I have feelings about this, as a refugee going into my 41st yr in the US, much of it in VT:

Refugee resettlement rhetoric needs to transform to primarily center the needs of the refugee instead of prioritizing societal benefits of the majority population. 1/* https://twitter.com/thevpo1/status/1331671082533842946

“Think of the food scene!” “Think of the tax base!” Are ways in which we center the benefits of the majority population (in VT, that means “white”) over the very real needs of a refugee. 2/*

“Think of the trauma and suffering we can ease by caring for this refugee and helping them to make a home here” is a way to center a refugee’s needs 3/*

Centering refugee needs means also preparing a community to receive them, just like you would do when adopting a new family member. Create welcoming spaces BEFORE they arrive, not just what we *think* might be welcoming. 4/*

We know that Rutland is not a “welcoming” space for Syrian refugees bc residents fought against it. They did not want them. Do not bring Syrian refugees there. They will be unwelcome. 5/*

Do not take someone who has already been severely traumatized and expect them to live/survive/thrive in a place where they are not wanted, where they will absolutely encounter more trauma and indignity. Do not do this to anybody. 6/*

We already know that Barre doesn’t value any Black or Brown lives bc it can’t even publicly say that #BlackLivesMatter without waving it’s Confederate flags also 7/*

Do not bring any refugee of color to Barre. It is not safe for them. Residents though will claim they “don’t see race” and laud their ethnic past while supporting the police, who resemble the soldiers the refugees probably fled from. 8/*

We know that Bennington harbors and allows white supremacy to take root and rout out people of color. When public officials like @MsKiahMorris are unsafe, all people of color / non-whites are also unsafe. Do not send refugees to Bennington. The police will not help them. 9/*

Fellow Vermonters, stop asking ourselves why we’re dying off, why young talent is leaving, why don’t people want to move here, even when we pay them?

“Why is Vermont so WHITE??!”

We did this to ourselves. 10/*

Let’s stop talking about the economic benefit of bringing in masses of people from overseas so they can live in all this whiteness.

That’s what slave traders and human traffickers do. Let’s not do that. 11/END