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Seven past and present Dalton State College faculty members and
two community members have contributed to a book published by
The University of Tennessee Press which highlights the realities
and challenges faced by Latinos who have immigrated to Dalton.
Voices from the Nueva Frontera: Latino Immigration in
Dalton, Georgia is a combination historical impact study
and oral history focusing on both the challenges and successes
of Latino immigrants living in the Northwest Georgia mill town
and surrounding environs.
“We hope that this book accurately reflects the experience of
Latino immigrants who have moved to Dalton,” says Dr. Don Davis,
Professor of Sociology and one of the book’s four editors.
“Each chapter contains facts and statistics about Latino
immigration to the area, and each one also contains a
first-person narrative of an individual who has relocated to
Dalton over the last few decades. The book’s featured voices
include Juan Garcia, Francisco Palacios, Adrian Gandara, Joana
Sandoval, Amisadi Amaro, Sandra Benitez Crow, Adriana Barragan,
Maria Fraire, and America Gruner.”
A book signing will take place on Thursday, June 25, at 4:00 pm
at City Hall in Dalton. Copies of the 216-page hardback book
will be available for sale at the time.
“One of the purposes for writing the book,” says Davis, “was to
include lessons that we as a community have learned from this
experience. There are many steps that towns in America can take
if they are experiencing an influx of immigrants. These programs
and activities make the transition easier for everyone
concerned.”
Davis mentions the creation of teacher exchange programs,
English as a Second Language (ESOL) programs, and the
establishment of recreational soccer leagues as proactive steps
to ease the sense of isolation and anxiety that many Latino
immigrants face when adapting to the American culture.
The book, divided into four parts, focuses on the economic
impact of immigration, Latino culture, education issues, and the
social problems that frequently arise when a large influx of
immigrants migrate to rural America.
Voices from the Nueva Frontera contains nine chapters
which are authored by the book’s four editors and five other
contributors. In addition to Dr. Davis, the editors include Dr.
Tom Deaton, Professor Emeritus of Social Science, Dr. David P.
Boyle, Dean of the School of Social Work; and Jo-Anne Schick,
former Director of the Georgia Project. The other contributors
include Roschelle Bautista, Assistant Professor of Spanish; Dr.
Ken Ellinger, Associate Professor of Political Science; Dr. Aref
Hervani, who formerly taught economics at Dalton State; Dr.
Monte Salyer, Assistant Professor of ESOL; and Father Daniel
Stack, a priest at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church during the late
1990s.
Amazon.com describes the book as one which “sheds new light on
the often invisible changes that have transformed this north
Georgia town over the last thirty years.”
“Each chapter ends with an interview of a worker, student, or
other professional involved in the immigrant experience,” the
review continues. “These narratives add human faces to the
realities of dramatic change occurring in rural industrial
towns.”
All royalties from the sale of the book will be donated to a
scholarship fund for Latino students who are enrolled in Dalton
State College’s School of Social Work.
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