perlitas, Texas. "If you google the poorest school district in the United States, San Perlitas is going to come up," Orozco says. But poverty was no deterrent to college, becoming a teacher, and earning a master's degree in education and counseling.

"We came to Michigan looking for a place that had stations. My wife wanted to continue her law studies, so we came to the Grand Rapids area. But since I got this job, we now live in Battle Creek,” he comments on how he came to the area.

Today, Voces provides language services, education services, and community connections, as Orozco tells it. "We have three departments," he recounts, "the Education department, managed by Evelia Bautista; the Community Connection department, managed by Clarissa Corral; and the Language department, managed by Mary Okamoto."

Voces' language department provides online, in-person, and telephone interpreting. Services range from medical interpreting to translations of official documents. Interpreting is also done at schools or in business. "If we interpret the phone, we can access more than 200 languages. We can make Spanish, Japanese, and Swahili interpretations if we do it in person. We also have the classes to get certified as a community interpreter,” Orozco comments.

Another department is the education department, which has programs dedicated for Latinos, ranging from children to adults. "The education department has after-school programs that include students from kindergarten through 5th grade and 6th through 8th grade. We also have a youth program for high school students and adults with English as a second language. And this year, we have the summer camp for young children."

As part of the commitment to help the community live in a dignified way, Voces' community connection department builds capacity and guides Latino families to find the resources, tools, and opportunities in the Battle Creek community. They may include assistance in obtaining health services, notary, tax preparation, solving fines, citations, bills, and connecting with support agencies. "In the community connection department, we have a housing assistance program. We are working with the city of Battle Creek to ensure that Latinos have access to all the benefits that are in place in the city regarding housing, from help with rent or mortgage payments to home purchase or repair," Orozco comments. "Now we have assistance in business creation through this department. Not monetarily but with resources such as creating the business plan, any licenses needed, etc."

Pictured is Mary Okamoto, head of the Voces language department.

Foto: Juan Grillo - New/Nueva Opinión

"Most people come to Voces because they hear about our services from others. But I think we can't stop there. We need to give a warm welcome to the families that come here. So here we are, and this place is yours."

Among the recent accomplishments by Voces is having the Voces ID card accepted at Grace Health and Bronson. "Kalamazoo has its ID system in the county. But unfortunately, here, they don't have one that can help those who can't pull an ID from the state. So, I talked to Grace Health and Bronson, and they are already accepting the Voces ID card for internal paperwork." Obtaining this card only requires a utility bill and a current passport. "I know it doesn't have much traction, but it's something. It's a start for the other entities in the system to start working on it."

"One of the huge projects is a new space, and we hope that we will already have it in a year thanks to a grant."

"I want to tell the Latino community that we are here to serve them, and they are welcome to their home," Orozco concludes.