(10/5/2016)

by LAURA HAYES



They come for love, for more opportunities to pursue a career in a specific field, for a chance to provide a better education for their children, for a chance at a different life. In the gym of the former Central Elementary School, community members gathered to hear immigrants share why they decided to come to the United States, what challenges they faced, and pass along how to better welcome their neighbors.



“We have some amazing people [in the community],” Winona Area Public Schools (WAPS) Adult Literacy Coordinator Chris Dahlke said. “That’s one of the greatest things I think we offer to the world, that if they want to, they can come and make a life for themselves. They can find love or bring love with them.”



Their stories were part of the launch of “Green Card Voices” –– a nonprofit organization based in the Twin Cities founded with the idea to add a new perspective to the immigration dialogue occurring across the country by adding the voices of American immigrants. Green Card Voices has a traveling exhibit sharing stories from men and women who immigrated to the United States from a multitude of countries and for a multitude of reasons. Dahlke, who coordinated bringing the program to Winona, said that last year, one of WAPS English as a second language (ESL) teachers was at a conference when she saw the exhibit on display.



“She came back and said, ‘I think this would be a really good thing to bring to Winona,’” Dahlke said. After bringing it to the staff and WAPS’ Community Education department, all the staff members agreed to try to bring the exhibit to the community as soon as possible. The exhibit was at Winona Senior High School for two weeks for students before it was open to the public at Central.



Winona Area Public Schools (WAPS) partnered with Project FINE to bring the exhibit to Winona, and they decided to add Winonans’ voices to the conversation. “A lot of the work that we do in adult literacy is helping those people when they first come here,” Dahlke said. He and some of the other adult literacy teachers reached out to students and asked if they would be willing to share their stories. “That’s brave, to get up and speak in your second or third language. We made sure the students were comfortable doing that,” he said.



Through the exhibit and by having local immigrants share their stories, Dahlke hoped to validate and celebrate their journey to Winona. Jose “Pepe” Uribe, an immigrant from Mexico, met his wife while traveling in the United States around two years ago. “My story is like one of the stories in movies,” he said. His brother and sister invited his future wife to dinner. After he left, they started dating long-distance.



“We used to Skype or Facetime every night. We tried to do the relationship like a normal relationship,” Uribe said. They would watch movies together with the computer screen facing the TV. Or they would eat dinner together –– one in Mexico and the other in the United States. Soon, they had to make a decision. Would he move to the United States or would she move to Mexico?



“My only concern was my mom because she’s old and she has many medical problems. She lived alone after my dad passed away,” Uribe said. “I supported her. It’s a hard decision to leave. More than my country, this is my mom.”



In the end, he moved to Winona and they were married in April 2015. But the move wasn’t without its challenges. Uribe said that one time, he went to the grocery story to buy shrimp to make ceviche, a seafood dish. “In Mexico, we use the metric system. We use kilo where you would use pounds or ounces. I tried to make the conversion in my head and I said, ‘Give me four pounds [of shrimp],’” he said.



Uribe said that he had an easier time coming to the United States because he worked within the law. “You don’t need to worry about the police coming and saying, ‘You can’t stay here because this isn’t your country.’ Now all of my friends are jealous because I’m still here,” he said. “You don’t lose your country because your country lives here in your heart.”



Min Ling “Sally” Lo came to the United States last year from Taiwan looking for more opportunities to have a good life and provide a good education for her children. Her daughter and son currently attend Cotter Schools. “This is the most important thing in my life –– to make sure that the kids have a good education and good opportunities,” Lo said.



She explained that there was a lot of pressure for students to get good grades. When her kids started at Cotter, Lo said that her son’s grades were poor. “The school arranged for a meeting ... and all of the teachers came. They tried to figure out what the problem was,” she said. The school, she recalled, came up with ways they could help her son together.



“I almost cried because in Taiwan in the same situation, all of the duties fall on the parents ... No one is going to try to help you,” Lo said.



With the teachers’ help, her son's grades and confidence improved. “In Taiwan, if your scores aren’t good, you are nothing. Everyone will look at you like you’re a loser,” she said. “The score is everything.” Here students are more than their grades, she said.



An immigrant from Thailand, Vue Thao said that there are many services to support immigrants when they arrive in the United States. “That is something that’s hard to see from other countries especially where I came from. This is one of the best places to be in,” Thao said.



The panel was asked what community members could do to help other newcomers to feel comfortable and be successful. “First, you have to welcome them as a friend,” said Justina Pfefferkorn, who came from the Philippines in 2000 to marry her husband. “Try to know what their needs are. Try to help them if you can, and try to help them find a friend.”



To become successful, Pfefferkorn said, tell them the reality. “You have to work hard to be successful. First, learn English so you can communicate better. Tell them what you need and what you want to do in your life. Tell them the resources that you know,” she said.



Project FINE’s Chong Sher Vang said that English is the hardest language to learn. He asked teachers to be patient. “Have an open mind, be patient, and have an open heart,” he said.



Dahlke was struck how many of the panel members expressed how welcoming and friendly they found America and Winona to be. “That was very reassuring to hear because you hope that that’s what they’re experiencing,” he said.



“Green Card Voices” will be on display at Central until October 28. The display can be viewed Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Monday through Wednesday from 6-8 p.m.