Latinos aren't just underrepresented in politics. In the affluent college town of Corvallis, new Spanish-speaking immigrants didn't feel welcome at the gym and in parks and recreation classes. So one Latina leader started a class to encourage more working moms like herself to exercise while having fun and dancing to their native beats.
When you think Zumba, perhaps you picture middle-aged white women, the Jazzercise set at expensive athletic clubs.
But here in Southtown Corvallis, Zumba classes convene in an elementary school gym. Most of the participants are young Latina moms, with kids in tow. It's one of the only exercise classes in town that's taught in Spanish.
Fabiola Sandoval Morado, who came to the U.S, from Mexico when she was two, teaches the bilingual classes. She discovered Zumba two years ago, through Casa Latinos Unidos of Benton County. The non-profit got a grant to teach Zumba to the community's emerging leaders.
"Exercising wasn't something I grew up with," Sandoval Morado says. "Exercising was something single women do to become attractive, and to get a mate, and become mothers. So once you become a mother, why do you need exercise?"
Certifying as a Zumba instructor dovetailed nicely with Sandoval Morado's full-time job at the health department in chronic disease prevention.
"You can either take a pill for your diabetes, or you can exercise everyday for diabetes," she says. "What would you like to do?"
In Oregon and nationwide, obesity and diabetes disproportionally affect Latinos. About 10 percent of Latinos have diabetes, twice the rate of Caucasian Americans.
"And so when patients say, 'Okay, I'd like to do some kind of physical activity but I don't have the resources for it, boom, boom, boom, here's Fabiola, who says, 'Oh, did you know parks and recreation has a family assistance program?'"
This scholarship covers the $50 class for those who qualify for federal and state programs such as food stamps and OHP Healthy Kids.
Sandoval Morado has worked to identify other barriers to Latino participation in parks and rec programs. Things like language, lack of transportation – and childcare is such a barrier for people coming to classes.
"It is," says Isela Arevalo, a parks and rec program coordinator. "But here we have the playground. Kids can go outside. And the older kids, some of them just join in and do Zumba."
After taking the class herself, Arevalo munches on a whole cucumber for hydration.
The dancers are as diverse as they music they jive to.
Most of the women come from Mexico. But June Shim joined the class after recently moving here from Korea. "Yeah, I just understand English," she says. "No understand Spanish."
College student Maria Weinstein, signed up for the class with her mother, Ann.
"This is the first class I've ever taken with my mom," she says. "So it's pretty cool. And it's Zumba -- I was pretty surprised to be honest."
The Zumba class is about more than exercise. Sandoval Morado serves as a role model for Weinstein and the other younger girls in the class. She's educated, physically fit and balances motherhood with her career.
"Young kids, especially the daughters of the moms come up to me and say, "This is great. This is so much fun. Now my mom and I dance at home.'"
Currently, Zumba is the only bilingual Corvallis Parks and Rec class. Sandoval Morado hopes to inspire others to start classes of their own.
"If you want to teach something: jump-rope, knitting, crocheting, Zumba, aqua-aerobics, whatever -- and you speak both languages -- please submit a proposal for us."
Copyrigth 2012 KLCC
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