Day: December 24, 2007

Shelbyville, TN, Part II and the pot starts boiling

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The Times-Gazette of Shelbyville, TN published Part II of a five part series on the friction developing as the population of secondary migration Somali refugees grows in this town of about 20,000 (for our local readers, that’s about half the size of Hagerstown, MD).    The culture clash is occuring in the school system.

Gray[Bedford County School Superintendent] also said that the school system has “very definitely” had some culture clashes with the Somalians since they have moved to Bedford County.

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“Out of 11 principals, five of them are female, and we have assistant principals that are female. Their lack of respect for woman causes us a major problem on the front end,” Gray said. He added that “we found it to be the case” that the Somalis have difficulties with women in supervisory roles.

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Gray referred to “unrealistic expectations” in one incident, where the Somalis had apparently been promised service the school system does not provide, such as child care.

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“We had a particular incident at one school where they had been promised it [child care] and they were demanding it,” Gray said. “They are very demanding. Their culture is absolutely different from ours and different from the Hispanics also. I can’t speak for all the Somalians, but their culture is tremendously different.”

Judging by the comments posted already at the Times-Gazette, citizens of Shelbyville are starting to boil.

I just found this link very interesting!  A Somali blog is posting the Times-Gazette (Part I), “Somalis find haven” article.   Humm, do you think they are advertising for Shelbyville?   Better watch out Shelbyville, they might be sending more Somalis your way.    Didn’t Catholic Charities Director for Tennessee, Holly Johnson, have this to say:

“…..so these folks are moving there because of the available jobs, affordable housing, welcoming community, etc.”

Are immigrants taking jobs natives want?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Yes, at least that is what the British are experiencing these days (hat tip: Infinicat).   Here is an article in the London Daily Mail last week.

More than 100,000 young Britons may have been pushed into unemployment by the recent waves of economic immigrants from Eastern Europe, according to a new report by a leading economic thinktank.

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Since 1997, 1.5 million foreign workers have entered the British workplace, with many of these arriving from Eastern Europe in just the past three years, according to a report by the influential economic analysts, the Ernst & Young ITEM Club.

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During the same three years, the number of unemployed British 18 to 24 year olds has increased by 100,000.

Steven Camarata at the Center for Immigration Studies writing at Frontpage Magazine says the same thing is happening in America.

Shelbyville Bantu Background

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I missed this article in the Times-Gazette of Shelbyville, TN yesterday when I wrote about Somalis swarming to that city.  The extreme cultural adjustment problems of Somalis are ones we have heard about elsewhere.

The Bantu have enormous barriers to overcome in their introduction to American society. Their status as immigrants, their lack of English skills, illiteracy and the fact they possess no modern job skills, will only make the challenge that much harder.

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The Center [Cultural Orientation Resource Center] also states that resettlement professionals will have to deal with significant health care, sanitation, and social support issues relating to small children and mothers, pointing out that the Bantu use pit latrines and “are unfamiliar with typical American bathroom facilities and common sanitation items such as diapers and feminine care products.”