What If The Third World Came To Your Town?

Does your town have a meat, pork or poultry processing plant? If so, you probably see many dark-skinned people in your town - Hispanics from Mexico and Central America; Blacks from the Caribbean and Africa; Asians from South Viet Nam, Laos or Cambodia; Bosnian refugees from the war torn Balkans or Kurds fleeing political persecution from Saddaam Hussein.

They are legal. They are part of the legal quota allowed from particular countries to emigrate here. They come with their families. Some have been sponsored. Others come on their own from other U.S. communities. "Word of mouth" about jobs travels along well-developed networks from ethnic kinsmen.

The jobs they take are tough. They have evening and night shifts. They have the stress of trying to adapt in an alien culture where they don't know the language or customs.

They have many needs. They have health and dental problems. They arrive without warm clothing, appliances or furniture. They live together in crowded conditions until they can find available and affordable housing - a large order in a small rural community. They have their own customs and don’t know the basic cultural rules of American society. Rumors and stories spread like wildfire.

Those are the people who are in your "backyard." Unlike white migrant workers, the new ethnic groups set down roots and intend to stay. There is some turnover, but new waves of immigrants come to take their places. How would you answer the following statements?

1. One good thing about America is that it can be the land of opportunity for many people.

2. America should take care of Americans first.

3. Everyone in the United States should speak English.

4. There is no such thing as a typical American.

5. Immigrants take jobs from those who need them.

6. United States citizenship should be difficult to obtain.

7. Immigrants have contributed greatly to the United States.

8. The United States is strengthened by its diversity.

9. Immigrants drain the United States of its valuable resources.

10. Immigrants make good citizens.

Research has shown that people who strongly agree with items 5, 6, and 9 take strong anti-immigration positions. Most resistance comes from people who see their job or way of life threatened. Difficult economic times add stress. Competition for jobs and resources create tension between the majority and minority groups. Prejudice is a way of bolstering one's shaky self-esteem at the expense of people we do’t know yet.

Some people complain. "Who is at fault? Shouldn’t the plant be doing more? Who is responsible for taking care of these people? Why don't they go away?"

Racism can be subtle. It takes the form of blaming the social problems of a minority group on their customs and culture. Fitting into society takes time. To survive in America, immigrants need time to learn to be individualistic, goal-oriented, future-oriented and to adopt conventional family relationships. In adopting these values, they don't have to get rid of that which is sustaining and valuable from their own cultures.

Give them time before judging them. They need to learn our language. They need American friends who spend time with them. Soon their children will take their place alongside our children in this society, just like our grandparents and great-grandparents did before us.

Why can't strangers from other lands have the same chance that our immigrant forefathers had? Some people who have lived here all their lives haven't truly landed and grasped the democratic and equal opportunity ideals of this society.

No matter how the majority view an immigrant’s culture, immigrants deserve the same respect, dignity and tolerance as others in our society. We can give help so they can adjust and succeed.

The influx of immigrants is an opportunity for us to express our religious values and to grow as human beings. We can live a lifetime in a lily white rural area and not have our values put to a test. It is one thing to give clothing for distribution in a foreign country and another to make bonafide sacrifices of time, energy and resources to the stranger in our own backyard.

Take time to get to know them, make friends, tutor them, give rides or do whatever they need. Can you do this without expecting anything back - even friendship or appreciation that cannot be properly expressed? Do all those Sunday sermons mean anything now that we actually have strangers in our midst? Do we walk the talk or do we find the path too steep?

Helping immigrant families is a golden opportunity to learn that living life unselfishly is the best way to live. Look outward to others and forget self. It works. Drop your fear and routine and get involved. Don't sit by passively. Be a part of the solution.

This kind of service won't wait until it is convenient. It is now that it is needed. The people on the front lines need help. When the community joins hands and welcomes newcomers wholeheartedly, the burdens on a few will lighten. When individuals get to know individuals, fear and prejudices drop away and a new appreciation for the worth of others will grow, whatever their backgrounds.

This is one community. Help newcomers know that they belong.