The Core Story
U.S. Refugee Resettlement, Pittsburgh, and Our Responsibility
How can we continue to make America a home for the world's most vulnerable populations? This is a question in dire need of answers, from a population too rarely asked.
Refugee resettlement since World War II
The United States began taking part in refugee resettlement after the Second World War, beginning with the Displaced Persons Act (passed in 1948) and followed by the Refugee Relief Act (passed in 1953 - the first legislation to utilize the term ‘refugee’). The Refugee Act of 1980 legislated the uniformity of refugee intake, setting a precedent of 50,000 annual admittances. Per the Act, and continuing to this day, applications for asylum would be assessed on the basis of credible fear of persecution based on the following: religion, political opinion, race, nationality, or social group.
Following the War in Vietnam, the United States set a precedent of assisting individuals who were fleeing conflict for which America shared responsibility; a policy which was continued in the Middle East after the Gulf Wars. By contrast, the current US administration has pursued a refugee ban of multiple groups. As of 2019, the United States now imposes a 30,000 per annum refugee ceiling, the lowest number accepted by the US since 1980, and this despite growing numbers of refugees, especially from Sub-Saharan Africa. The US response to the greatest refugee crisis since the World Wars has been disinterest at best and overt-hostility at worst.
Transnationalism, resettlement and xenophobia
In far too many cases people from Sub-Saharan Africa have once again been forced into transnational lives fraught with danger and hostility. Conflict around the world shows no sign of ending soon. Conflict in the Congo, for example, has been ongoing since about 1996, when the ensuing presidential election led to various civil wars and ethnic violence. African refugees and displaced people are suffering in unfathomable ways. Yet in the face of sustained and increased violence, US resettlement numbers may only decline if anti-refugee sentiment continues, leaving questions about the future of Africa’s refugees and their abilities to survive, thrive, and receive basic human rights.
The United States’ claim to moral authority rests in large part on how it treats the world’s most vulnerable. Understanding why Sub-Saharan Africans risk it all to attempt new lives in the United States may reveal far more about the unstable transnationalism forced upon the people of the Global South than confirm or reiterate mythologized notions of America’s openness to ‘poor huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’
Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania refugee numbers are declining despite being equipped with the resources to assimilate East African refugees and the existence of enclaves of these refugees already in Pennsylvania’s major cities. Cities like Pittsburgh welcomed considerable numbers of refugees from war-torn Europe in the first half of the 20th century, but may be less than welcoming in an era of prolonged economic decline and resurgent populist nativism. Long-standing ethnic communities have drawn the borders of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, from Squirrel Hill to Morningside to Polish Hill. White ethnic groups—German, Greek, Jewish, Ukrainians, etc.—have historically been able to find community solidarity and work in the Pittsburgh region. But black and brown cultural communities—not just in Pittsburgh, but nationwide—are more likely to be politicized than celebrated. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh’s international population is still low compared to other similarly-sized US cities. Refugee resettlement in Pittsburgh is down, and one of the three local resettlement agencies recently closed in response to federal funding cuts.
Refugees in Pittsburgh tend to settle in closely communities. Many Africans from Francophone and central Africa settle in Crafton and Crafton Heights, and then move towards the southwest and South Hills. Refugees from north and east Africa tend to settle in Northview Heights and the Northside, moving out around that area. Other groups of refugees have found homes in the South Hills, North Hills, Cranberry, Brentwood, Prospect Park, and Squirrel Hill. The two refugee assistance agencies, AJAPO and JFCS, are located in the Hill District and Squirrel Hill respectively.
The turmoil and intermixing that occurs as a result of the refugee crisis itself means that for many, the only thing they have in common with their neighbors from the same country is the fact that they are both refugees. For example, it is highly unlikely that a Congolese refugee who came through Burundi will encounter someone from their hometown village. Despite this, Pittsburgh's geography and neighborhood setup means that refugees often enter a community with people from similar backgrounds, language groups, and cultures. Refugees from all over the world have made homes and lives for themselves here in Pittsburgh.
New narratives
We set forth on this project seeking to break prominent narratives of African refugees in the United States and Pittsburgh—from the national security myth, to the ‘model refugee’ trope, to the focus on refugee hardships over successes.
We asked how and why African refugees have come to Pittsburgh, what their experiences with America have been, and how they see Africa, family, the USA, home, and the refugee crisis in general. We asked narrators to guide the story and to share whatever they wanted us to know. We interviewed factory machine operators, mothers, fathers, students. The stories that follow will make you laugh, make you cry, transport you to another place and time, and ultimately—we hope—spur you (whoever you are) to action.
We asked for connections. What we received were enduring, vibrant partnerships with narrators—people who have faced unspeakable hardship yet hold incredible hopes and dreams for life in America. And despite the historic instability forced upon them, most of the narrators saw America as a home: “I don't think if I'm refugee. Sometimes I forget that I’m refugee. I think I'm home now. It's that I think. This is my home, my country. I don't know about, say, refugee, African. Sometime if they ask about the African, yeah-yeah, I remember I say, “Yes, I'm African.” But the thing about if I'm refugee or American or African—no. That one sometimes it don't come into my mind.” -Bahati
The United States began taking part in refugee resettlement after the Second World War, beginning with the Displaced Persons Act (passed in 1948) and followed by the Refugee Relief Act (passed in 1953 - the first legislation to utilize the term ‘refugee’). The Refugee Act of 1980 legislated the uniformity of refugee intake, setting a precedent of 50,000 annual admittances. Per the Act, and continuing to this day, applications for asylum would be assessed on the basis of credible fear of persecution based on the following: religion, political opinion, race, nationality, or social group.
Following the War in Vietnam, the United States set a precedent of assisting individuals who were fleeing conflict for which America shared responsibility; a policy which was continued in the Middle East after the Gulf Wars. By contrast, the current US administration has pursued a refugee ban of multiple groups. As of 2019, the United States now imposes a 30,000 per annum refugee ceiling, the lowest number accepted by the US since 1980, and this despite growing numbers of refugees, especially from Sub-Saharan Africa. The US response to the greatest refugee crisis since the World Wars has been disinterest at best and overt-hostility at worst.
Transnationalism, resettlement and xenophobia
In far too many cases people from Sub-Saharan Africa have once again been forced into transnational lives fraught with danger and hostility. Conflict around the world shows no sign of ending soon. Conflict in the Congo, for example, has been ongoing since about 1996, when the ensuing presidential election led to various civil wars and ethnic violence. African refugees and displaced people are suffering in unfathomable ways. Yet in the face of sustained and increased violence, US resettlement numbers may only decline if anti-refugee sentiment continues, leaving questions about the future of Africa’s refugees and their abilities to survive, thrive, and receive basic human rights.
The United States’ claim to moral authority rests in large part on how it treats the world’s most vulnerable. Understanding why Sub-Saharan Africans risk it all to attempt new lives in the United States may reveal far more about the unstable transnationalism forced upon the people of the Global South than confirm or reiterate mythologized notions of America’s openness to ‘poor huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’
Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania refugee numbers are declining despite being equipped with the resources to assimilate East African refugees and the existence of enclaves of these refugees already in Pennsylvania’s major cities. Cities like Pittsburgh welcomed considerable numbers of refugees from war-torn Europe in the first half of the 20th century, but may be less than welcoming in an era of prolonged economic decline and resurgent populist nativism. Long-standing ethnic communities have drawn the borders of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, from Squirrel Hill to Morningside to Polish Hill. White ethnic groups—German, Greek, Jewish, Ukrainians, etc.—have historically been able to find community solidarity and work in the Pittsburgh region. But black and brown cultural communities—not just in Pittsburgh, but nationwide—are more likely to be politicized than celebrated. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh’s international population is still low compared to other similarly-sized US cities. Refugee resettlement in Pittsburgh is down, and one of the three local resettlement agencies recently closed in response to federal funding cuts.
Refugees in Pittsburgh tend to settle in closely communities. Many Africans from Francophone and central Africa settle in Crafton and Crafton Heights, and then move towards the southwest and South Hills. Refugees from north and east Africa tend to settle in Northview Heights and the Northside, moving out around that area. Other groups of refugees have found homes in the South Hills, North Hills, Cranberry, Brentwood, Prospect Park, and Squirrel Hill. The two refugee assistance agencies, AJAPO and JFCS, are located in the Hill District and Squirrel Hill respectively.
The turmoil and intermixing that occurs as a result of the refugee crisis itself means that for many, the only thing they have in common with their neighbors from the same country is the fact that they are both refugees. For example, it is highly unlikely that a Congolese refugee who came through Burundi will encounter someone from their hometown village. Despite this, Pittsburgh's geography and neighborhood setup means that refugees often enter a community with people from similar backgrounds, language groups, and cultures. Refugees from all over the world have made homes and lives for themselves here in Pittsburgh.
New narratives
We set forth on this project seeking to break prominent narratives of African refugees in the United States and Pittsburgh—from the national security myth, to the ‘model refugee’ trope, to the focus on refugee hardships over successes.
We asked how and why African refugees have come to Pittsburgh, what their experiences with America have been, and how they see Africa, family, the USA, home, and the refugee crisis in general. We asked narrators to guide the story and to share whatever they wanted us to know. We interviewed factory machine operators, mothers, fathers, students. The stories that follow will make you laugh, make you cry, transport you to another place and time, and ultimately—we hope—spur you (whoever you are) to action.
We asked for connections. What we received were enduring, vibrant partnerships with narrators—people who have faced unspeakable hardship yet hold incredible hopes and dreams for life in America. And despite the historic instability forced upon them, most of the narrators saw America as a home: “I don't think if I'm refugee. Sometimes I forget that I’m refugee. I think I'm home now. It's that I think. This is my home, my country. I don't know about, say, refugee, African. Sometime if they ask about the African, yeah-yeah, I remember I say, “Yes, I'm African.” But the thing about if I'm refugee or American or African—no. That one sometimes it don't come into my mind.” -Bahati
Sources:
Refugee Act of 1980, 8 U.S.C. §1521 (1980).
Report to Congress: Proposed Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2019, (2019), 14.
Kohn, Sally. “America’s response to the refugee crisis reflects the worst of its past”. Quartz. https://qz.com/500440/americas-response-to-the-refugee-crisis-reflects-the-worst-of-its-past/
Rostein, Gary. “Pittsburgh's International Population Keeps Growing, but Pales by Comparison to Similar Metro Areas”. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 2, 2018.
Palmiero, Kimberly. “Why One of Three Pittsburgh-Area Groups Offering Refugee Resettlement Is Ending the Service”. Public Source, October 24, 2018.
Refugee Act of 1980, 8 U.S.C. §1521 (1980).
Report to Congress: Proposed Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2019, (2019), 14.
Kohn, Sally. “America’s response to the refugee crisis reflects the worst of its past”. Quartz. https://qz.com/500440/americas-response-to-the-refugee-crisis-reflects-the-worst-of-its-past/
Rostein, Gary. “Pittsburgh's International Population Keeps Growing, but Pales by Comparison to Similar Metro Areas”. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 2, 2018.
Palmiero, Kimberly. “Why One of Three Pittsburgh-Area Groups Offering Refugee Resettlement Is Ending the Service”. Public Source, October 24, 2018.