Joanna Brown

The state of Louisiana has a long history of welcoming migrants from every corner of the world.

This swampland has become home to Spanish, French, Irish, German, Vietnamese, Lebanese — just to name a few — all bringing their cultures, their faith, and most importantly, their recipes.

As Cajuns, it’s in our blood to welcome and accept others. After all, we know better than anyone what it is to lose everything, live in exile, undertake dangerous journeys and eventually make a new home among the other dispossessed of the world, in the beautiful melting pot of Louisiana.

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My family’s story is the same as many of yours. They were French Acadian refugees exiled from Nova Scotia in the 18th century and made the journey to settle in what was then the Spanish colony of Louisiana. My grandmother, Vivian Cecile Lejeune, spoke Cajun French. As it turned out, she was among the last generation to speak it as a first language.

As we know, Louisiana banned French in public schools in the early 20th century, riding a wave of pro-America assimilation ideals. This was a policy born out of more prejudice than sense, and the result was a devastating loss to our culture.

But despite our struggles and the efforts to suppress our way of life, we are still the holders of the most vibrant and welcoming community in the whole country. Based on harsh experience, we should be the first to accept with open arms the tired, the poor, and the wretched — even when it makes us fearful to do so.

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Even through hardship, our families have contributed the very best of what this nation has to offer. The food. The Mardi Gras. Les bon temps.

Due to the wonderful confluence of peoples in our state, we are unique in so many ways. We do not hesitate to give of ourselves joyfully through every hurricane, flood, sickness and tragedy. It’s the Cajun way, but it’s also the spirit of the exiled.

We cannot close our home to the refugees who are fleeing their lands and deny them the opportunity to share their culture and generosity with us.

We know that the best thing about a gumbo is it can accommodate almost everything you throw in it — even potato salad, for those Cajuns among us of German descent.

Welcoming new cultures, languages, and cuisines is the soul of Louisiana. It’s only ever made us better — and more delicious.

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I live in Boston now, but I’m always so proud to tell people about my home. When I travel around the world, I love to share not just that I’m an American, but that I’m a Louisianan. A Cajun. I’ve been known to invite friends from Iran, Egypt, Russia, China, and Hungary to come visit — with a warning that once they get here, they may find themselves wanting to stay awhile.

I don’t want to be the generation that takes down the “Bienvenue en Louisiane” sign, that says the door has already shut. It’s not who we are as a people, and it’s not what we should be going forward.

Joanna Brown is a graduate of Lafayette High School and Louisiana State University. She is currently working in public health and pursuing a graduate degree in international affairs in Boston. Brown returns home to Louisiana as often as possible to visit family in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Plaquemine and other points south of Interstate 10. When people ask her where to find the best Cajun food in Massachusetts, she tells them “my apartment.”