Every day by 7 a.m. a group of Iraqi, Burundian and Guatemalan middle-schoolers waits for the bus at the corner of Mitchell Avenue and 17th Street.
After the bus picks up the half-dozen teens, a couple of Iraqi fathers linger a while longer to talk before each heads home.
Over the last year, the Southside has become more ethnically diverse. There are about a dozen nationalities represented in the small neighborhood ranging from the Congo to Germany and more than 80 in Hamilton County, according to the Ochs Center.
"When we first moved here in 2006, the neighborhood, at least then, was African-Americans and white," said Ellen Hays, a resident of the Fort Negley neighborhood. "Then we met a family from Guatemala that lived around the corner, and that started our understanding that there really was more diversity in the neighborhood than we were aware of."
Gulmira Musina, who arrived from Uzbekistan with her husband and children three months ago, has found a friend in a Lebanese neighbor. Both came as refugees and were resettled with the help of the local Bridge Refugees and Sponsorship Services.
A recent afternoon Mona Alkhodor sat with Mrs. Musina while she made gushnon, a doughy bread-with-meat recipe from Uzbekistan.
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Staff photo by Jake Daniels/Chattanooga Times Free Press Lorest and Lewont Carter, 12 and 10, foreground, ride the horse-drawn carriage with Zahran Sarhan, 11, left (in pink), Lulu Hussain, 14, center, and Rose Hassan, 14, right, on Sunday afternoon. Residents of the Southside neighborhood gathered together at Fort Negley Park on Sunday to have a potluck dinner and an afternoon of fun in the park.
Although neither speaks English well -- one speaks Arabic, the other Uzbek-- the women spend a lot of time together.
"We do everything together," said Mrs. Alkhodor laughing, as she held Mrs. Musina's hand. Their activities range from shopping to taking the children to the park and cooking.
In the afternoons, most of the neighborhood children rush to the little neighborhood park, which features a couple of swings and a playing set.
"You put kids in the park and language doesn't matter, they figure it out," Mrs. Hays said.
Most of the children use the few English words they know, coupled with hand motions and their native language, to get their points across.
"Give me," they yell, trying to get the soccer ball.
Often Arabic, Uzbek or Kirundi can be heard through the streets as children and parents converse.
A couple of weeks ago the neighborhood had a potluck gathering at which residents shared traditional American dishes such as strawberry shortcake and chicken salad, as well as a German chocolate cake brought by a neighbor from Germany and an Uzbek pakhlava --a sweet pastry.
More than 60 neighbors spent more than three hours getting to know each other and explaining their dishes, Mrs. Hays said.
As Bahati Madelene walks down the street smelling the different spices from around the world -- usually with her 4-month-old baby strapped to her back with a colorful fabric -- she stops and asks her neighbors what they're cooking, she said in Swahili through an interpreter.
Her family came to Chattanooga three years ago because of civil conflicts in their native Burundi.
Eduardo Centurion, who left his native Paraguay at age 9, moved with his family to the neighborhood in 2007.
BY THE NUMBERS
* 80: Estimated number of nationalities in Hamilton County
* 12: Number of nationalities in Fort Negley
* 10: Approximate number of languages spoken in the neighborhood.
Sources: The Ochs Center, neighborhood residents
"I took my job at New City Fellowship Church after visiting Chattanooga for just one weekend. Their commitment to racial reconciliation was a big reason why I chose to move my family here from St. Louis," said Mr. Centurion, who lives in Fort Negley with his wife Joy, daughter Lulu, 4, and son Ezra, 16 months.
"It brings back the memories of trying to adjust to life in a completely new world when my parents moved to the U.S. in 1988," he said. "I am able to remember the joys and difficulties that I experienced as a kid trying to figure out my place in two contrasting cultures, (and) I look forward to helping my neighbors walk through this adventure of assimilation."
Hussain Ali Hussain said he enjoys that all of his neighbors are willing to lend a hand when needed.
His family of four, including his wife, their daughter Lulua, 14, and son AbdulRaheman, 13, arrived in Chattanooga from Syria about a month ago.
"One of the good things we have is that if our neighbors see us, they smile and it makes us feel better," his wife, Amira Alwan, said through an interpreter.
Click here to vote in our daily poll: Do you think Chattanooga has a diverse population?
Perla Trevizo joined the Chattanooga Times Free Press in 2007 and covers immigration/diversity issues and higher education. She holds a master’s degree in newswire journalism from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Texas. She was selected as an International Reporting Fellow by the International Center for Journalists and in 2009 received an honorable mention for her story “Families Broken Apart” from the Tennessee ...
I have the privilege of teaching some of the wonderful young children from this neighborhood. They are some of the most motivated and appreciative youngsters you could ever imagine. Bridge Refugee Service does so much to help resettle these families, but they are always in need of volunteers and donations. When a family moves here, they place them in a furnished home and offer English classes and help finding jobs. Finding furniture and volunteers to help with English are two big areas of need. If you are willing to help with either, I can promise you are putting your resources into good use!
It would be nice if the above poll: Do you think Chattanooga has a diverse population? Allowed for elaboration.
My answer to that would be: Ye, Chattanooga actually does have a very diverse population from various countries and backgrounds. That said, however, Chattanooga may put on a show to exploit the diverseness here, but it doesn't necessarily accept, tolerate and embrace all its diversness. A white skin from Germany, a brown skin from the Congo may be acceptable, celebrated and the brown skin exploited. However, a brown skin from America, who has been here for centuries, remains the most group discriminated against. So, it's a great dog and pony show and makes good for P.R., but it's all a farce. In less than a generation or two, unless those brown skinned individuals from other countries can hold onto their accent, they too at some point will become just another brown skin Chattanooga will discriminate against.
@ alhannah17 Would you post some contact information? I am interested in helping with English.
What does this "diversity" cost the taxpayers in services and benefits? That's the most important question.
I don't get it - how is that "the most important question?"
Somebody's paying for it. It's not private funding that footing the bill.
Go here and read:
http://forefugees.com/category/states/tennessee/chattanooga/
"Not only should resettlement agencies give refugees enough food to last a week or two until their food stamps come through, there should also be a ready-to-eat meal at their apartment."
"According to the Matching Grant Program requirements (only 30% of refugees are enrolled in it, but the resettlement agencies are doing everything they can to get the government to expand the program)."
"Government agencies are taking the VOLAG’s position that the solution to this type of thing is for the government to give the resettlement agencies more funds, so that they don’t have to concentrate on early employment."
"Neither the government oversight agencies or the private refugee resettlement agencies show how much money, if any, the resettlement agencies are actually adding to all the government grants and contracts."
"Church World Service and an interfaith coalition of organizations have called on Congress to appropriate “robust funding” for, among other things, refugee resettlement programs within the U.S. "
"$415 million for refugee admissions in the Migration and Refugee Assistance account in FY2011.
Additionally, the group asked for Congress to fund the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the Department of Health and Human Services at $987.9 million, or at minimum, the $877.9 million that President Obama requested for ORR services."
That means taxpayer's money, my money, and I'm tired of paying for everyone's good intentions.
I'm not against refugees. I'm against organizations bringing refugees to the US then turning them over to the government welfare system to pay for it.
You want to bring refugees over? Great! But you foot the bill, you put them in your home, you pay for their education, you pay for their medical care, you provide them with transportation, you take care of them, you become liable for their legal problems, etc.
Got it?
Hopefully, those residents on the Southside aren't exploiting these varying ethnicities for what appears to be a cover for their own personal bias to remove traditionally black AMERICAN families from that area. That way, it won't look racially motivated if they have other varying ethnicities in the area. Because at some point those light skinned enough, like the ones from Germany, will be allowed to assimilate. Those brown or dark skinned enough will just become the ones they will discriminate against at some point. Fort Negley was once home to many working classed blacks. They use to have an annual family reunion at some park in Fort Negley. The new whites that moved into that area complained and complained to put an end to that. All this seems just a show and put on to cover their bigotry and racism against black Americans. Apparently, blacks from the Congo are welcome, for now. Browns from Guatamala are also welcome. Well at least for now. But black Americans who have lived in the area for decades are no longer welcome, and all this grandstanding just seems to be a cover to force them out. It's like these people are trying to play the game of favorite son God played that pitted one brother against another. Shame on your souless souls!
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