Some Refugees Are Scared of Us, Too

I cannot imagine what it would feel like, after years of waiting, going through the vetting process, receiving a Visa, going through the orientation-to-America class, and receiving plane tickets, packing, and saying goodbye--after all that--to be turned away while boarding the plane because America has stopped accepting refugees.

Thought you might be interested in a story I produced last year in which a Karen man, now a college student, recounts a terrifying experience his first day in America (from Burma). And it's also about dance!

About 7,000 Karen refugees have arrived in Minnesota in the past decade, fleeing persecution in the country once known as Burma. Although the Karen are relative newcomers here, some Karen worry they may be losing their culture. As KFAI's Emily Bright reports, one Karen man is doing something about it. (Photo credit: Poh Poh and the Karen Culture Organization of Minnesota.)