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Cultural Diversity at Mosaic Festival in Greensboro

May 31, 2012 | Bethany Chafin

Church World Service Immigration and Refugee program is hosting its third Mosaic Festival this Saturday.  The group was established three years ago and seeks to welcome those who have fled from persecution.  They provide everything from furniture and kitchen supplies to legal aid and help with job placement for refugees who arrive in Guilford County.  

Sarah Ivory is the director of the nonprofit and she explains just how difficult the transition for such refugees can be.  She says, “Many of our clients have been in refugee camps for long periods of time and before that they may have been in rural or agrarian settings, so you’ve got some folks who lived in much bigger cities than Greensboro, and you have others who maybe haven’t even seen stairs before much less an electric stove or something like that.”

Of 16.5 million global refugees, the U.S. will only welcome one quarter of one percent of this group.  But every year over 600 refugees find a home in Greensboro and there are 140 first languages spoken in Guilford County schools.  According to Ivory, such diversity is beneficial for an economy that wants to grow.  Skills brought by the refugees are helping some local businesses stay local. 

“There was a company that was about to relocate to a different state because they couldn’t find the workforce they needed”, Ivory notes.   “It’s a company that manufactures protective gear for police forces and military.  They needed sewers and most Americans growing up today don’t know how to sew.  The company ended up finding us and we have a large population from Bhutan who were all tailors, and they were able to get 25 people that could start that day that could sit in front of a sewing machine and know how to use it.”

Ivory says a common misconception is that people who are getting jobs are taking jobs rather than creating.  Saturday’s Festival is a celebration of the skills, culture, and diversity in Greensboro.  With food, art, and music, the event promises something for everyone.  Thousands attended last year and the crowd is expected to be even bigger this year. 

Ivory says, “It has the feeling of being in an open air market in a foreign country.  We have 15 different food vendors from 14 different countries this year, crafters, demonstrators, and commotion, and in the background you’ve got all this great music.  We wanted people to be able to have an environment that was positive and that they could share their skills and talents and culture and enjoy in those things that we all have in common.”


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