The town of Littleton, Colorado is predominantly known as a small community in the Denver suburbs. According to 2000 Census data, the number of immigrant residents in this small town doubled at the end of last Century. For many, this growth opened the eyes of local residents about the complexities of integrating into local communities, especially for foreigners.
Believing that immigrants brought in diversity to the area, Littleton fretted about the culture clashes immigrants experienced in other parts of the country. Seeking to avoid that, the town created the Littleton Integration Initiative, to help immigrants make the transition to full members of the community.
Reporter Sarah Hughes reports.
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D.C. Market Vendor
Pati is a 44 year-old immigrant from Mexico. She left three older children behind to come to this country to support her family. When she arrived in the Washington D.C. area, she found a cleaning job. But the work didn’t pan out for her. And she started selling home-made tamales and tacos on the streets to the many Mexican immigrants.
Although it is common to have underground businesses in the immigrant communities, it isn’t always safe, especially when it comes to food products. Some locals saw Pati selling her tamales and hiding from the police, and invited her to join a local city-run market. They promised support. Skeptical at first, Pati eventually saw the invitation as an opportunity she couldn’t pass. Within months, she was a licensed food vendor with a growing business.
Reporter Eliza Barclay brings her story.
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The Hector Fund
Alex Alvear
Ecuadorian-born artist Alex Alvear maxed out his credit card the last time his Boston-based band, Mango Blue, produced a CD. Without a record deal or label to back them up, band members know that producing and promoting their music is a challenge. And financing for music production is even more challenging in an era of music file downloading and reduced commissions from record companies.
Mango Blue
But the band has developed quite a following over the years. This time, instead of using high interest credit cards, the band is turning to their fans and using a new approach based on the “micro-lending” model of financing.
Contributor Claes Andreasson reports.
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Alex Alvear and Mango Blue on YouTube.
Fear of Proper Pronunciation…
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Sarah Hughes is a freelance journalist currently based in Denver, Colorado.
Eliza Barclay is a freelance reporter in Washington, DC.
Claes Andreasson has worked for Swedish National Public Radio since 1979.
Sarah Hughes is a freelance journalist currently based in Denver, Colorado.
