After the Welcome Center: Renewing Conversations About Immigration and Diversity in Faribault

    Maria_Curi_Internship

    Taryn Arbeiter ’12 & Maria Ward ’12
    Professor Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak

    St. Olaf College, Department of Political Science
    August 15, 2011

    Abstract

    This report presents ideas from Faribault, Minnesota about how increased immigration and diversity challenge public services and community relations.  Immigration has changed Faribault, Minnesota’s population dramatically in recent years.  In 2010, nearly one-fifth of local residents identified as non-white, up from only two percent twenty years earlier. Various sources indicate that most of those persons are recent immigrants and their family members.  For ten of the last twenty years, the Welcome Center offered advice and support to immigrant and refugee newcomers about how to access local services and build a productive life in Faribault.  With the Welcome Center’s closing in December 2010, Faribault finds itself at a turning point in responding to the arrival of so many new residents. Featuring insights gathered through interviews St. Olaf College students conducted with Faribault community leaders in March and April 2011, this report seeks to open new conversations and paths of action “after the Welcome Center,” about how Faribault can best incorporate its newest residents.

    Contents

    1. Introduction
      Introduces the intent and scope of the report.
    2. Immigration and diversity in Minnesota
      Presents statistics on recent demographic change due to immigration; historical discussion of immigration trends; and a brief explanation of why immigrants move to Minnesota.
    3. Immigration and diversity in Faribault
      Describes the trends in immigration to Faribault in the last two decades and how the city has responded to the resulting changes in its population.  Includes a discussion of the Welcome Center’s mission and reactions to its closing.
    4. Critical Needs and Key Issues: Original Research Findings
      Reports community leaders’ understanding of what issues confront Faribault, based on the interviews conducted during the spring of 2011.  Identifies three major categories of issues, detailing the scope and content of each, and interviewees’ ideas about what actions should be taken to address them.
    5. Recommendations
      Recommends action on networking, future research, language, education and the political process.
    6. Appendices
      Presents notes, recommended reading, reference materials, research methodology and list of persons interviewed.
    • Click here for the Executive Summary
    • Click here for the full report, After the Welcome Center: Renewing Conversations About Immigration and Diversity in Faribault

     

    If you would like to share the report with others, please link directly to this website, rather than re-posting the report on another site.
    Also, please notify Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak <ktp@stolaf.edu> if you share this report or link with others.