By SUSAN RIEMER and ANNELI FOGT
Staff Writer, Editor
As the attitude of intolerance toward refugees, immigrants and the Muslim community grows in many areas, islanders are taking steps to assist where they can and ensure that immigrants on Vashon feel welcome.
Several islanders interested in assisting Syrian refugees are learning what it would take for the island to welcome one or more families or support them in other ways. An informational meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, at the Vashon Library; all interested people are welcome.
This will be the second meeting on this issue, according to Carolyn Gill, one of those involved. She suggested that everyone who attends consider what resources they could contribute to a refugee family, from providing a room to offering to babysit to taking people to the grocery store.
A previous meeting was held at the Gills’ home earlier this month with guest speaker Greg Hope, the director of the Refugee Resettlement Office in Seattle.
In a Facebook post following that meeting, Jeffrey Gill noted the greatest challenge in resettlement is coming up with enough money for rent; employment opportunities are also important, as well as language issues for non-English speakers. He also indicated that Hope wondered whether a community as isolated as Vashon would be ideal for a refugee family.
Carolyn Gill said she believes those involved are looking for ways to provide assistance that is truly beneficial, whether that means welcoming refugees or providing other kinds of support.
In an unrelated effort, several local businesses have joined a nationwide effort to combat intolerance by placing “Hate Has No Business Here” signs in the windows of their shops.
The signs read: “We stand with our Muslim community members. We stand with refugees and immigrants in our community,” and “All are welcome here.” The message that all are welcome is also translated into a myriad of different languages, including Spanish, Arabic and Japanese.
Emily Keiko Pruiksma, a Japanese- American islander, said that the signs mean a lot to her and her family members, many of whom had to deal with a similar situation after the Pearl Harbor attacks.
“I’ve heard so many stories from my Japanese-American grandparents, aunties and uncles about their experiences after the bombing of Pearl Harbor,” Pruiksma said. “It brings our community so much pain to know that other innocent people are experiencing the same fear and hateful treatment now. We’ve all been searching for ways to change and heal this story.”
She is spearheading the local effort to spread the word about the signs and said last week that the Vashon Library, Vashon Pharmacy, Thriftway, Minglement and the Vashon Bookshop were just a few of the businesses that had agreed to post the sign or pass it on to the owner for approval.
Minglement owner Eva DeLoach said that the signs are a “nice call to action,” but that everyone should be being welcoming and non-censorious anyway.
Vashon Tea Shop owner Elizabeth “Boo” Dinan-Slack seconded DeLoach and said she doesn’t think anyone should or would feel unwelcome in her business.
“As far as I’m concerned, they’re welcome here,” Dinan-Slack said. “The tea shop welcomes everybody; gays can find shelter here; anyone who is being harassed is welcome here.”
The Hate Has No Business Here movement began earlier this month at the independently owned Minnesota business Common Roots Cafe. According to the cafe’s website, the owners decided to put up a sign “to make it clear to Muslims, immigrants and refugees in our community that they are welcome in our place of business and that we stand by their side.”
The sign soon caught the eye of the Main Street Alliance, a national organization that works with small businesses to give them a voice on national issues. The alliance took the cafe’s sign and turned it into a national movement that has made its way across the country.
Businesses or organizations interested in displaying the sign can download a copy at mainstreetalliance.org.
