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White Branch Library is Becoming a Safe Haven for Refugees White Branch Library is Becoming a Safe Haven for Refugees

White Branch Library hosted the sign up for Salvation Army's Distribution Day

By Gabriela Knutson

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© 2018 (c) Gabriela Knutson

By Gabriela Knutson SYRACUSE, N.Y.  (NCC News) — Low-income families are flocking to register for this year’s Salvation Army Christmas Bureau Distribution Day. The sign up locations have been open from the 4th to the 12th of December. On Distribution Day, low-income families will receive a book, toy, and a stocking stuffer for every child in the family.

“Being poor is hard, and every month you’re just tredding water to stay ahead, and this is just so helpful, it really is,” says Jean Horton with tears in her eyes. Horton and her family have been members of the Syracuse community for 16 years, and every year the Distribution Day brings them joy.

This year in Syracuse, a new sign up location has opened this year because of the large population of refugees in its area. The White Branch Library has opened on Butternut Street after Bob’s School, a refugee assistance program where the previous location was, closed down. The organizers of the registration wanted another easy to access location for the refugees, so they chose the White Branch Library.

The library is also known for its refugee involvement and engagement programs, including English language classes, child day care, and other refugee assistance  programs.

“Hopefully they get used to coming here for events like this and they learn about other opportunities here. These are a lot of our newest residents and we want them to be very successful,” says the Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, who came to the library on Thursday morning.

McMahon is very proud of the way White Branch Library, and other libraries throughout the county are being inclusive of the refugees.

“It kind of represents who we are in Central New York and I’m just very pleased that our libraries are able to serve this role for the neighborhood here,” says McMahon.

“We have a map here in this library, a world map, and as families arrive and they get comfortable we ask them to put a pin on the map, where they’re from,” says Janet Park, the Executive Director of Onondaga County Public Library System.

Unfortunately, despite the warm welcome from the library, I overheard some white residents saying very snarky comments about the refugees and giving them some negative looks.

 

THE WHITE BRANCH LIBRARY ON BUTTERNUT STREET WAS OVERFLOWING WITH A DIVERSE ARRAY OF PEOPLE TODAY, AS LOW-INCOME FAMILIESOF ALL BACKGROUNDS CAME TO SIGN UP FOR DISTRIBUTION DAY. BUT THE LIBRARY SAYS THIS DIVERSITY IS THE SAME ON ANY OTHER DAY, BECAUSE THE LIBRARY IS LOCATED IN AN AREA WITH A HIGH LEVEL OF REFUGEES. THE LIBRARY SYSTEM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SAYS THE LIBRARY IS FOCUSED ON MAKING THE REFUGEES FEEL AT HOME.

“We have a map here in this library, a world map, and as families arrive and they get comfortable we ask them to put a pin on the map, where they’re from.”

THE LARGE REFUGEE POPULATION IN THE AREA WAS THE MAIN REASON FOR OPENING UP THE NEW REGISTRATION LOCATION.

“Hopefully they get used to coming here for events like this and they learn about other opportunities here. These are a lot of our newest residents and we want them to be very successful.”

ENGLISH CLASSES, CHILD DAY CARES, AND REFUGEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS ARE SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE LIBRARY IS OFFERING.

“It kind of represents who we are in Central New York and I’m just very pleased that our libraries are able to serve this role for the neighborhood here.”

BUT DISTRIBUTION DAY IS NOT ONLY FOR THE REFUGEES. ONE LOCAL RESIDENT SAYS THE EVENT HAS BROUGHT GREAT JOY FOR HER FAMILY OVER THE PAST 16 YEARS.

“Being poor is hard, and every month you’re just tredding water to stay ahead, and this is just so helpful, it really is.”

“The refugees at the White Branch Library are excited to get their presents on December 19th. But unfortunately, despite the warm welcome from the Onondaga County, I overheard some white residents … N-C-C News.”

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