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The Hispanic Population of Rural Central Louisiana and Their Traditions By William F. Manger Agricultural Sector
Non-Agricultural Employment Several corporations in Central Louisiana employ Mexican American and Hispanic workers from Latin America to work in their factories. The Ameri-Tech Corporation in Leesville, for example, hires 41 Hispanic workers (out of a total of 200 employees) to produce temporary and permanent structures for commercial, industrial, and residential uses. According to Katie Struthers, who works in payroll, most Hispanic workers are of Mexican origin and come from all over Mexico. In addition, several other Hispanic workers come from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Cuba. Several workers are also Mexican Americans who commute to Leesville during the week from Center, Texas, where the company owns another plant. Ms. Struthers stated that the company does not actively seek migrant workers, but that they come by word-of-mouth.
The Allen Canning Company, located in the town of Hessmer, hires between 40 to 70 Hispanic laborers to work in their factory to make cans for the sweet potato industry and other products.
According to Robert Herchak, the plant manager, the company began hiring Hispanic workers in the late 1990s due to the difficulty of retaining local workers. Unlike the sweet potato farms, however, most of the company's workers are Mexican Americans who come from various U.S. border towns, including Laredo and Eagle Pass, Texas. An outside firm is subcontracted to take care of recruiting and visa paperwork. Workers are then housed in several structures located on the company's property.
Forestry has historically been an important industry in all areas of northern Louisiana and now attracts a number of Hispanic workers. Angel Rodriguez, for example, first came to Louisiana 17 years ago to work for an oil company. He later followed his brothers to Winnfield where they worked for a local lumber mill. Today, 10 Mexican families, with a total population of 30 to 40 people live in Winnfield and work in the lumber industry. According to Angel, the families all come from the town of Celaya, Mexico, in the state of Guanajuato. Father Pedro Sierra, the director of the Hispanic Apostolate, for the Diocese of Alexandria, drives to Winnfield each Sunday to say mass for the community at Our Lady of Lourdes. To the west, in the town of Coushatta, 15 to 20 Mexican workers are brought in each January and February to plant pine saplings for a local lumber company.
Father Jamie Medina-Cruz of St. Anthony's Catholic Church says a mass each Sunday at noon in an attempt to accommodate the busy schedule of the 40 to 50 restaurant workers in Natchitoches. The Hispanic communities of Alexandria/Pineville and Leesville stand out from other surrounding communities. The Hispanic populations of those towns are much more diverse and come from a greater variety of Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Moreover, the population includes a larger number of professionals, doctors, nurses and teachers. As a result, Father Pedro Sierra noted that Hispanics of Mexican origin may not be the majority at St. Rita's church where he says mass for the Hispanic community of Alexandria/Pineville each Sunday. The diverse Hispanic community of Leesville can be attributed to the existence of Fort Polk, where a number of Hispanic soldiers are typically stationed. Moreover, several former soldiers have retired in Leesville and now call it home. According to Angel Negron, a local retiree, as many as 80 Hispanics attend mass each Sunday at St. Michael's and about half are from the military. He went on to note that the Hispanic community of Leesville was more active in the past, but many of the Hispanic soldiers stationed at Fort Polk have more recently shipped off to Iraq.
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