When a book called “They Came to Stay” was released in 1971, it told the story of early settlers in Longmont, but the book wasn’t a complete portrait of the area’s rich history.
“They didn’t give a lot of attention to the Latino community, who were already here,” said Donna Lovato, executive director of El Comité de Longmont.
A group of about 20 people who formed the Longmont Hispanic Study in the 1980s wanted to change that. They set out to tell the stories of Longmont’s Latino community.
Now, a revised and expanded edition of their work and the stories of those whose voices hadn’t been heard is available in a new version of the book “We, Too, Came To Stay: A History of the Longmont Hispanic Community.”
The new edition of the book was shared Thursday evening at the Longmont Museum during a book signing event.
“I think it should encourage people, I don’t care what race they’re from, to share their stories with their family. I hope that’s what people get out of it,” Lovato said.
Lovato, who helped to edit the new version, signed copies of the book, alongside Marjorie McIntosh, an editorial assistant in the project.
McIntosh said a preliminary version of the book was first released in 1988 but that only about 50 copies were available. The original book featured nine stories of local residents, as well as an overview of Spanish-Mexican history. Helping to secure grants, organize the research, as well as write and edit the book was ‘Oli’ Olivas Duncan. Duncan, a high school English teacher, and those in the Longmont Hispanic Study worked tirelessly to capture the stories of residents.
Before Duncan died in 2013, she passed along all of her research to El Comité, including 600 photographs and stories from more interviews. Lovato and McIntosh said they wanted all of that work to be shared.
The new edition is 137 pages and includes a reproduced version of the original content, including the nine stories of local community members and touched-up photos. The expanded version contains six additional stories.
Lovato said the book served as a response to “They Came to Stay.” The book highlights the contributions, triumphs, sacrifices and struggles of the Latino community in Longmont, including their work in fields and mines, as well as what their daily lives were like.
McIntosh is a retired University of Colorado Boulder teacher who was also involved in the Boulder County Latino History Project.
In the summer of 2013, McIntosh spent time talking with Duncan about her work on the book, before Duncan died in the fall.
“She was just wonderful,” McIntosh said. “She taught me so much.”
McIntosh said the new edition of the book supplements the stories of the original edition by diving deeper into the generations of families who called Longmont home, as well as telling more recent stories from 2009.
“I hope people will take away from the book a stronger appreciation for the fact that Latinos have been an essential part of Longmont’s history, starting in the 1910s,” McIntosh said. “A history that does not include their experiences, their contributions, their struggles, that’s not a complete history.”
Addressing the crowd of roughly 100 people who gathered Thursday at the museum, Carmen Ramirez, Longmont Community and Neighborhood Resources manager, emphasized how important it is that the stories captured in the book be remembered, celebrated and shared.
“When people come to our offices and share their stories of success; their stories of struggle; their stories of resiliency; we hear about injustices,” Ramirez said. “We hear all these stories and yet, sometimes those stories aren’t visible to the larger community. That was part of the reason ‘We, Too, Came to Stay,’ started.”
The book was available for purchase during the release event Thursday. Hard copies were $25, and paperback copies were $15. Those who want to buy the book can also pick up a copy at El Comité’s office, 455 Kimbark St. Proceeds from the book will help to support El Comité de Longmont, a nonprofit that facilitates communication, understanding and education for Latino and non-Latino community members. To learn more about the nonprofit, visit elcomitelongmont.org.
“Why are those stories important?” Ramirez said. “Because those stories are part of our community.”
