The cure for some would be to wear the shoes of others.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

I received an email detailing how Tyson Foods traded out Labor Day for a Muslim Holiday. Holy crap I thought. Naturally I Snoped it out and sure enough they did.... in ONE FACILITY, and it was requested by the union. That's ONE FACILITY out of 119. The workforce there is composed of about 250 Somali refugees who were employed there through the Tennessee Department of Employment Security office.

Then I wondered about how other political refugees were faring, and I found this article from 2003... it is interesting how intolerance promotes itself through ignorance.

I snipped these parts, the whole article is only a couple of pages and worth the read. People need to (even if only through reading) other peoples' plight in order to understand who they truly are and why their preconceived notions are just that and nothing more.

http://theparson.net/refugees/miracles.htm

>>The pace of refugee resettlement has slowed sharply since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Thousands of refugees are awaiting security clearance because they are fleeing countries like Somalia and Sudan, which have been accused of sheltering terrorists. Even so, State Department officials say they hope to resettle more than 1,000 Somali Bantu by Sept. 30.

Families have arrived in Houston, Salt Lake City, Nashville, St. Louis, Rochester, Concord, N.H., and other cities like Tucson, where the cost of living is relatively low and entry-level jobs are available.<<

>>For the Bantu, it is a journey in both space and in time. They are members of a tribe that was forcibly transported to Somalia from Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania by Arab slave traders two centuries ago. In Somalia, they were often denied access to education and jobs. Today, they are mostly illiterate and almost untouched by Western life.<<

>>But before the refugee officials left, Mr. Yarrow reiterated his biggest priority. "I want to work," he said. "I want to learn English. I want to leave all my problems behind in Kenya."<<

[MineralMan]

1. Here in St. Paul, MN, we have a large group of refugees from

Somalia and neighboring countries. We're one of the major destinations for them. While there have been some problems, particularly with younger refugees, in balance, these new residents have made great progress in becoming a solid, productive part of this city. They now pretty much dominate the taxicab industry, and numerous businesses serving this community have been started by members of the community. If you want lamb for your Easter dinner, I highly recommend stopping in at one of the Halal butcher shops in St. Paul. Great quality and prices.

The bottom line is that immigrants, whether refugees or other types, take some time to assimilate. I'm happy to say that the Somalis, like the Hmong, are doing a great job in my adopted city. I have both as neighbors in my own neighborhood. They're all as good as any other neighbors, and making friends provides many opportunities to learn and to enjoy unique aspects of other cultures. All you have to do is to be neighborly.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. That is so great to hear.... it's really shitty when seriously honest and deserving people

get the door slammed in their face cuz some shithead has an axe to grind that he bought at the bigots are us volume discount store.

[Tallulah]

3. Some of the best neighbors

I've ever had were Vietnamese. Hard working, family oriented, afraid of most white people but if you put forth an effort, they welcomed you into their lives. That experience enriched my life.