Diary of a Small Hispanic Community

This diary narrates the story of the Latino community in Utica, New York and the challenges that have accompanied its fast growth since the 1960s. While large metropolitan areas have traditionally been the destinations of Hispanic migration in the U.S., the census of 2010 showed that rural areas and small cities like Utica were the most quickly growing centers of Latino population. The story of the Utica Hispanic community is an important contribution in describing a type of community that has received little attention in U.S. Latino studies. Utica's Hispanics have faced the same obstacles as all Latinos in the country (such as inaccessibility to social services and language and educational barriers), but several unique conflicts have arisen within the local community. Although the language demands have been answered in large part, even up to the present day, social justice issues continue to arise in the workforce, educational and governmental settings.