When I immigrated to Seymour in 1979, I was 28 years old, newly married and had no idea where I was going to live or get car insurance — and my wife needed a job.
As luck would have it, I received a lot of help in solving these needs. Nothing helped my assimilation better than the welcome I received at that time. It was the beginning of my love affair with Seymour that continues to this day.
Today’s immigrants face much bigger problems than I encountered. At least I knew the language, but like me, they have come to Seymour because of opportunity. We have to figure out a way to bring them up to speed on the American way and aid in their transition to (hopefully) citizenship. Both the newcomer and the established community will benefit.
Assimilation takes time. I’ve been told German was spoken in Jackson County until WWII — a hundred years of bilingualism. But the bilingualism didn’t get in the way of the development of rock-solid Americans. In some ways, this is looked back at as a source of pride. Think of Oktoberfest. Spanish and Chuj will be with us for awhile, but I have no doubt the American culture will be absorbed and emulated. Anybody who has raised children knows this.
Last September, I attended the Seymour vs. Brownstown football game and plenty of young people were there. Sitting in front of me were three teenagers, a boy and two girls, Hispanic. They were cheering on the Owls as well as if not better than the rest of the fans. They were more engaged than many of the surrounding young people. I left the stadium not only heartened by their enthusiasm but also marveling at the allure of Hoosier and American culture.
“They’re catching on fast,” I said to myself.
America is irresistible.
The Opportunity Plan makes no mention of bringing in more factories. Some comments printed in the paper are critical of the current big employers in Seymour, making statements such as, “They’re bringing in unskilled immigrants to keep the factories going.” What the Opportunity Plan does say is that efforts need to continue and improved upon to help the current workforce get ready for future manufacturing.
This is the workforce development that leads to not only survival of the factory (big employer), but also to the creation of the much-talked-about, well-paid, high-skilled worker. Manufacturing is always changing. The Industrial Revolution never stops. Good things happen to communities that prepare.
Affordable housing is a problem everywhere. One way to help this is to put people in a position to afford a house. This is a spin-off of the well-paid worker scenario already described. New houses will be built and rundown housing will diminish. The Opportunity Plan imagines such development but nothing more. If development occurs, it will be from private developers. Somebody some say will take a chance on this — another example of the American way.
The immigrants are with us. There are known ways to hasten their assimilation and a proper welcome is one of these. It makes sense a place for this to happen would be called a welcome center. It could also be called an Americanization center. It’s where a love affair with Seymour could begin.
Dr. Charlie Calhoun, Seymour