Snelling Connection Newsletter of the Hancock/Hamline University Collaboration
“The HancockHamline Collaboration has been an inspiration for me to go to college because when I visit Hamline or see Hamline students come here I get to see the wonders of college and can really believe that college truly does begin in kindergarten.” —Caitlin Hare, 6th grade In This Issue: Making it to Minnesota
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Kids Voting Hand-in-Hand lunch
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Kids’ Artwork and Poetry
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From the desk of ...
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On the Issues
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Dear Hancock Husky
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Volume 12, Issue 2
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Making it to Minnesota
The Karen represent one of St. Paul’s fastest-growing immigrant groups. The Daw family arrived from Thailand last May, and are now learning what life is like half a world away in Minnesota.
The Daw children stand outside their bamboo-built home in the refugee camp they lived in until last May when they moved to St. Paul.
By Angela Froemming Editor nticipation filled the air in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport late one night last May. Something special was coming. A large group of people occupied one end of baggage claim, some pacing in front of the sliding glass doors in excitement. Others sat calmly. A few warmed up their cameras. Finally, people began filtering into baggage claim from the other side of the glass doors, looking tired from a long flight. By now, everyone was up on their feet, eagerly scanning the recent arrivals. Then, the cameras started clicking. They had arrived.
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The Daw family, made up of Ba Eh Ler Htoo, Eh Tamwee, Eh Lertoo, Re Wah Lay, Pa Tha Soe and their mother, Tha Htoo Daw, had left Thailand two days earlier. Five flights later, they were finally in Minnesota. Family and friends, some of whom had never been met, welcomed the new family with hugs, tears, smiles and the promise of warm food and additional family waiting for them at their new home. This is a familiar scene for several Hancock students, as many students are first-generation immigrants; many more have gone to an airport or home to greet their newly arrived family member or friend. Many of these students make up the ESL (English as a Second Language) population at Hancock. The majority of Hancock’s ESL students come from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central and South America, with the most common languages being Hmong, Karen, Somali and Spanish. The Daws, who are ethnic Karen, contribute to the growing number of Karen refugees settling in Saint Paul. The Karen are an ethnic minority who live primarily in Burma and Thailand, and are currently the targets of a genocide being inflicted upon them by the Burmese military regime. As a result, the Karen are resettling. The city of St. Paul is estimated to have about 3,000 Karen, making St. Paul the hub of the Karen community within the United States. The reasons a family may leave their country of origin vary. Some come to the United States to escape persecution or war. Others may be looking for better opportunities in education or work. Many Karen people, fleeing war and ethnic cleansing, initially set their sights on refugee KAREN continued on page 2 Winter 2009