Look for the middle ground
Phil Dillon/Emporia
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
OVER THE PAST three weeks or so, there has been much discussion in Emporia concerning the possibility of the city becoming a refugee resettlement center. Along with this possibility has come a great deal of concern. Some of the dialogue has been heated. On one side there are some who have used this possibility as an opportunity to express their fear or hatred. They have labeled the Somali community with a broad brush based on that fear and misunderstanding. On the other side there are some who decry every concern raised as a certain sign of racism.
Neither of these two poles represents the views of the vast majority of Emporians. There is a middle ground I believe we need to tread if harmony is to prevail. I write, not as a city leader, but as an average Emporian. I believe I have a good sense of what the community pulse is. Like the overwhelming majority of Emporians I harbor no ill will toward the Somali people. Like many Emporians, I am a first-generation American. My mother was born in a small fishing village on the island of Newfoundland, in the Canadian Maritimes. She came to America with a third-grade education, married my father, and settled in to American family life. When my father died prematurely, she was left with three children to support. With little education, she made the determination that this country was a good and noble place. She taught us the value of hard work, education, and loyalty to the tried and true principles of American life. She refused to give in to the circumstances she faced and we overcame. I take a measure of pride in the fact that my brother, sister and I have realized a small part of the American dream. We’ve succeeded far beyond the expectations of many experts and social scientists. We’ve passed that on to our children and they are passing on to theirs. That’s the American way. I want to assure you that my story is not uncommon in Emporia. That story extends to life-long Emporians and it extends to newcomers. It extends to Anglos and it extends to Hispanics. Our hope is that it will also extend to the Somali community. If that’s the case, then, why is so much concerned being voiced from the community?
One of Emporia ’s current realities is our extremely high poverty rates. Because of this there is great concern being expressed by those on the lower ends of our economic ladder about jobs or how families are going to be able to get by on limited incomes. In addition, there is concern about the impact a large influx of refugees will have on city services, medical care, etc. It would be easy to dismiss the concerns by calling those who express them racists, but this is not the case. It’s an economic reality. One of my favorite authors is Walter Berns, professor emeritus at Georgetown University. In 2001, he wrote a remarkable treatise titled “Making Patriots.” Early on, he makes the observation that the term un-American has no counterpart anywhere in the world. That is, anywhere in the world the term is mentioned, whether in sub-Saharan Africa, India, Japan or Bangladesh, people understand its meaning. They understand that one of the great core principles of our founding was a unique belief in justice. When those principles are violated, we call that violation un-American. I believe, first of all, that our federal government is doing the Somali people an injustice. You’ve asked for refugee status and our federal response has been to send you from city to city, using unfunded mandates as the tool to shuttle you. They’ve assumed that as long as the problem has moved from their desks and attention it is solved. Like Pontius Pilate, they’ve washed their hands, claiming they’ve done all they could to help you. This, I contend, is un-American. For our government to do this to you with no clear plan or concern for you or the communities you’re being sent to is un-American. It flies in the face of American values. The concerns extend beyond the reach of our federal government as well. There are social service agencies working on your behalf. There can be great benefit in that. But, I ask you to be cautious. Service agencies are becoming a cottage industry in America. For some that means fostering perpetual dependence so that the organization can grow and expand at the expense of those they claim to support. This, also, is un-American. America is a land of great opportunity. It was not built on the idea that men and women should be kept in a dependent state. It was built on the idea that, while there are services available to all, there are responsibilities we all have to become productive and self-sustaining members of society. The concerns also extend to your employment. Our hope is that the dreams many of us have realized because of America ’s goodness will also become realities for you. But, your dreams will never become realities as long as you’re being used as a low-cost tool for a large corporation to profit. We don’t believe that your future lies in passing a legacy of economic serfdom and back-breaking labor from generation to generation while corporate profits strengthen. This is un-American. Our hope for you is that you will soon assimilate to American life. We hope that some day soon we’ll see you joining us in our festivals and celebrations. We hope that on warm summer nights as we pass one another on evening walks that we’ll stop and talk about the weather or the latest news or our different customs or how our kids are doing in school. That is the American way. I think these are good things for us to set our collective sights on. But unfortunately, they will never become realities as long as polar extremes on both sides of this important issue insist on playing the race card. We must work together to find the answers to the legitimate problems we face. They’re very real, but they’re not insurmountable. Faith and common sense can prevail. We can, together, find the way.
Phil Dillon, who is retired, was a candidate for Emporia City Commission in the past election.
• To post comments about this story, go to the Refugee Resettlement forum at http://www.emporiagazette.com/forums/open/News/15/