We Are from Hazleton a Baseball Celebrity Helps Bring His Divided Pennsylvania Hometown Together
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Stories From the Field www.onenationindivisible.org June 2013 We Are From Hazleton A Baseball Celebrity Helps Bring His Divided Pennsylvania Hometown Together STORY BY CHRIS ECHEGARAY & S USAN EATON • PHOTOGRAPHS BY EMMA LEE t the end of the Major League baseball season a since the early 2000s. A few years back, Maddon Afew years ago, Tampa Bay Curry and two Latino fathers had Rays manager Joe Maddon Tampa Bay founded an organization called returned to the former coal min - Rays Manager Concerned Parents that provides ing community of Hazleton, Joe Maddon an array of services mainly for Pennsylvania, where he’d grown immigrant families. up. He sat on a child-sized fold - ing chair at a holiday potluck “Where are the Latinos?” party hosted by a Dominican Maddon recalled asking his mother of three who ran a day cousin back in 2010. “Because I care out of her home. Spanish don’t see them.” conversation flowed around him. Maddon Curry explained that the Children ran about, weaving city’s Latino immigrants had among adults who talked, retreated in fear. Their social lives laughed and shared cuisine from went on in small apartments and the Dominican Republic, multi-family homes. Families did Guatemala and Peru. Merengue come out for church, and music blared. Maddon Curry said she had seen Joe Maddon is a colossal celebrity in the more and more adults participating in sports world and a sought-after In 2006, Hazleton Concerned Parents’ English classes over spokesperson and benefactor. So, you had become the first time. But typically, Maddon Curry might think he would want privacy municipality in the explained, Hazleton’s newcomers were wary and distrustful of people outside most of all when he came back home to nation to pass its own visit with family at Christmas. But he’d their social circles. anti-immigration come to this particular party quite on Distrust was an entirely sensible reac - purpose. Curious and concerned, he’d law. tion. In 2006, Hazleton had become asked his cousin, Elaine Maddon Curry, the first municipality in the nation to to please introduce him to the growing pass its own anti-immigration law. On a 6 to 1 vote, Latino community that had been moving to Hazleton the ordinance barred landlords from knowingly rent - Stories From the Field One Nation Indivisible June 2013 ing to unauthorized immigrants, required employers through meals and music felt familiar. He turned to to verify their workers’ immigration status, made it a his cousin Elaine and said, “This is how we grew up. violation to provide “services” beyond medical care This is it, right here.” to undocumented immigrants and declared English as the city’s official language. The measure triggered “That was my seminal moment.” Maddon recalled praise from conservative talk radio during a recent trip back to Hazleton. hosts, and condemnation from national “We’re the same, just speak a different immigrant rights, civil rights and labor “That was my language….The Slovak, the Polish, the organizations. The city faced a costly seminal moment.” Irish, the Italians. We all started the same.” lawsuit, brought by a coalition of civil Maddon recalled rights groups. A federal court judge during a recent trip As he was leaving to head back to his life had struck down the law in 2007 but and his high-pressure job in Tampa, the US Supreme Court in 2011 deter - back to Hazleton. Maddon told his cousin Elaine and her mined that the court needed to “We’re the same, just husband, Bob Curry, that he wanted to re-examine its finding in light of the speak a different “do something to repair what had been Court’s ruling that allowed for some language….The damaged here.” Bob Curry recalled: elements of Arizona’s restrictive immi - “He was really very deeply concerned gration law to go forward. Plaintiffs Slovak, the Polish, the about this division that he saw in a and defendants are still awaiting a deci - Irish, the Italians. We community that he just loves so much.” sion from the US Third Circuit Court all started the same.” of Appeals. Regardless of whether it is After consultation enacted, though, with the Currys and most local observers other community agree that the pro - members, Maddon posed ordinance has decided he would already done plenty not only help to of damage. fund, but, most importantly, would During his visit lend his voice and home in 2010, celebrity to start the Maddon was dispir - Hazleton Integration ited by conversations Project, known now with local folks, as HIP. Since then, some of whom were Maddon has played a blaming immigrants central role in for Hazleton’s eco - fundraising, attract - nomic decline. But Eugenio Sosa & Elaine Maddon Curry ing the Cal Ripken during the same Jr. Foundation to visit, the potluck provide donations, soliciting funds from other party with immigrant families had pleased him. The donors, and joining up big-name baseball greats flavors and the music and the language may have including Yogi Berra, Tino Martinez and Carlos Peña been different from the Italian and Polish-centered as active spokespeople for the cause. Maddon has celebrations of his youth. But the warmth of commu - been outspoken during several packed public events nity and family and friends, the easy banter, the where he has urged members of the Latino immi - centrality of family and the ethnic pride expressed 2 Stories From the Field One Nation Indivisible June 2013 grant community and the white community to get to together,” said Bob Curry, HIP’s board president. know each other and figure out, together, how to “Yes, we will provide particular services. But the foster prosperity in the economically larger mission of integration will guide challenged city they share. Most us in everything that we do. Services are recently, Maddon backed the purchase The very explicit goal one thing. Integration is quite of a former Catholic school to house of this place and of another….It’s a longer range goal.” the Hazleton ONE Community this effort is clear: Center, which will be HIP’s headquar - Late last year, Maddon flew up from ters. After renovations are complete It is to bring two Florida with some of his ball players to early this summer, the Center will host currently much announce Hazleton ONE’s opening social events, cultural celebrations, separated and to let local folks know about the programs HIP will soon be offering. potlucks and a wide range of sports and communities recreation and homework help for together.” “We want to get kids off the children. English classes and citizenship street…..We want sports, culinary, classes currently offered through the —Bob Curry, Board drama clubs…. Everything we can Concerned Parents organization will President, Hazleton Integration Project imagine and afford, that’s what we want continue here, as will a popular to do. We’re opening this for the entire Saturday story - community,” telling program Maddon said at the for children. The new home of the Hazleton Integration crowded Educators will also Project and Hazleton ONE December 2012 offer Spanish Community Center press conference courses for resi - where he shared dents, educators the stage with the and other profes - former first sionals and will baseman Tino involve members Martinez, who had of the immigrant played for the New community in the York Yankees and venture. Tampa Bay Devil Many municipali - Rays. ties have “This is for every - community body,” Maddon centers. An told the crowd, increasing number many of them of cities have even holding baseballs opened immigrant they hoped to get signed. “For all our brothers and welcome centers in recent years. But Hazleton ONE sisters.” is something else entirely. Sports celebrity philanthropy is often generous. But “This is not a place that is only for immigrants. And it the good causes our athletic heroes champion are is not just an open gym either. The very explicit goal rarely controversial. They tend more toward helping of this place and of this effort is clear: It is to bring children who have cancer or donating sports two currently much separated communities 3 Stories From the Field One Nation Indivisible June 2013 equipment to the poor. Racial and ethnic healing and Maddon Curry to establish the volunteer translation, expanding services for people, many of them undocu - ESL and citizenship efforts that grew into Concerned mented, do not usually make Parents. the list. That said, Maddon has faced what Bob Curry charac - “This is following our dream,” terizes as “only some minor Sosa said of HIP’s efforts. “We complaints” in his public quest are starting with the children for unity in his fractured because you know, children do hometown. not have prejudice. They are going to be spending time The Hazleton ONE together, playing together, Community Center is also the learning together, going to new home of Concerned each others’ houses, learning Parents, the five-year-old grass - about different cultures, how roots effort that Maddon’s different people celebrate. It is cousin Elaine Maddon Curry just a great opportunity.” founded in partnership with Eugenio Sosa (now HIP’s The children who spend time executive director) and Ignacio at Hazleton ONE Community Beato, now a city councilor. It Center, Sosa said, will end up offers English and citizenship bringing their parents along classes, homework help for Two boys hope to get baseballs signed during a “on this journey…sharing that children and guidance through press conference about the Hazleton Integration space and over time these the citizenship application Project perceptions will be gone. We process. It also offers transla - know it may be a longer tion services for parents attending process with some of the meetings with teachers and school adults, but with the children, it happens officials.