Three-year anniversary of the Hispanic Nashville Notebook

The Hispanic Nashville Notebook celebrates its three-year anniversary on October 21, 2006. Over the course of three years, the Hispanic community in Nashville has flourished, with the birth of a number of new Hispanic organizations - including a new Chamber of Commerce, a Health Coalition, a Real Estate Professionals group, two Spanish conversation clubs, a PAC and a Hispanic Democrats group, and an Argentine Tango club, to name only a few. Furthermore, Hispanic individuals have attained positions of leadership in the community, including the elected position of President of the Nashville Bar Association. From families with deep roots in the U.S. to newly naturalized citizens, Hispanics in Nashville have had a lot for the English-speaking media to report. The Hispanic Nashville Notebook has highlighted those stories and collected many of them in one place - here, at HispanicNashville.com.

Some themes have repeated themselves over the past three years. Among the stories published on the Hispanic Nashville Notebook's first day in 2003 were "Memphis Muslim leader Dr. Nabil Bayakly's immigration deportation hearing is Monday, October 27, in Memphis," "Samuel Francis laments mass immigration and blames it for forcing whites out of communities," and "Conexion Americas wins Best New Entrepreneurial Venture in Nashville Scene's Best of Nashville 2003 awards" (all available here). We still have stories of heartbreaking deportation threats (story of Claudia Nunez, here), Conexion Americas winning another Best of Nashville mention (story here), and the tragic pitting of whites against immigrants and Hispanics (story here).

As we become the "truly diverse city" that Reginald Stuart prophesied of Nashville in 2000 in Nashville, an American Self-Portrait, we must continue to ask ourselves, "Can we do it right?" The answer so far is that Hispanics in Nashville are facing their opportunities and struggles with a sense of dignity and a spirit of community. That is the story of the past three years.

The following are excerpts of e-mails received from Hispanic Nashville Notebook readers since its debut:

"Thanks for making such a great resource available to all of us."
Gabriela "Gabi" Castillo
Executive Assistant
Mayor Bill Purcell

"For many months now I have been following the news on hispanicnashville.com and I find it the most elaborate resource of information in English concerning Hispanic community in Nashville and in the US. Truly a great website."
Inga Chamberlain
Solo Nashville, Channel 42 - Telefutura

"I was glad to run into your page while surfing the net. I would not know where else could anyone get a comprehensive view of the affairs of our emergent Hispanic community. With HispanicNashville, you have helped all of us latinos cross the language barrier."
Yuri Cunza
La Noticia

"John Lamb maintains an excellent web site relating to all the latest news concerning Hispanics in TN (and beyond). John does an amazing job compiling all the latest news items."
Gregg Ramos
North, Pursell, Ramos & Jameson PLC

"I happened upon your website and am enjoying it immensely. What service to
the community."
Janice Snow Rodriguez
Tennessee Foreign Language Institute

"Great website!"
Renata Soto
Conexion Americas

"This is a great website. Thank you very much for sharing it with me."
Maitane Z. Tidwell
Inclusive Communications