Syrian Refugees in Rutland Vermont
I am afraid of fish. It has been made very clear to me that this is irrational, but as much as that resonates in my mind, I can not allow myself to move beyond the scales, the fast movements, and their little eyes. Because of this fear I hide from opportunities to swim in the beautiful lakes around me and I leave all chances of overcoming my fear simply because I choose not to attempt to change it. My fear is real, It shows on my face, but the chances that my fear will be made real are little to none. It would be easier for me to just avoid fish altogether but with a little courage in time I will overcome my fear. I listen to what Rutland is facing, and all that shows through is fear. Everyone has a fear, and Rutland is no different. The fear that accepting refugees will damage Rutland, I understand it, but that is irrational. Irrational fears are real, but we should not give into them.
It all started with a simple six word sentence. "Syrian refugees are coming to Rutland" As a student in a room filled with people from one wall to the next, I was shocked- in a good way, and tears filled my eyes. Without thinking, in a matter of seconds I had taken those six words and transformed them into one. "Welcome"
It's funny to think that a debate over adding some racial diversity has become so huge and discriminatory in such a small town, but it's funnier to think that it has evolved into a Me. Vs. you on the grounds of those in support and those not. I am standing in support simply because it is the right thing to do, as well as because I am just another human being looking forward to a future where my children can walk down the street and see no signs that put another race at a disadvantage. I hope that one day soon the world will see no difference between a family seeking asylum from a rough past in within local borders and a family seeking asylum from a foreign world.
People seem to be forgetting the fact that 100 individuals does not mean 100 adults who are entering the workforce, involved in the economy, and establishing a home. The concern over the economic impacts is just a cover up, disproved by the fact that within 6 months refugees pay back their and continue to work towards a life opposite of their lives at home. If everyone is worried about $100,000 being allocated to refugees then take the shirt off of my back and watch as just 99 others follow until every refugee is clothed. If it means my future has one more tax, than for the time being add it onto the list because it will be given right back. If it is safety that you are concerned about, why would someone aiming to cause terror go through the extensive 24 month process of resettlement when they could apply for a tourist visa. Since the 9/11 attacks 750,000 refugees have been resettled and none of them have been arrested on the charges of domestic terrorism. If it is a concern because we are not urbanized, here is our next step to becoming a more urban and modern place. Vermont is behind the modern times in comparison to the rest of the country. We are the least diverse as it gets, but why continue a trend of the past and avoid joining into the melting pot of America, what good does that do us? Yes, like anything challenges are to be overcome, diversity to be expanded.
(Taken directly from an article from more than 18 months ago, “The large majority of these new Vermonters have adapted successfully” to society, economy, and climate markedly unlike that of their homelands… those who suffered severe traumas have overcome even greater challenges, they show remarkable resilience and courage,”)
On the surface I am just a teenager who wears a pin and nods her head. I am humanitarian, just a person hoping that my name never needs to appear on a list of refugees needing to be resettled. I am a voice, however small it may be, that represents years of bloodshed and shame, a lineage of east and west, but at the same time my “American” identity only begins when someone from another country sought out safety and the ability to breathe. Do not take my voice and diminish my importance because of my age (do not take the importance of a refugee and diminish it because of the nationality attached in front of their name) as I am young in age, but a year from now I will be voting for those who supported this.
I am a student, a leader, and a teacher. I am a person who roots for the underdog because of the fact that everyone deserves someone fighting for them to survive. I am the granddaughter of a man not born in the United States, and if he was not welcomed I would in no way be able to kiss him on the cheek and look at his tattoo that serves as a reminder that he fought for America when he was drafted before he was a citizen. My grandfather is no different from our new neighbors as they are running from our enemies, they are on our fighting side and in disbelief that their only choice is to leave their homes, families, and culture to come to a place that is torn over their arrival.
This is important to me as a young and rising adult because i have been taught to treat others the way I wish to be treated for my entire life. If there was one person who was being beat up in a crowd, what would you do? Would you intervene or walk away? If someone was injured, would you call 911 or walk away and say it is not my problem? If it was your future, your daughter and sons, would you say it is my job to give them the best life that they can live? or would you say it is their problem and not my own? What if it was you, what if it was someone that you loved? Would you hope that someone would lay out your bed and tell you that you have a future where it is not a real possibility that in the morning your school will be bombed, and your house burnt to the ground? If it was you on the other end of this conversation, it is impossible to think that you wouldn't wish to be welcomed in?
After the Paris attacks, and those in Brussels, it was no question that your Facebook picture would soon be changed to a flag of support- showing support to those affected. Why is it that there is no issue honoring 130 lives from a foreign country, attacked by an isolated few of their own- but it would be taken as a joke if I were to change my profile picture to a Syrian flag to honor 470,000 lives taken in the Syrian fight against one group who has displaced 3 million externally and 6.5 million internally.
I have been taught to treat others in the way that I wish to be treated. I have been taught that you lend a hand, and help someone who has fallen down get back up. I believe in looking past how a situation was handled and placed before me, and look directly to that situation with no bias or fear. Forget the race, the titles, and the blame, but see through to the people who reflect our past, our present and our futures as one day your lineage and theirs may be connected as has happened in the past which lead directly to every person as they live in America today.
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