Creating Diverse Communities of Immigrants and Established Residents

Understanding the cultures, needs and concerns of both immigrants/refugees and established residents is essential to create thriving diverse communities in the U.S. and elsewhere.  Integrating emigres into a new society also involves paying attention to the interaction with community members, local nonprofits and faith communities.   Our work with social integration began with the Ford foundation sponsored Changing Relations: Newcomers and Established Residents Project in Philadelphia, observing how émigré Asians, Latinos, and Eastern Europeans interacted with established residents in workplaces, schools and community settings in three diverse neighborhoods.  The research was translated into action plans developed with neighborhood based organizations and public policy through development of the Changing Relations Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate.  The Kenosha Social Capital Study used similar strategies to look at the integration of Central American migrants into an established Mexican American community and the mostly white surrounding small city, providing practical insights for community leaders. Later, studies looked at the role of social service organizations founded by and for recent immigrants/refugees who were from the middle east, Asia, and Africa in their social integration as part of the Pew sponsored Gateway Study of Immigrants in the Washington DC metro area.  Research was translated into practice by developing a workshop and dialogue based conference for policy makers and practitioners associated with the project.