Marta Miranda
Assistant Professor of Anthropology/Sociology and Social Work and Director of Women Studies

As a social work professor, what do you want most to instill in your students?
The value of critical thinking and personal and professional ethics is an overarching theme in my classes since practice classes and most of the time our profession faces many ethical dilemmas and our personal world view gets constantly challenged, which I believe is a good thing. In addition, as social workers we are committed to social justice and must look at the systems both culturally and institutionally that create, maintain or support oppression. My passion and life’s work is and has been doing advocacy, community organizing and organizational development promoting social and economic justice. I instill in my students that they must respect and work with people that they do not agree with and do not think or believe as they do. This is difficult but crucial. "If you are only talking to people who agree with you, that is a potluck not a revolution." Working for social change demands personal and professional revolutionary acts. Another major part of my teaching is personal and organizational wellness. It is impossible to do our jobs without taking care of ourselves in a holistic manner.

How did you come to write about Mexican Immigration in the U.S.?
I worked with the University of Miami Cuban and Haitian refugee resettlement program and have been an advocate for immigration rights and reforms for the last 25 years. I knew nothing about Mexican culture until I moved to Kentucky. The recent settlement of undocumented workers in the south challenged me to learn about this population. I became an organizer and then the director of the Hispanic Initiative Network, a three-year grant that assisted new arrivals. I worked with Dr. Brian Rich from Transylvania University and we engaged in a five-year community research project which resulted in the book chapter.

What are some of the major challenges faced by Hispanics in Central Kentucky?
Hispanic/Latinos in Kentucky are the economic backbone of this state. They are doing the jobs that no one can or wants to do. On the other hand, they have no institutional support, are denied driver's licenses, work visas, and access to education. The challenge is for the dominant community, particularly employers, to offer support for this labor force. The children of this generation will be the ones taking care of the rest of us in 20 years so we must invest in their futures. It is not just the just thing to do. It is crucial to our future.

Like all immigrants, this population needs assistance in finding their place in the fabric of our state and adding their colors and textures to our very rich rural heritage. The typical Mexican immigrant in the south comes from a rural area and shares values with our Appalachian heritage.

What can be done to better assimilate Hispanics into Central Kentucky communities?
I do not propose assimilation – that is the old paradigm, the melting pot. Most Americans today do not know their history, culture or language. We want acculturation; the new paradigm is the salad bowl – everyone gets to keep their culture and adds it to an equally rich mix of other cultures. The assistance needed is immigration reform, access to education and cultural sensitivity and celebration of the diversity and richness that immigrants bring to our state.

What do you enjoy most about teaching at EKU?
I love the students. I love the social work program. I am very hands-on; I believe in interactive and challenging classroom environments. Although difficult and time consuming, it builds very real relationships with students. Watching our students grow from student to professionals and their light bulbs turn on when they begin to get excited about critical thinking and applying theory to practice – now that is great and it makes all the hard work, struggles with the bureaucracies and long nights of grading worth it.

In addition, I am an immigrant. I arrived as a political refugee in 1966 at age 12. Our family was placed with a sponsored family in New Jersey. I am from a rural area of Cuba, Pinar del Rio. I never felt at home in this country until I found Kentucky 15 years ago. I bought a log cabin in Mt. Vernon and knew I was home. So, what I love the most about EKU is that my students are from Appalachia – that I get to remind them of how rich and proud their heritage is and that I learn so much about them and myself as I build relationships with them. I identify myself as Cubalachian, Cuban by birth and Appalachian by the Grace of God.