PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE:  This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Want to hear a good story about refugees?

The answer is yes, given all the stuff we hear about problems with refugees – or, as they often are called, immigrants.

Donald Trump pounded immigrants to try to boost his political standing.  President Joe Biden clearly has better ideas about how to handle refugee issues and has not played politics with subject.

Plus, former president George Bush just came out with a new book – Out of Many, One:  Portraits of America’s Immigrants – that does an excellent job of explaining how immigrants have added to tapestry of American life over many years.  A key part of the book is the portraits of immigrants done by Bush who is an accomplished artist.

So it was that I read a story over the weekend in the Salem Statesman-Journal that appeared under this headline:

“Supporters take ‘Amazing Race’ learning refugees’ journey through Salem”

I was interested in the story because two generators of the positive effort around refugees in Salem were Salem Alliance Church where my wife and I have attended for more than 30 years, and Salem Leadership Foundation where I served on the Board of Directors for several years. 

Both organizations do solid work in the Salem-Keizer area, including with respect to refugees.  Here are excerpts of the story that illustrate the credential.

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More than 100 community members participated this weekend in a local event inspired by the hit reality show “The Amazing Race.”

“The Amazing Race: Salem for Refugees Edition” took place Saturday morning, with 29 teams speeding through the scavenger hunt in downtown and central Salem. 

The event served as a COVID-friendly fundraiser for the nonprofit Salem for Refugees, which provides a host of services to refugees resettling in the Salem area.  These resources include help with childcare, job placement, transportation, interpretive services, school enrollment and housing support.

Nearly 67,750 refugees have resettled in Oregon from 1975 to 2018, the latest data available from the Oregon Department of Human Services.

In 2016, Salem began to see a large uptick in its number of refugees, defined by the United Nations as someone “who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence.”

Previously, refugees were primarily resettled in Portland. However, housing was becoming too expensive and jobs were harder to find, so social organizations turned to Salem. 

Salem for Refugees was started in 2016 in partnership with groups such as the Salem Leadership Foundation and Salem Alliance Church and it has served more than 350 refugees since. These individuals and families come from all around the world, including Iraq, Syria, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela. 

Part of Saturday’s event was to have participants — most of whom were donors and volunteers with the organization — experience what it can feel like to resettle in a new and unfamiliar place.

Clues led competitors, for example, to Sparrow Furniture, which specifically employs refugees and provides English language classes. Organizers said this stop was meant to highlight entrepreneurship since many refugees leave behind careers when they resettle.

Participants also went to Cherriots to learn about common transportation barriers. They went to Fork Forty Food Hall to think about finding favorite, familiar cuisine.  And they ended at Grant Community School, symbolizing the dozens of languages spoken and cultures represented throughout the Salem-Keizer school district.

Participants were encouraged to wear costumes, and they did not disappoint. 

You can earn more about Salem for Refugees and refugees living in Salem at salemforrefugees.org.

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This entire episode illustrates an important fact, one lost in much of the political rhetoric these days.  It is this:  It is possible for refugees to become an important part of a community like Salem-Keizer if we view the refugees as human beings worthy of respect, not as a class of persons to despise.