By Nan Kari with Rose Hamerlinck and David Scheie
Touchstone Center for Collaborative Inquiry
December 18, 2008Faribault, the Rice County seat, has a population of about 30,000 residents, which represents a growth of 5.7% since the 2000 census. The majority of its residents are of German and Norwegian heritage (89% are non-Hispanic white). Recent years have seen a growing number of immigrants from many places in the world. Latin Americans, Somalis, and Sudanese are among the most recent arrivals. Faribault is attractive to immigrants in part because of employment opportunities particularly in food processing industries.
This report on the Faribault Welcome Center is based on data gathered from two site visits on March 21, 2007 and November 7, 2008. In total, we conducted 13 interviews and convened two immigrant focus groups – a Somali speaking group of nine participants and a Spanish-speaking group of five participants. The Somali Immigrant Resettlement program and the Welcome Center recruited focus group participants, all residents of Faribault for varying lengths of time (15 years to a few weeks). We also reviewed related articles published in the Faribault Daily News and the Faribault Diversity Coalition blog, edited by Milo Larson.
I. Project History and Description: The Welcome Center Faribault’s Welcome Center began as an information and referral center intended to help new immigrants and other residents in the area to connect with resources for basic needs. As the work has evolved, the Center also aims to develop immigrant leadership in the community, to provide education and outreach to established residents as well as immigrants, and to foster opportunities for cross-cultural relationship building through public work.
The Welcome Center opened in May 2001, as a project of the Faribault Diversity Coalition. Faribault's Future Leaders class of 1999-2000 conceived the idea for a multicultural resource center, and the Diversity Coalition put the plan into action with support from the City of Faribault, which offered space at low rent and several small grants for operations. The Diversity Coalition continues to serve as an advisory board for the Center. This relationship is significant in that it has helped bring visibility and validity to the work; it bolsters the infrastructure and helps broker connections through businesses and government; and it helps find funding sources. “The Diversity Coalition is like an incubator.”
The Welcome Center supports one full-time director/organizer, and two part-time employees – a native Spanish-speaker and a Somali speaker. Their presence has helped build stronger connections with respective immigrant communities.
In addition to individual assistance and referral services, the Welcome Center also creates opportunities developed in direct response to interests identified by immigrant and established Faribault community members. Programs seem to emerge in an “organic” fashion, often led by volunteers from the community. In this way the Welcome Center provides a venue for civic engagement by community residents. One important outcome has been expanded and deepened relationships across cultures.
The major programs/activities of the Welcome Center over the last two years include:Community-wide events• Winter clothing drive (Two successful events were organized in 2007 and a third in 2008)
• Thanksgiving food drive in 2007.
Cross-cultural exchanges and public work projects• Building project – bus shelter at the trailer park
• Community garden (currently planning for a third year)
• A food cooperative for bulk purchase organized through the Welcome Center
• Two series of talking circles in 2007 (spring session included three groups meeting four times with 8-10 people in each; fall session included two groups meeting four times with 23 people in one and seven in the other)
• Annual International Market Day [3] held on Labor Day.
Education and outreach• Winter energy fair in 2007 (with South Central College)
• Immigration forums (2)
• “When Africa Meets Faribault” (presentation by Joseph Mbele from St. Olaf College)
• Community meeting co-sponsored with Somali Community Resettlement
• English language classes led by volunteers who had participated in the talking circles
• Carpentry class for Spanish-speakers
• A growing food shelf (it initially served about 30 immigrant families per month and now serves 109 families each month)
II. Innovative elements: What worksThe modelThe Welcome Center bears some similarity to the early settlement model seen at the turn of the 20th century. Settlement houses were gathering places in immigrant communities that provided a range of programs and services to new immigrants. At the same time, immigrants were able to tap into the broader networks affiliated with the settlements to address issues that affected their lives. Sometimes called mediating institutions, settlements were locally rooted and shaped in part by immigrants’ agendas. Drawing a comparison with the Welcome Center, when Spanish-speaking Faribault residents expressed a desire to learn carpentry skills taught in Spanish, the Welcome Center partnered with Northfield Community Action Center to organize a short course. A local resident and construction supervisor for Habitat for Humanity helped teach, along with one of the Spanish-speaking students, who had experience with roofing. The result: new relationships formed, practical skills developed, and people volunteered to help with Habitat home construction. A second class is now in the works.
With the largest goal to promote a welcoming, healthy community, the model that shapes the work of the Welcome Center combines referral and assistance with basic living needs with opportunities for public work that engages a mix of people. The latter implies a reciprocal dynamic, where talents of all participants – newcomers and established residents -- can be tapped to create something useful to the community. The community garden is one example of a public work project facilitated by the Welcome Center. The model recognizes that people must first address basic needs like housing, clothing, and food before they become involved in community activities – but they can grow into larger community roles as they adjust and become more settled.
The Welcome Center provides many different kinds of individual assistance. Bob Kell describes activities of a typical week in his July 8, 2008 entry on the Diversity Blog.∗
This past week…a county attorney contacted us about how to help immigrant residents understand how to accurately report information on a marriage license. A mobile home park resident asked assistance in contacting officials to resolve issues about a purchased home. A temp agency employee and the agency staff again called upon us to facilitate their mutual questions about schedules and availability. Welcome Center staff was invited to a local dental office to talk with dental providers about cultural issues and education that could improve their understanding with the Somali community. It seems like much confusion could be resolved with some community education regarding how dental insurance works and why patients should have regular preventive care. (We even were asked why people remove their shoes before sitting in the dental chair…a sign of respect for the office).
Catalyzing functionThe Welcome Center appears to be a catalyzing organization rather than a program provider. It is small in staffing, physical space, and budget. These limitations, while constraining, also have positive implications. They lead to organizational adaptability and innovative problem solving. According to interviewees, the Welcome Center has become a kind of “community connector,” not only linking individuals with resources, but also helping to build networks and organizational partnerships. We heard many examples. For instance, when the community garden idea was proposed, the Welcome Center helped create a partnership among Our Saviors Lutheran Church (which contributed the land), a local greenhouse and seed company. After two successful years, some of the gardeners are looking to join the farmers’ market.
In another example, several immigrant and English-speaking women who had participated in the sharing circles wanted to continue conversation through a language class with the explicit goal to improve English skills. Bob Kell worked with Pat Weiseler, the Adult Basic Education director to help organize classes at the Welcome Center. Pat explained that her programs have long waiting lists, so supplemental help is appreciated. Her program assists with volunteer training and consults with the Welcome Center as needed. In return, the Welcome Center provides interpretation for students registering for ELL classes and holds regular language learning classes led by volunteers.
Informal, simple accessThe Welcome Center is a readily accessible place in contrast with social service and other big institutions, which require paper work and procedures often unfamiliar to immigrants. Thus the Welcome Center, complements those larger bureaucracies that most immigrants must learn to navigate. Immigrants we talked with did not identify any structural barriers associated with the Welcome Center. We also learned that professionals in schools, businesses, and other nonprofit organizations appreciate its easy access and responsiveness to them. They make frequent referrals.
Cultural learning and mediationThe Welcome Center and its director are looked to as a source of cultural education and sometimes mediation. Kymn Anderson, president of the Faribault Chamber of Commerce shared a recent example when community concern about Somali men gathering on the street reemerged.
There remain some concerns with the Somali restaurant, which seems to be the primary gathering place for Somali men. It threatens some, even though I don’t think it is warranted. Some are afraid to walk on that side of the street when people gather. Bob [Kell] attended one of our meetings when it bubbled up a while ago. He explained the cultural expectation of gathering in public and about men not deferring to women like they might in our dominant culture. One man in the meeting said, “A man should always step aside for a lady.” Bob explained that is true in our culture but not in that culture a woman is expected to move out of the way. He was great in helping to build understanding. I don’t think it eases the discomfort, but at least people understand better. The issue has been around for a while.
Recently a young Somali mother was killed in an auto accident in the cities. That week there were large gatherings at the restaurant, and it spurred a whole new wave of letters to the editor, with complaints about loitering and intimidation. Because it was such a public conversation, we invited Bob to come to the meeting. He explained that many in the Somali community knew this woman and they were gathering to comfort each other. It was like their visitation. This sparked some understanding on part of established residents.
Anderson pointed out that to be successful in this kind of role requires a skilled person who demonstrates respect for diverse people, holds specific cultural knowledge, and has the ability to understand multiple points of view. Part of the success of the Welcome Center rests on its leadership.
Intentional spaces for relationship building – a first step Gathering space is a prerequisite for exchange among people who don’t know each other. Because the physical space at the Welcome Center is relatively small, Welcome Center sponsored activities take place in multiple places throughout the city – the senior center, library, parks, churches, and businesses. Perhaps these multi-site locations help the work to become more visible and diffused. It requires more sponsorship and thus grows participation.
To build relationships across cultures requires familiarity and practice. Bob Kell, Milo Larson, and other interviewees have stressed the importance of hospitality and attention to the simple things as components of spaces that help facilitate conversation in ordinary, non-professionalized ways.
The sharing circles have proved an effective format to help people begin to make friends across language and cultural differences. Reflecting on the value of this simple format, Pastor Craig Breimhorst of Christ on the Hill Lutheran Church recalled a recent conversation with a parishioner whose wife had participated in the sharing circles and later helped create an English language class at the Welcome Center. “When her Somali students see her in the grocery store they come over and tell others with pride, ‘This is my teacher’” said Pastor Breimhorst. “Changing attitudes is slow work, but it is these kinds of experiences that help change people.” The experience of the sharing circles has shown that when people know each other better, they can generate new possibilities and ideas for shared activities.
Visibility through print media and Internet blogMilo Larson, president of the Diversity Coalition and co-founder of the Welcome Center, has helped implement two important media strategies to communicate with the larger community. First, he has developed a strong relationship with Faribault’s local newspaper, The Faribault Daily News. The paper has covered many stories related to the activities of the Welcome Center: International Market Day, the community garden, workforce issues, clothing drive and others. Frequent editorials are written to surface community issues and (it appears) to encourage citizens to think critically about Faribault as a welcoming community. For example, on July 18, 2008 the following editorial was published.
We’ve more than once in this space lauded Faribault’s diversity and the efforts of those in our community who reach out to cultures very different from their own for increased understanding and better relationships. Much of Faribault’s diversity looks very different from “typical” diversity, as seen in the colorful and ornate hijabs worn by native Somali women now making their homes here, and such obvious differences often scare us away from seeking out that understanding. That’s why we’re so proud of the efforts taken by Lynn Cook, co-owner of the Nook & Cranny gift shop on Central Avenue. She heard about Somali women who wanted to learn how to sew and did something about it. In case you hadn’t noticed, there aren’t too many hijab stores around here, and learning how to sew would allow these women to make their own clothes, which are vital to their religion and culture. Cook and a group of volunteers meet with a growing number of Somali women on Saturdays in the basement of her store, overcoming a language barrier through hard work to pass on a skill that will become an important part of these women’s lives.
This all comes at a time when a debate is playing out in our letters to the editor and comments on our Web site, faribault.com, about the group of Somali men who tend to hang out on nice days in front of Banadir Restaurant and Grocery, 211 Central Ave. Some have called it loitering. Others have called it a group of friends who gather to talk. We call it a misunderstanding on cultural differences. Simply put, America is a back-porch society. We tend to hang out in the backyards of our homes, if we go outside at all. Worldwide, that’s a cultural rarity. Go just about anywhere else and you’ll see people hanging out in front of homes and businesses, talking and laughing. Neither is wrong. They’re just different.
A second innovative media strategy is the Diversity blog, edited by Milo Larson. The blog provides an excellent chronicle of the diversity-related work in Faribault with photographs, video, stories, announcements of events and summaries after they have taken place. It also includes links to immigration literature, research, and demographics.
In three years the blog has had about 5,500 visits from Internet users throughout the United States, and in foreign countries like Russia, and Iraq.
Both strategies help educate a broad audience, including people not directly involved with Welcome Center activities. They provide a venue for written interaction and offer a “mirror” for the community to view itself.
III. What has resulted?Examples of reported changes at the individual level
Both long time residents who have had experience working with or interacting with newcomers and immigrants that we interviewed reported several kinds of personal change they had experienced through involvement with Welcome Center-linked activities. Some described gains in cultural knowledge and improved skills for communication across cultures. Others pointed to new insights that came through personal relationships with newcomers. New knowledge has also been gained about how to work together. The following excerpts give a flavor of what has people feel they have learned.
Judy Covert, Director of Early Childhood Programs in the Faribault Public Schools, reflected on what has helped her develop cross-cultural relationships in her work setting.
Learning about other cultures is part of the answer. There are so many different dialects and cultural groups, just like in our [dominant] culture. We [school personnel] are beginning to understand how to work with communities to address what they care about. We’ve tried things in the past that haven’t worked well. The way we can best meet needs is to find out from families rather than assume that we as white middle class professionals know what is best, because we don’t….I’ve learned through participation in Growing up Healthy workshops that include immigrant neighbors. I’ve also learned that mutual respect and the ability to see things from another perspective are key. I have found that to address barriers of language and cultural difference, we need to treat all families respectfully and understand that we bring different things to the table.
Hashie Geedi, part-time Center staff and coordinator of the Somali Immigrant Resettlement office in Faribault shared:
There were many things I had to learn about working in a new community. I needed to learn how to talk with people, show respect, how to explain an idea, how to listen to people. There are differences in cultural practices. In Somali culture, there is no touching women who are not in your family. Religion is closely tied to everyday life. Creating relationships across cultures has to begin with an understanding of other’s traditions and values.
Milo Larson explained that he has learned to think differently about the planning process when people of mixed cultural groups work together. “I’ve learned it’s important to let things happen rather than insist that things are all lined up. This is a shift for me. But people have different ways of going about things. This is good.”
Examples of changes at the organization levelSeveral institutions and businesses have adapted in recent years to better respond to a more diverse community. Judy Covert (early childhood education) and Mary Ho (county public health) both talked about the slow but steady process of organizational learning, which often involves learning from what does not work. Interviewees pointed to examples like: inclusion of informational materials written in multiple languages, multi-lingual options on voice mail, and an increased number of bi-lingual staff and interpreters in human service settings. Kymn Anderson spoke of the expressed goal of government agencies, especially the fire and police departments, to increase diversity of agency personnel.
Shirley Drentlaw, who leads the human resource department at the Jenny-O Turkey Store, described some of the changes her business has made.
We have done many things to accommodate Muslim traditions – places for prayer, bathroom accommodations for ritual washings. We have employee teams that bring issues forward to management and help make decisions that represent employees’ points of view. For example, when the company needed to cut back on work hours, employees on team helped make decision about how best to organize shifts to spread the work out evenly rather than asking temp people to not work…This management approach has been highly successful for Jenny-O-Turkey. It helps us address issues before they become problems.
She explained that some of the Jenny-O Turkey employees have been very active in the business community to help other groups adjust to new levels of diversity in Faribault. For example, her business helped staff the Welcome Center on a very part time basis (two people working 4 hours per week each) when it first opened. Before the hospital and schools hired their own translators, her employees helped out in emergency situations.
While there are many positive changes people point to, interviewees agreed it is only a beginning step and that with each new immigrant group, the learning starts again. Somali men who participated in the focus group pointed to difficulties they have experienced with the Department of Motor Vehicles in passing their driver’s test and their frustrations in navigating the county social service agency. In both cases they expressed strong consensus that changes should be made to open lines of communication. Another, larger scale and perhaps more difficult challenge to address is the process by which immigrant children are assigned school grade level by their age. Several Somali men shared their worry and frustration that their children, with no prior formal education, were essentially being left behind in the learning process.
Examples of impact on the communityHas Faribault become a more welcoming community? Is there evidence that newcomers and established residents are beginning to build relationships with each other? If so, to what degree? These are difficult questions to answer definitively. Communities are fluid, and people view the whole through different lenses. Most of those we spoke with have had some involvement or concern for diversity work in Faribault. Based on our interviews, focus groups, and observations over two years, we would highlight the following indicators of community impact.
• All participants in the Somali focus group reported they experienced Faribault as a good and safe place to live. At the same time, they reported that their interactions and relationships were primarily with members of their cultural community. As more Somalis move to town, those who are already settled provide extended assistance to the newcomers.
• Among the Latinas we talked with, all three women said they were generally very happy living in Faribault; they felt welcomed by established residents; they believe their children are safe. The women said that although they are not surrounded by other Hispanic people as they might be living in the Twin Cities, they would not trade places. There are enough Hispanics in Faribault that they do not feel alone. Of the two men, one had just arrived and the other had experienced frustration with work permits. Both expressed some unease.
• Although other non-immigrant interviewees saw the Faribault community through different eyes, everyone pointed to positive changes. “Step by step, relationship by relationship,” said one person. Another said, “It’s slow work, but there are a significant number of leaders working on it.” People pointed to the sharing circles as an important way to begin to know each other. These occasions provided a dedicated space for cross-cultural interactions and sometimes led to creative spin-off activities, like the language classes held at the Welcome Center.
• In the past several years a free health clinic for low income, un-insured residents of Rice County that is open to everyone in need has been established.
• Visible, annual public events like the International Market, the clothing and food drives, and public contributions such as the community garden, food cooperative and building the bus shelter where people work together for the common good help shape attitudes and engage people across cultures.
• The Faribault Daily News coverage of immigrant-themed news raises the visibility of immigrant integration for the entire community – surfacing issues and sometimes challenging negative attitudes. It gives frequent coverage to diversity related work in the town.
• There appears to be a wide range of leaders in Faribault interested in and committed to building a strong community. All interviewees identified the Welcome Center and Diversity Coalition as visible and valued community resources for the entire community – immigrants and established people alike.
IV. Reflections and lessons learned1) Effective diversity work requires among other things: sustained commitment, innovation, pooling of resources, and engagement of many individuals and organizations. It is slow work, and even talented, public-spirited leaders encounter setbacks and problems beyond local control. The way in which Faribault organizes its diversity work with the Diversity Coalition as the umbrella organization and advisory group for the Welcome Center -- a real place that links people with resources -- appears an effective structure. The Faribault Chamber of Commerce launched the Diversity Coalition, whose membership includes city leaders from businesses, government, and local schools. This insures broad based support. Although Coalition membership changes, support of the Welcome Center is sustained.
2) Most interviewees agreed that integrating newcomers in a small town works best through a coordinated effort sustained by a network of organizations and individuals who share a vision about what the community can be. The Welcome Center model, which combines individual assistance and referral, partnership building, and public work has proved successful. Not least, the leadership of the Welcome Center also contributes to its successes. Bob Kell is highly respected for his commitment and organizing skills.
3) Among the many challenges, communication and language learning rank high. Many new immigrants stay separated from the established community because they do not speak English. Language learning especially among older persons is often very difficult. Several Somali elders told us they believed their lack of English was the cause of their isolation. Although translators are more available now then five years ago in Faribault, more are needed. English language learning classes are offered through Adult Basic Education programs, but a waiting list exists. One interviewee reflected that becoming integrated into a new community is more a function of communication than length of time. She may be correct in this assessment.
A second barrier noted by many interviewees is that bridging cultural differences between the white established community and Somalis, who now number about 900, is more difficult to achieve than with other newcomer groups that are culturally more similar. For example, another African group, the Sudanese, have recently settled in Faribault. Because the Sudanese are Christian rather than Muslim, their traditions are more familiar to the majority residents and several churches have reached out to assist them.
A third barrier we heard from immigrants and established residents relates to employment – finding jobs and hiring workers. In a recent survey done by the Faribault Chamber of Commerce in affiliation with GROW MINNESOTA!, Faribault businesses with culturally diverse workers gave mostly positive responses about their experience. Other businesses expressed an interest in diversifying their workforce but identified the lack of appropriate job training and language skills as the biggest barriers to hiring. While the Welcome Center tries to address workforce development and provide assistance with job seeking on small scale -- through partnership with South Central College and in hosting a carpentry workshop – workforce development is a large issue that will need significant resources to accomplish.
On a positive note Kymn Anderson, President of the Faribault Chamber of Commerce reported that at a statewide GROW MINNESOTA! conference reported she heard for the first time large employers talk about the need for immigration reform. “They know that in spite of the current economy and lay-offs, businesses will face a shortage of workers down the road.”
4) What do people recommend as the next steps for Faribault? Those we interviewed firmly believed the Welcome Center is key to changes in the community and has already proved its potential. With additional resources it could strengthen its convening role. Said one person, “Too often we do not reflect on our work. I would appreciate this opportunity.” The importance of opportunities to reflect on collective work, including naming new skills and capacities developed, cannot be overstated. The Welcome Center could promote this opportunity. Others felt that the Welcome Center could become a “hub,” drawing different agencies together to coordinate work related to immigrant integration.
Interviewees also named the importance of engaging immigrant leaders in discussions about the community and its future. Recognizing some of the reasons this has been difficult, some felt there are signs that this may be more possible in the near future: the city council and chamber include people who are open to this; some immigrant groups are now well settled in Faribault and leaders are emerging; projects/events that encourage engagement of cross-cultural groups are more common and visible.
Interviewees also pointed to the success of public projects. “Faribault is a blue collar community. This is why I think building something together, pounding nails together is the best way to get more involved…A key thing [to facilitate change] is connecting people.” Others pointed to the International Market as a new and important Faribault tradition that people have “built.” These public work strategies not only provide a venue for more people to build relationships across cultures, they also lead to community improvement whether producing new public “things” or creating new annual traditions and events, more reflective of the members of a changing community.
