As I wrote in my last blog, I intend to focus more on hopeful stories than the negative. (While still keeping informed on everything, including the negative, difficult to ignore when inundated by the media.)
Let's travel to St. Louis, MO. In the 1840's there were brawls when the Germans were against the Irish immigrants. It happened again with the newly arrived Italians. In the late 20th century there was tension with the influx of Hispanic and Asian immigrants.
It was the same story when the Bosnian refugees, fleeing civil war in Yugoslavia, settled in St. Louis in the 1990's. Most of them were Muslims and the citizens were fearful and resentful of these latest immigrants.
This fear and suspicion lasted for several years during which time these immigrants built their new lives. Soon they owned businesses, earned college degrees and transformed a former crime-ridden area with abandoned buildings into a thriving community in south St. Louis. Their community has lower crime and unemployment rates than among the general population. They started more businesses, are more skilled and are more likely to have an advanced degree. They are also less likely to be on welfare, food stamps or assistance from the government.
Today the mayor of St. Louis is welcoming Syrian refugees in spite of the backlash from terrorists attacks in Paris and California. So far only 29 have settled there. The 1950's census made St. Louis one of the larges cities in the United States. By 2010 the city had lost over half of its population due to the decline in manufacturing and the ensuing flight to the suburbs. The mayor knows from history that the refugees can revitalize the city.
There have been some immigrant Bosnians who supported the terrorists in Iraq and Syria, but they have been the minority. The mayor of St. Louis has a vision for a revitalized city. It happened with the Bosnian refugees and his hope is it will happen again with the Syrians fleeing war, poverty, hunger and scarce opportunities for an education.
With this attitude of a mayor who knows his history and looks toward a re-energized city, there is hope for the latest refugees pursuing refuge in our United States, a land of immigrants and a land of opportunity for all. From the beginning we have been a country of those fleeing war, religious or political persecution or those seeking for more opportunities for themselves and their children.
Way to go, St. Louis!
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