Disciple: A Bridge Between Past and Future

An Interview with Dr. Juan Carabaña

By Christine McTaggart

Dr. Juan Carabaña, Ph.D, is a native of Spain, a molecular biologist by training and a longtime member and current senior warden of El Buen Pastor, Durham.

But for the next year, he is turning his attention to the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry (EFwM), where he was recently hired as the interim executive director following the retirement of the Rev. Tony Rojas from that role. It is an important milestone in the history of EFwM, as it represents the achievement of the first goal set for the Harvest for Hospitality campaign: namely, the hiring of an interim executive director to begin the process of assessing the ministry to determine how its efforts can be maximized and sustained, and to start the development of a strategy to engage with farmworkers of every kind—migrant and resident, manager and owner—and to engage the people of North Carolina, too.

Accepting this position represents quite a change for you. What was behind your decision?
What I really love is helping people—that’s what it is. [In my work] trying to help the Latino population who come here through the churches, many of them don’t know what they have in this country. They don’t know. Because they don’t speak the language, they don’t understand the rules—they don’t know that they have a full, whole new life.

What barriers keep them from knowing?
It’s two things. Language is one of them, that’s for sure. The other is a cultural misunderstanding. The American and Latino cultures are different, and the American people look at a Latino with [eyes influenced by] their American background, and they don’t understand many things. And it’s the same going the other way—the Latino people are looking at the American population and culture from the Latino point of view. And so sometimes it’s difficult to understand one another or even that the cultural influence is there.

What would you say is one of the most common cultural misunderstandings?
One very big misunderstanding I see is that in Latino culture, the approach to raising kids is very family- and society-oriented. Kids are not raised by parents alone; the rest of society is [helping] raise that kid.

It takes a village.
It takes a village. It’s not really the same here; here it’s kind of a thing from the past. Envision a nostalgic small village in the past, where your grandmother and other relatives were living and everyone in the village had a hand in raising that kid. In the Latino culture, that’s still there. So when they come here they still think the village will actively take care of the kid at some point. They expect that.

You’re very involved with your church; as the senior warden at El Buen Pastor, you have worked trying to bridge cultural gaps and help each side understand the other. How do you go about starting to build that bridge?
My approach is about raising the leadership of the Latino population. In general, because those from a Latino culture don’t like to be in the spotlight, they tend not to pursue leadership roles and instead stay in the background. [The spotlight] is for politicians and those looking to gain something from someone. To take center stage and reveal too much, it’s considered a dirty business. Except entertainers and movie stars – they’re the same as here.
It’s not that the Latino people are too humble; they just don’t want to shine a light on themselves. And so the approach is trying to show them that it’s okay here. You came here to be whoever you want to be. So go ahead and be that.

So the approach is helping to teach them that trying to move forward is not necessarily seeking the spotlight or oversharing, it’s just taking advantage of opportunity.
Exactly. It’s moving forward. It’s about showing them that, look, these are the opportunities you have. You can do more. You can apply for these chances, you can search for a better future. You can use the resources of the
community.

Were you involved with the farmworkers prior to becoming the interim executive director of EFwM, or did this position come about because of all the wonderful work you’ve done with the Latino community through your church?
I think it’s the second thing. [As far as] my relationship with the farmworkers, I am the director of our youth group. For years, I’ve taken youth groups to the ministry, to the camps and to help with the festival, and that’s how I got involved and got to know their mission, which is wonderful.

Farmworkers are in a slightly different situation than the Latino community with whom you’ve worked. How does your message of “it’s okay to want to reach for more” translate for them? How will the bridge building [across cultural differences] begin?
One thing about the farmworkers that I see, they are a happy people. They are working, what, 15 hours a day, and when they return home, they are still smiling.

That attitude isn’t just overcoming the physical endurance. It’s the fact the work is day after day, even year after year in some cases. The money they earn doesn’t let them build something up; it’s just their way of living. [It’s one] reason I think we have to provide them with the basic necessities, but it can’t be a charity-only thing. The farmworkers need to know where they are and aspire for more.

In your role as interim executive director, you are building the bridge between past and future leadership. What hopes do you carry with you into the task?
The “dream” dream would be that any laborer who comes here and does the work is paid fairly, but that’s getting into politics and I don’t want to go there. So providing farmworkers a decent place to stay with basic comforts like an air conditioner would be one thing.

Another would be [seeing each of them] respected as a person and able to have a dream. Let them decide whether they stay in the business or for how long they stay, and not live in miserable conditions with no expectations or hope for something better.

That’s the “dream” dream: that all farmworkers eventually have a place with some basic human comforts.

And after that?
Spread the word so everybody knows [about their situation] and can decide what to do so farmworkers have better conditions and know they have something else to wake up to every day. Those two things—that’s it. That’s the dream! [Laughs.]

How long are you going to be in the position?
I have one year.

What do you see as key to the transition moving forward?
What Father Tony [the Rev. Tony Rojas] has built here is wonderful. But as with many things, it’s become bigger than one person. Expansion needs more people on the ground. This is not a one-person ministry. That’s the critical point now. Father Tony is so sweet and so nice, and he’ll still stay on as sacramental minister. Maria [Acosta, immigration specialist] and Silvia [Cendejas, assistant director] are wonderful —they know everything about the place. Everyone else is a volunteer.

What is one thing you want the American audience to know about farmworkers?
When our kids go to the ministry, some of them are startled when they get there and very moved by the time they leave. I don’t think it’s because they see only the poor conditions, but that there are people living in those
conditions. They’re seeing conditions they’d expect to see in poor countries, and they say wow, this is here in America, and I didn’t know.

To raise awareness is more than enough. I don’t want to make anyone feel bad or embarrassed for [not knowing]; I want them to feel empowered for knowing. That is the message. For people to see and say, I didn’t know, but I do now. So what can I do? And it’s up to us to have possibilities ready for those who ask the question.

What would you like to see from people?
It’s not just money—although we do need the money! Start sharing ideas. Do something. Think about new ways to solve this and find the “win-win” solution. There is enough bounty here to share. I will ask for brainstorming from the people and gladly hear their ideas. And, of course, [I’ll ask for] the money, too! [Laughs.]