Welcoming Iowa's changing immigrant population

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By Mark Grey and Michele Devlin

Iowa is experiencing unprecedented growth in the size and diversity of newcomer populations.

For about 15 years, Iowa experienced a large influx of Latinos, with parallel growth in other populations such as the Bosnians in Waterloo and Des Moines. Latinos are - and will continue to be - Iowa's largest minority population.

However, the majority of more recent arrivals in the state are not Latino anymore.

Many communities in Iowa are experiencing tremendous growth in smaller, but highly ethnically and linguistically diverse populations. A partial list of these newcomers includes refugees from Africa (primary central and eastern, who speak dozens of languages); migrants from The Marshall Islands and other former U.S. territories in the Pacific; and refugees from Burma (who also can speak any of nine or ten languages).

The result is what we call “microplurality.” It expresses itself with a kindergarten cohort in Urbandale schools who speak 45 different languages, in Marshalltown High School where administrators have recognized 40 languages, and in Des Moines Public Schools where students speak more than 100 languages.

Equally important to note is that almost all of these recent newcomers to Iowa are here in the United States legally under a variety of refugee or territory designations. Many of them are being recruited to work in companies and businesses in Iowa that are experiencing a shortage of laborers as the state becomes more urban and older, our rural areas depopulate and many of our young graduates leave for higher paying jobs in other states.

The ethnic and linguistic complexity of Iowa's new “micro” populations presents challenges and opportunities for employers, social service agencies, law enforcement, health care providers and communities in general.

It is not unusual for us to receive an email or a phone call from someone in a workplace or some community agency asking for the simple magic bullet to make multicultural communities or companies “work.” We often disappoint these callers with the news that there is no single approach and that solutions must be multifaceted and long-term.

Host communities, employers and the immigrants themselves all have an important role to play in shaping successful integration. What works in one town or workplace may not work in another. Also, certain approaches to working with one population may not be effective or appropriate when serving another. We can provide general guidance and help them tailor their approaches to the local context, but there is no easy or quick solution.

Also disappointed are the folks that email or call with a request to “solve” their “diversity” issue with a single lunch-and-learn session for which we are asked to arrange a panel of representatives from minority and/or immigrant populations.

The idea is to give these panelists a few minutes each to teach the audience everything they need to know about working with people from other cultures. Then, the audience may ask a few questions and everybody goes back to work.

We always have found this approach superficial and patronizing, and not a strategy we recommend.

There is no point in denying that the diversification of Iowa's newcomer populations presents challenges. But it also presents tremendous opportunities.

Many of these newcomer populations have revitalized school districts and main streets that were in decline, and a large number of these newcomers have opened small businesses as entrepreneurs. Those communities, agencies and employers who have recognized the challenges with previous newcomer populations - and who made a commitment to working through those challenges - today represent some of the most vibrant and successful towns, employers and agencies in the state.

One key to their success was the public and vocal commitment of leadership. It doesn't matter if the leader is a mayor, school superintendent, a hospital CEO or the head of a company that employs immigrants. If they make the accommodation of diverse populations a priority, and devote the people power and resources to make it happen, they very likely will experience success.

At the grass roots level, it also is critical to have the involvement of faith communities, civic organizations, non-profits and service clubs. Even in the face of overwhelming diversification of languages and cultures, these groups provide some of the most important services by helping newcomers learn English, driving them to doctors' appointments or helping them find jobs.

One of the most important keys to success also rests with immigrants themselves, as they develop family and support networks to help each other, open non-profits and businesses and attend English language learning programs.

Providing culturally responsive services has become a priority at many Iowa state and local government agencies. Many of these agencies have embarked on deliberate and well-resourced plans for training and technical assistance on how to work with diverse populations.

Lastly, we will emphasize that working to accommodate diverse newcomers and providing cultural responses services is not accomplished with a single event or training. As we tell many of our clients at the end of training, there is no conclusion. This work can go on for years, and we must recognize that immigrant populations change over time in

Iowa communities.

We also emphasize that it's OK to make mistakes. Even the most seasoned professionals make cultural mistakes working with new populations, just as immigrants themselves can make cultural mistakes when learning to live in Iowa. But instead of allowing these mutual mistakes to drive wedges between people, we encourage people to use them as learning

opportunities.

Those who stick with it, and work through the difficult times, almost always find the hard work of welcoming newcomers to be some of the most rewarding moments of their lives and careers.

Dr. Mark Grey is Professor of Anthropology and Dr. Michele Devlin is Professor of Health Education and Promotion at the University of Northern Iowa. Drs. Grey and Devlin received the 2013 Friends of Iowa Civil Rights and Immigrant Champion Awards.