More than 2 million refugees have arrived in the United States since the Refugee Act of 1980 was established, driven from their homelands by war, political change, and social, religious and ethnic oppression…In medium-sized and smaller metropolitan areas, refugees can have considerable impact on the local population…The leading refugee destination metro areas have shifted away from traditional immigrant gateways over the past two decades, while newer gateways are resettling proportionally more refugees.
-Brooking Institution Report (2006)
The North Salina Street Corridor is a destination for immigrants coming to Syracuse.
In 2012, The Onondaga Citizens League explored the refugee experience in Central New York. A summary of the results were published in a report called The World at our Doorstep. Some of the great recommendations included creating a Refugee Resource Center, developing a World Market Square/Village and convening a Refugee Health Task Force.
Here are a few more points we should consider for new citizens (coming from the other side of the world or from across the country)
- Let them be themselves
- Identify and magnify their strengths
- Let them know what is going on
- Make them proud to be here
- Don’t hinder them with obtuse rules
- Give them meaningful work
Earlier this week at a public meeting, SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor called Syracuse a “city of opportunity.”
Welcome to a new kind of Syracuse story.