A report produced earlier this year and released widely last month sheds light on the experiences of young diverse professionals in the Springfield community regarding the climate of inclusion in the city. Specifically, the study, led by MSU Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Lyle Q. Foster, sought to explore “how inclusive Springfield is – and to what extend residents from underrepresented backgrounds feel safe, respected, and comfortable in being themselves and expressing all aspects of their identities.”

The results from this study show the need for significant progress toward inclusion for the city of Springfield. 68% of the individuals surveyed (103 in total) said that Springfield is either “not inclusive” or “not very inclusive,” while just 2% said that Springfield is “very inclusive.” Of the specific identities participants were asked about, the groups that were perceived as being least welcomed in the community include diverse religions (15% considered Springfield a welcoming community for this group) and racially diverse people (16% considered Springfield a welcoming community for this group).

The authors of this study provided seven recommendations to make Springfield a stronger, more inclusive community:

1. Minority representation in local leadership roles can empower individuals who have traditionally been excluded from decision-making spaces.
2. Anti-racism and implicit bias training in schools, workplaces, and churches can help build capacity to understand societal inequities and help individuals learn to oppose identity-based injustices.
3. City-wide efforts to incentivize, support, and empower minority-owned and minority-supported businesses would help diversify Springfield’s community offerings.
4. Voices of underrepresented groups in the city should be amplified to showcase the successes and promote minority inclusion in social, legal, and political conversations.
5. Policies and ordinances, such as protections for members of the LGBTQ+ community, law enforcement evaluation and training, and changes to punishment systems in schools should be evaluated and protections expanded to improve the city’s climate.
6. Embracing of diverse cultural expression – radio stations, cultural events, murals, and other forms of art – will help to create a sense of belonging and inclusion for individuals of diverse backgrounds.
7. Change starts with open and honest education to acknowledge the history of systemic inequalities in this country and in the Springfield area specifically, through fact-based and unbiased curriculum both in local schools and for all Springfield citizens.

Read more about the 2020 Community’s Young Professional Survey Report and access the full report on the MSU Diversity, Equity and Inclusion webpage.

Every day, all over the world, people make one of the most difficult decisions in their lives – to leave their homes in search of a safer, better life. While choosing to relocate and rebuild one’s life in a new country may be the reality for some, millions of others are forced to flee persecution, human rights violations, armed conflicts, or other crises and violence. Some no longer feel safe and might have been targeted just because of who they are or what they do or believe.

A refugee is a person who has fled their own country because they are at risk of serious human rights violations and persecution there. The risks to their safety and life were so great that they felt they had no choice but to leave and seek safety outside their country because their own government cannot or will not protect them from those dangers. Refugees have a right to international protection. The law within the United States has specific requirements for who is and who is not included as a refugee.

An asylum-seeker is a person who has left their country and is seeking protection from persecution and serious human rights violations in another country, but who hasn’t yet been legally recognized as a refugee and is waiting to receive a decision on their asylum claim. Seeking asylum is a human right. This means everyone should be allowed to enter another country to seek asylum. To apply for asylum within the United States requires from I-589 within one year of arrival to the United States.

• 4 million forcibly displaced people worldwide
• 5 of the countries hosting the largest number of refugees are in Sub-Saharan Africa
• 7 million refugees globally
• 4 million refugees need resettlement right now
• 84% of refugees are hosted by developing countries

During 2020, several crises – some new, some longstanding, and some resurfacing after years – forced 11.2 million people to flee. This figure includes people displaced for the first time as well as people displaced repeatedly, both within and beyond countries’ borders. This week’s top stories within The Refugee Brief include: 1) Haitians returned from US and Mexico; 2) Syrian refugees struggling to survive in crisis-hit Lebanon; 3) As needs in Afghanistan rapidly grow, aid groups plead for help. You may have seen the images that recently surfaced from the US-Mexico border of white Border Patrol officers on horses chasing, yelling, and whipping Haitian asylum seekers conjuring our country’s not so distant past.

The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 that were held this summer had the Refugee Olympic team participate – 29 athletes competing in 12 sports. The first time the Refugee Olympic Team competed was during the Olympic Games Rio 2016. International Olympic Committee President, Thomas Bach said, “This will be a symbol of hope for all refugees in the world, and will make the world better aware of the magnitude of this crisis. It is also a signal to the international community that refuges are our fellow human beings and are an enrichment to society.”

Springfield will soon welcome 100 Afghan refugees! The International Institute of Southwest Missouri is helping search for their housing, jobs, and basic needs. They are looking for property owners willing to work with them and collecting furniture, household supplies, and cash donations.

References

• Amnesty International | Refuges, Asylum-Seekers and Migrants
• S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
• The UN Refugee Agency | The Refugee Brief – October 1, 2021
• (UNHCR) The UN Global Trends Forced Displacement in 2020
• International Olympic Committee | IOC Refugee Olympic Team
• Color of Change | Justice for Black Migrants Petition
• KY3 Afghan refugees will soon arrive in Springfield

LGBT History month takes place every year in October for the US and Canada but is commemorated at different times of the year in other countries around the world. For the UK, it takes place in February while in Greenland and Brazil, LGBT+ History month is celebrated during the same time as Pride in the Summer.

The month began in the US in 1994 thanks to efforts by a Missouri high school teacher, Rodney Wilson. He gathered other teachers and community leaders to celebrate and teach gay and lesbian history (this was later expanded to include other queer identities). October was chosen because public schools are in session and other existing traditions such as Coming Out Day (October 11^th) also happen that month.

Since 2006, Equality Forum, the group that has assumed responsibility for LGBT History month, began highlighting 31 LGBTQ+ icons from around the world throughout all eras of history each day in October. The intersectional identities that these representatives have are also examined in these daily highlights. You can find this year’s LGBT History Month 2021 Icons (as well as explore previous years’ icons) here.