We’re not gatekeepers or community guardians. But as long as the usual storytellers rehash the same old stories, nothing will change.
FOR SOME well meaning souls, the Montagnard community is our area’s favorite exotic people. Sometimes they learn about them through past News and Record stories, sometimes they stumble on Web articles. One West Coast writer approached us through a mutual friend and through a haze of misunderstanding and miscalculation we managed to avoid one another. With local food all the rage, there’s a strong temptation to develop trendy foodie angles — something we’ve sought to avoid, even through our work at the Farmer’s Curb Market.
In 2014 it’s almost embarrassing to point out the persistent gulf between what general readers want to hear or read versus the reality refugees face. Growing up I heard the word “exotic” applied to Asian culture (I am Chinese-American) and it made me cringe. Ultimately exoticism is a form of entertainment enjoyed by an audience safely shielded from the harsher realities of newcomer life by a wide water that’s been unbridged for decades.
Here’s one answer to a writer:
FOR SOME well meaning souls, the Montagnard community is our area’s favorite exotic people. Sometimes they learn about them through past News and Record stories, sometimes they stumble on Web articles. One West Coast writer approached us through a mutual friend and through a haze of misunderstanding and miscalculation we managed to avoid one another. With local food all the rage, there’s a strong temptation to develop trendy foodie angles — something we’ve sought to avoid, even through our work at the Farmer’s Curb Market.
In 2014 it’s almost embarrassing to point out the persistent gulf between what general readers want to hear or read versus the reality refugees face. Growing up I heard the word “exotic” applied to Asian culture (I am Chinese-American) and it made me cringe. Ultimately exoticism is a form of entertainment enjoyed by an audience safely shielded from the harsher realities of newcomer life by a wide water that’s been unbridged for decades.
Here’s one answer to a writer:
(Yours) is a very nice magazine and we are always interested in promoting the lives of refugee newcomers (we work with several communities). We're hoping that you'll be interested in developing an angle that goes beyond the usual Martha Stewart approach. In fact, in our work with Moses Cone and health researchers, we present the dominant view (ie, our view) of most newcomers' backyard gardens as being exactly that [fashionable, trendy] rather than as an essential part of their traditional life and a source of fresh, healthy veggies in a bad economy rich in cheap, bad foods.Is it too much to say that I never heard back? to a writer: s one answer to a writer: The notion of giving voices to community members
It is hard, too, to avoid a certain harsh reality. We are nearing the 30-year mark of Montagnard resettlement in our region yet there are obvious signs that the community has struggled. Apart from the difficulties all refugees face, some of the obstacles were imposed by us and continue to be, with little give on our part.
One of the most interesting aspects of our work is the identification of all the plants and veggies our refugee friends know about — things they grow here and grew back home, plants they used for making musical instruments, dyes, and building materials, as well as eating. We also like talking to people about folk remedies and beliefs. This info is critical to understanding health and nutrition of families today.
I hope this bit hasn't discouraged you. I reread a summary of Montagnard resettlement executed some 5 months after their arrival in NC. One of the quotes cited a US military officer who worked among them during the war. He characterized them as the happiest people he had ever met. In many ways their joy and openness continues despite the hardness of their lives and suffering since their arrival. The college kids we work with today are learning how to speak up and stand up for their community, which is a big deal. I think we can give a decent context to the Montagnard community as they exist within our larger community; community members themselves are the experts and can say quite a bit.
