(On July 8, over 100 people assembled at Holy Trinity Episcopalian Church to attend Open Space Dialogue on refugee problems. The event was reported by Lorraine Ahearn in the Sunday July 11, 2010 News-Record, “Ministers: Community responsible for refugees.”)
• Culture and the pursuit of daily needs are one and the same thing
• Recognize language as a repository of cultural values
• Train newcomers to run the facility
• Have them build and refurbish it
PART OF OUR LIVELY discussion about a newcomers’ welcome center included my advocacy for the inclusion of cultural facilities. But why consider it when there are more pressing concerns such as housing, health services, employment and English language skills? If there are some 100+ ethnic groups represented by refugees, surely I could not be in favor of over 100 dedicated spaces for each group? was the kind of question I heard. And doesn't my advocacy for the inclusion of culture fly in the face of my criticism of the current refugee system that struggles to provide essential refugee needs?
These questions assume culture and the basic necessities of life represent incompatible ends both of which must consume scarce resources. Framed this way in a real or mental budget and culture always loses to the arguments for fiscal responsibility. But what if this approach is deeply flawed? What if
culture and the pursuit of daily life, employment, shelter, and food are one and the same? Among the many ways of life represented by newcomers, some still recall when farming, their homes, and the gathering of food and preparation of meals were deep expressions of values, traditions, and ideas we recognize as
culture. Only in industrialized societies like ours are these relationships distorted and culture pooh-poohed as an extraneous cost.
For some newcomers, the shock of Americanism is the disturbing breakdown between life and culture and the ugliness that results. That's why we have to explain to non-Western newcomers the concept of
healthy food. (For those who have done so, it is hard not to be embarrassed.) That's why we have to explain to them, for the nth time as we hurry along to our next appointment, that
time is money.
Our circle believes Greensboro is enriched by the presence of newcomers. So let's “walk the walk”. Let's not believe that cultural enrichment merely consists of a few traditional dances, a celebration day, a meal at an ethnic restaurant — add-ons and frills that we enjoy as time and money permit.
Wade Davis, an amazing anthropologist, reminds us that
people not like us are not failed attempts to be us. Culture is all about how people face problems in unique circumstances and solve them. As several mentioned, the welcome center is a two-way street or a
formal site for marking the daily exchange of precious gifts from people from many cultures (over 100!) to us, and from us to them.
M.I. Finley revealed in his analysis of the bedrock of Western civilization, early Greek society, that it was grounded in — get this —
gift giving and receiving.
We get 100 gifts, they get 1. Who's ahead?
A newcomers’ welcome center supposes we will do better delivering services than the hodge-podge of agencies at work now. That is, by rationalizing a system that imperfectly expends capital, we will create a more perfect system. Indeed, we will. Without the inclusion of an active cultural force, we will impose a more perfect expression of our values — one that divides the needs of people from their beliefs, traditions, and history.
When Eugene Pierce spoke in Montagnard at Thursday's closing, he vividly demonstrated
language as an expression of culture. It isn't just for learning how to apply for food stamps at the DSS or how to fill out a job application. For many newcomers who arrive with a box or two of material possessions, language is the most important cultural expression they retain. It is a repository for cultural values. During the group discussion about the welcome center, Brian Boggs whispered to me a solution to bridging the divide— why not use
the center to train refugees to assume administrative and other posts, eventually running the show on their own? A brilliant idea! What a great training ground for employment! Then Valerie Coll whispered, Why not
let the refugees build the facility? Another brilliant idea.
Innovation and imagination abound in the Piedmont. But they are meaningless whispers unless we use them. Eugene is broadcasting for all those who might listen the true emotional distance that separates newcomers from full participation in their new land. Brian and Valerie are suggesting ways to bridge that gap. Bryan and Valerie are employment specialists. Eugene is MDA's super volunteer and is married to Kwol, a Koho woman.
Let's listen to their insights.
Photos from top to bottom: Green Hill Center for NC Art displaying the traditional weaving of Ju Nie in its prestigious Winter Show; UNCG’s 2009 summer show featuring artist Darren O’Donnell and the Montagnard community as honorary guests and participants; a multicultural English lesson on loom technology; Chram’s memory drawing of his homeland ; African and Asian refugee stitchers at Caldcleugh Multicultural Center; the Children’s Museum kitchen, which featured a tasty meal prepared by Montagnards Thomas Eban and Ju Nie for museum visitors; refugees share their farm expertise with Urban Harvest by working side by side; Karen dancers at the 2010 World Refugee Day.
