Want to share a story that was in the local, and by the way, excellent newspaper in Port Townsend. It seems that 100 Rwandan and Burundian refuges came to lily-white, somewhat rich, and self-admittedly snooty Port Townsend three years ago. They bought a plot of land in a derelict industrial area and began farming it - shortly turning it into a productive farm growing herbs and vegetables. Last spring vandals stole most of their equipment and tools. After the local paper reported the theft and how it devastated the immigrants, donations of cash and tools poured into them, allowing them to get back into the farming business very quickly.
The story I read was a follow-up about the generosity of people and how they made such a difference to these new Americans. Apparently there were donations from far and wide - including one from a Japanese citizen who read the story on line. I wondered why these refugees were regarded with such generosity while other refugees in our country are scorned and harassed. The Africans came from war, poverty, and persecution. In the southwest US, people from Mexico come to escape violence and poverty and build a better life for their ffamilies. What's the difference?
