The following post comes from Rick McClatchy, Coordinator of CBF Texas. This post is originally from the November CBF TX e-newsletter.
My daughter is working on her masters at UTSA. The other day, she shared an article with me that reported on research done by Carola Suarez-Orozco regarding the perceptions of immigrant children coming to the USA. They were asked to complete the following sentence: Most Americans think people from my country are_____________.
The results were very negative. Here are some of their responses:
- Most Americans think we are poor people. (9-year-old Chinese girl)
- Most Americans think we are ignorant. (14-year-old Mexican girl)
- Most Americans think we are stupid. (10-year-old Haitian girl)
- Most Americans think we are very impolite. (12-year-old Chinese girl)
- Most Americans think we don’t know anything. (14-year-old Mexican girl)
- Most Americans think we can’t do the same things as them in school or at work. (10-year-old Mexican girl)
- Most Americans think we are good for nothing. (14-year-old Central American boy)
- Most Americans think we are useless. (14-year-old Dominican girl)
- Most Americans think we are garbage. (14-year-old Dominican boy)
- Most Americans think we are members of gangs. (9-year-old Central American girl)
- Most Americans think we are thieves. (13-year-old Haitian girl)
- Most Americans think we are lazy, drug-addicts that only come to take their jobs away. (14-year-old Mexican boy)
- Most Americans think we are bad like all Latinos. (12-year-old Central American boy)
- Most Americans think we don’t exist. (12-year-old Mexican boy)
The researcher demonstrates how these negative perceptions lead to destructive personal behavior and social problems. Christians are in a position to change these perceptions by welcoming and assisting immigrant families coming to this country.
CBF has field personnel working with immigrant populations in Texas. They are working with government refugee resettlement groups, economic development with immigrants, ESL classes, international students and Muslim immigrants. All their ministries are helpful to immigrants, but perhaps the most important thing they offer immigrants is love and acceptance.
Their ministries are worthy of your prayers, volunteer efforts and financial gifts. Please support the CBF Offering for Global Missions, which is essential to enabling these field personnel to continue their work among immigrants.