When Marie Thompson moved to Vicksburg four years ago, she thought she may be one of few Hispanics living in or around the city. &#8220I thought, ‘This is the smallest population I’ve ever seen,’” she said. Local grocery stores didn’t carry the food she was used to eating, and she didn’t have a community in which to share her heritage.

But, now, like many places in the Southeast, Vicksburg is serving an influx of Hispanics, and Thompson, who grew up in Dallas and is of Mexican, Peruvian and Spanish descent, is making it her duty to help the city accommodate them.

After bringing the need for communication between the city and the Hispanic community to the attention of Mayor Laurence Leyens, Thompson helped start a project called the Hispanic Task Force, which was developed to bring education to the Hispanic population.

&#8220This city is so culture-oriented. We need to encompass the cultures and have diversity inside the city,” she said. &#8220This city needs to honor the diversity as it grows and combine both (Southern and Hispanic cultures).”

According to census information gathered by city projects manager Christy Kilroy, the estimated Hispanic population for Warren County in 2005, living within 30 miles of Pemberton Square, was 303 households. But, because many are not citizens, the numbers may not a true reflection of the population.

&#8220When we sat down with this group, they guessed the minimum was 2,500 and others guessed there are as many as 5,000,” said Kilroy, the city representative on the committee. The U.S. Census Bureau in 2000 reported a Hispanic population of fewer than 500 people in the same area.

A Census Bureau report said Hispanics accounted for half the 2.9 million U.S. population growth from 2003 to 2004. The agency estimated 41.3 million Hispanics in the United States. The bureau doesn’t ask about legal status, so its numbers are intended to include everyone.

The Hispanic Task Force has met about seven times to discuss how to bridge the gap between the city and the Hispanic community.

The group, which includes representatives from the Vicksburg Police Department, business owners, educators and members of nonprofit organizations, has decided to focus on education as its first goal.

&#8220If we target education, it will help with allowing them to do other civic activities,” Thompson said. &#8220They will be able to function, and it will help parents be more involved. This is about making them have a better quality of life.”

Thompson said a concern she has about the growing community is that Hispanics will lose their culture and forget who they are.

&#8220It’s easy to get lost,” she said. &#8220I tell them, ‘You need to remember who you are, why you came here and honor your family.’”.

Thompson said she hopes the task force will be a vehicle to make services for Hispanics more accessible. Eventually, she and other members of the task force would like to offer classes in English as a second language, or ESL. She also hopes the city eventually will have a cultural center devoted to offering books and videos in Spanish in addition to other elements that will help Hispanics experience a &#8220normal life” here in Vicksburg, she said.

At a meeting Jan. 12, she addressed members of the task force about the possibility of using a six-book course that has been approved by Hinds Community College’s Mississippi Workforce Development program. The next step is for the committee to decide where the classes will take place, find teachers and get the word out.

In order to apply for grants necessary to fund the program, the task force is looking at ways to have another local, nonprofit organization sponsor it until the Hispanic group can obtain its own nonprofit status.

While educating the Hispanic community is key to developing better accommodations in Vicksburg, opening the eyes of native English-speakers is also a goal of the task force.

&#8220The more we educate ourselves, the better it will be for the city,” Thompson said.

Kilroy agrees. &#8220I think it’s a really good opportunity for Vicksburg to learn about other countries,” she said. &#8220We’ve always been proud of our culture. We need to really open our eyes and do what we can” to help the Hispanic community.