While doing my primary research in 2015 about Welcome Dayton, I came across many online news articles regarding the organization. One of the most interesting things about these articles was that they all discussed the benefits Dayton would receive from immigrants and refugees settling in the area. Very little did they discuss how immigrants and refugees could benefit from coming to Dayton as opposed to anywhere else in the country or the world.
Dayton is reeling from the recent closure of GM and relocation of NCR, when thousands of jobs were lost.
Immigrants are 2-3 times more likely to start a business than native-born residents.
Dayton’s economy will boom from the introduction of immigrants.
These are just some of the things the news articles list as ways Dayton will benefit from immigrants and refugees.
When asked about why news articles focused on these things rather than the benefits for immigrants, Melissa Bertolo, Welcome Dayton Program Coordinator replied “I think particularly in a time when we have Trump on one end, that’s like totally out there, and then you have Dayton on the other end, and is being like ‘No, actually having welcoming policies and being inclusive is really good for our communities.’ You have to talk about it in an economic type of sense because otherwise people aren’t going to pay attention. ”
Does this change the view of Welcome Dayton, or is it a strategic way of gaining acceptance in an era of anti-immigration rhetoric?
In one sense, because Welcome Dayton started with community input, community concerns, such as the economy, would be extremely important to discuss in order to gain support for the program. While the Welcome Dayton Final Report has mentions of an advisory board of immigrants that would help continue the conversation about what Welcome Dayton needs to do for the city, it does not say if there is an advisory board of immigrants that help Welcome Dayton with how they are perceived to the public. This would be an important addition to the Welcome Dayton plan, as it would provide an additional perspective on how Welcome Dayton advertises itself to immigrants and refugees.
On the other hand, it says something about the media and the people reading these articles that there is a one-sided rhetoric existing. While I am not implying that Welcome Dayton only cares about Dayton and not about immigrants or refugees, I am saying that there needs to be a more complete story including benefits to immigrants themselves. That immigrants and refugees deserve to be able to settle somewhere, without the threat of the things they are leaving in their home countries. It is the responsibility of the media and the public to recognize that Welcome Dayton is not one-sided, and does indeed want to help these people live in a safe and welcoming place. It is not all sunshine and daisies for immigrants simply because they’re now in the US. They face problems and situations that native-born inhabitants don’t.
It is clear from her interview that Melissa Bertolo is passionate about the work that Welcome Dayton is doing, and that she recognizes there are real problems that need real solutions. Her way of providing a solution is more at the policy-level. Organizations like Catholic Social Services (which is responsible for “reception and placement” of the refugees) and Wright State (which provides services such as career planning and more) are more of the front-door for refugees. Welcome Dayton is attempting to access the legislative level, to have a direct impact on laws and policies for these refugees and immigrants.
Whether Welcome Dayton achieves what it attempts to is up in the air as of this point in my research. I have one person saying good things about Welcome Dayton, and I have another person barely knowing what Welcome Dayton is. With more time and research, one could answer this question more fully.
The Turkish Community in Dayton, Ohio 1940-Present 