SETTLED AND WILL HAVE TO ADJUST
TO THEIR NEW LIVES.
FOR MORE ON WHAT THEY CAN EXPECT
WE TURN TO PAUL VAN AUKEN WHO
HAS WORKED EXTENSIVELY ON THIS
ISSUE.
THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
I WISH IT WAS UNDER BETTER
CIRCUMSTANCES, THOUGH.
>> LET'S START FIRST WITH THE
WORDS WE'RE USING.
THESE PEOPLE FLEEING AFGHANISTAN
ARE REFUGEES, BUT ONCE THEY'RE
SETTLED YOU PREFER TO CALL THEM
RESIDENTS WITH REFUGEE
BACKGROUND SAYING WE SHOULDN'T
BE REDUCING THEIR IDENTITY TO A
SINGLE THING.
WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU AND
YOUR TEAM?
>> THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST
THINGS THAT WE DECIDED AS WE
STARTED THIS PROJECT WORKING
WITH LOCAL RESETTLEMENT AGENCY
PARTNERS SO THAT WE COULD HELP
ESTABLISH THAT IDEA IN THE
COMMUNITY WHERE WE'RE WORKING IN
RESETTLING PEOPLE, THAT THEY ARE
NOT SOMETHING TO BE STIGMATIZED
AS FALLING INTO THIS CATEGORY,
BUT THEY ARE PEOPLE THAT WERE
FORCED TO FLEE AS REFUGEES, HAD
THAT STATUS AND HAD THAT
BACKGROUND BUT THEY ARE PEOPLE
FIRST AND FOREMOST WITH ALL
KINDS OF INTERESTING EXPERIENCES
AND STORIES TO TELL AND THINGS
TO OFFER.
>> NOW, YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS
HAVE BEEN STUDYING THESE
COMMUNITIES IN WISCONSIN FOR A
FEW YEARS.
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD BE
SURPRISED TO KNOW OSHKOSH IS ONE
OF THE LEADING PLACES FOR PEOPLE
TO RESETTLE INTO WISCONSIN.
WHY IS THAT?
>> YEAH.
THAT WAS PART OF THE BASIS FOR
THE ORIGIN OF THE WHOLE PROJECT,
SORT OF CURIOUS SITUATION WHERE
THE CITY OF OSHKOSH IS THE NINTH
BIGGEST CITY IN THE STATE, OR AT
LEAST IT WAS, I THINK IT STILL
IS.
THE CENSUS NUMBERS JUST CAME
OUT.
BUT THE SECOND LARGEST PLACE OF
RESETTLEMENT IN THE STATE, AHEAD
OF MADISON.
SO THAT'S A PRETTY INTERESTING
PHENOMENON THAT HAS ITS ROOTS IN
RESETTLEMENT OF HMONG PEOPLE IN
THE '70s.
THE FOX VALLEY WAS ONE OF THE
FIRST, FIRST FAMILIES TO COME AS
HMONG REFUGEES CAME TO THE FOX
VALLEY AND THERE WERE
ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE
INTERESTED IN SPONSORING AND
HELPING AND THINGS MOVED ON FROM
THERE TO EVENTUALLY HAVING A
RESETTLEMENT AGENCY WORLD RELIEF
BE LOCATED IN OSHKOSH.
NOW THEY HAVE OSHKOSH AND
APPLETON OFFICES, SO THAT
INFRASTRUCTURE IS THERE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S MAYBE MORE
AFFORDABLE THAN OTHER PLACES IN
THE STATE, SO YOU ADD THAT ALONG
WITH THIS HISTORY OF WELCOMING
AND RESETTLING PEOPLE SO PEOPLE
KNOW HOW TO DO IT IN THIS AREA.
AND WORD OF MOUTH MEANS A LOT
BECAUSE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
PEOPLE THAT COME AND THEY'RE
RESETTLED TO SOMEPLACE THEY
DIDN'T CHOOSE IN THE UNITED
STATES BUT THEY FOLLOWED THEIR
NETWORKS TO PLACES THAT OTHERS
IN THEIR FAMILIES OR FRIENDSHIP
CIRCLES HAVE TOLD THEM THIS IS A
GOOD PLACE TO RAISE KIDS, FIND A
JOB.
>> ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU
STUDIED AND YOU CHANGED HIS
NAME, YOU CALL HIM JAWAD, IS A
FORMER AFGHAN TRANSLATOR WHO'S
BEEN SETTLED IN WISCONSIN.
WHAT CAN HIS EXPERIENCE TELL US
ABOUT WHAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE
COMING HERE MIGHT GO THROUGH?
>> YEAH.
HE'S -- LIKE SO MANY OF THESE
PEOPLE, THEY ARE AMAZING PEOPLE,
REALLY.
RESILIENT.
I THINK ONE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT RESIDENTS WITH REFUGEE
BACKGROUNDS IS IT'S LESS THAN 1%
USUALLY OF PEOPLE THAT ARE
DISPLACED BECAUSE OF WAR AND
VIOLENCE AND PERSECUTION THAT
EVER GET RESETTLED.
THESE PEOPLE HAVE GONE THROUGH
SERIOUS TRAUMA AND A LOT OF RIG
RIGAMAROLE TO END UP BEING
PLACED IN WISCONSIN, WHEREVER
THAT MAY BE.
SO IT'S A HARD THING.
IN HIS CASE, THE REASON WE HAD
TO HIDE HIS IDENTITY, EVEN
THOUGH HE WAS SO WILLING TO TALK
TO US, SUCH A WARM PERSON.
WE WERE IN HIS HOUSE.
HE SERVED US TEA AND TREATED US
LIKE FRIENDS.
BUT IT'S THAT PEOPLE ARE
ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR HIM AND
WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM DEAD.
AND HE'S VERY, VERY WORRIED.
THIS IS A COUPLE YEARS AGO WHEN
WE ACTUALLY INTERVIEWED HIM.
SO NOW I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT
HE AND OTHERS LIKE HIM ARE GOING
THROUGH THAT ARE HERE ON SPECIAL
IMMIGRANT VISAS WHO ARE TREATED
LIKE -- PEOPLE IN THAT CATEGORY
ARE TREATED SIMILARLY TO PEOPLE
THAT COME AS REFUGEES, BUT THEY
COME BECAUSE THEY'VE GIVEN AID
TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.
HE TOLD US THEN THAT HE WAS --
EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY
THINKING ABOUT HIS FAMILY THAT
WAS NOT WITH HIM IN THE UNITED
STATES.
SO THEY'RE DEALING WITH TRAUMA
OF ALL KINDS, BUT A GUY LIKE
HIM, LIKE MANY PEOPLE THAT WE
TALK TO FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD,
HAVE EXTENSIVE EDUCATION AND
EXPERIENCE.
THEY HAVE A LOT TO OFFER.
BUT PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND
THAT THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH SO
HELLISH TRAUMA AND IT'S GOING TO
TAKE TIME TO READJUST TO LIFE
HERE.
BY THE TIME WE TALKED TO HIM
AFTER BEING HERE FIVE YEARS HE
OWNED A HOME, HAD A STEADY JOB,
HAD ENROLLED IN A FOUR-YEAR
UNIVERSITY WITH PLANS TO GET A
MASTER'S AND MAYBE EVEN A PH.D.
THAT IS NOT UNUSUAL.
THESE ARE OFTEN QUITE HIGHLY
EDUCATED PEOPLE THAT SOMETIMES
TAKE A STEP DOWN WHEN THEY COME
HERE.
THEY HAVE A LOT MORE TO OFFER IN
A LOT OF CASES THAN THE
OPPORTUNITIES THEY'RE GIVEN
PARTLY BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T
QUITE UNDERSTAND WHAT A REFUGEE
IS OR WHY PEOPLE LIKE HIM HAVE
ENDED UP IN WISCONSIN.
SO HOPEFULLY PEOPLE CAN BECOME
MORE AWARE OF THAT, ESPECIALLY
WITH THIS RELATIVE DELUGE OF
PEOPLE THAT WE MAY SOON BE
SEEING IN WISCONSIN THAT ARE
GOING TO NEED EXTRA, EXTRA HELP
AND COMPASSION AND INTEREST.
>> WE HAVE JUST A FEW SECONDS
LEFT, BUT I WANT YOU TO BRIEFLY
ANSWER, THE IDEA OF ASSIMILATION
AND AMERICA AS A MELTING POT, IS
THAT STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR PEOPLE
COMING HERE, TO STILL RETAIN
THEIR OWN IDENTITY?
>> YEAH.
I THINK ONE THING THAT'S BEEN
REALLY INTERESTING IS THAT FOR
THE MOST PART PEOPLE -- WE
INTERVIEWED AND/OR SURVEYED OVER
100 PEOPLE WITH REFUGEE
BACKGROUNDS SO FAR.
MOST OF THEM HAVE EXPRESSED
POSITIVITY ABOUT HOW THEY WERE
WELCOMED HERE, BUT PEOPLE DON'T
REALLY UNDERSTAND OUR CULTURE
AND YES TO THE QUESTION OF, YOU
KNOW, DO YOU FEEL LIKE PEOPLE
EXPECT YOU TO CHANGE YOUR
CULTURE.
SO ON THE ONE HAND, IT IS -- I
THINK IT MEETS UP WITH PEOPLE'S
EXPECTATIONS IN A LOT OF WAYS IN
TERMS OF BEING THE LAND OF
OPPORTUNITY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT
COMES TO EDUCATION.
BUT IN OTHER WAYS, THEY FEEL
LIKE WISCONSINITES AREN'T
NECESSARILY -- AND NOT EVERYONE,
BUT THEY'VE HAD EXPERIENCES,
ENOUGH EXPERIENCES TO KNOW THAT
NOT ALL WISCONSINITES ARE VERY
WELL-EDUCATED ON WHO PEOPLE ARE
FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE
WORLD.
>> ALL RIGHT.
>> SO THAT THE INTERMINGLING
DOESN'T HAPPEN EASILY ALWAYS.
>> WE'LL HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE.
WE DO WANT TO FOLLOW UP WITH
YOU.
THAN