“From War to Amarillo”

KFDA - NewsChannel10 
November 24, 2015

Thomas Edison was essential in shaping America as we know it today, and he himself was not born a United States citizen. However, he constantly and tirelessly stood beside many other brave men who helped shape our country.

Edison fought to change public opinion on many subjects and in turn shaped public policy for issues our founding fathers faced. My story works to do the same thing. Amarillo has the highest per-capita number of refugees in the United States and Amarillo officials are concerned about the Syrian refugee crisis. They are worried about the amount of resources the refugees take away from our community. In my story, I wanted to show that they come to work and integrate, and that in most cases they are positively helping our local economy instead of draining our resources.

I wanted to give a voice to the voiceless, helping to break the stereotypes against these hard working people who were forced into their current situation. I talked to families who contribute to their community and had a job within the first three months of arriving. I took the time to get to know some of the successful refugee families in Amarillo. I wanted to raise awareness about how hard refugees strive to be incorporated into and work for the communities they become a part of. They, just like Thomas, care about America and moved here for a better life for themselves and their families. They moved “From War to Amarillo.”

LINK to content online
LINK 2 to content online

Submitted by Rachel Gollhardt.