Anna Flores

1501 Fourth Avenue

Seattle, WA 98101
206.123.4567
atseng@uw.edu
October 8, 2015

To the editor of The Seattle Times,

Thank you for your recent article, Unsettled: Immigrants search for their forever homes
in Seattle. Tyrone Beasons well researched article humanized an often
underrepresented portion of our city. While much of the Seattle area is becoming more
focused on how the increasing cost of living will change our lives, it is important that we
dont also lose sight of those that are already living precariously.
A recent report from the International Rescue Committee says that our state will receive
around 3,000 refugees in the coming year. Refugees who come to our country seeking
sanctuary from violence and persecution in their countries must have the opportunity to
succeed at creating a new life. As demonstrated, simply winning the Green Card
Lottery isnt enough. If we arent prepared to offer assistance for housing, education,
and occupational training, we are allowing them to stumble from one crisis into another.
There needs to be an ongoing dialogue to prevent current and future immigrants from
becoming another statistic in our growing housing crisis.
While our country is created of immigrants, we also have a long and tragic history of ill
treatment toward them. Our current racial paradigm is a direct result of some of these
failures. Due to a racialized social system, many of these refugees will suffer as a result
of social and economic marginalization. Perhaps in looking at how our society can better
embrace these refugees, we can also reflect on how the social construct of race is
hindering our society. Professors of Sociology Becky Pettit from the University of
Washington and Bruce Western from Harvard published a paper stating that the
socioeconomic status of a person has a significant influence on the life outcome of a

person. Based upon this study, immigrants and their children need to be provided with
services that help them to assimilate and become productive members of society.
According to data gathered in 2010 by the US Census Bureau, 12% of the nations
population are foreign-born. Another 11% are native-born, but with at least one foreignborn parent. It is likely that these numbers will only continue to increase. We as a
society need to examine and address issues that are dividing our communities and will
ultimately prevent us from offering a safe haven to the refugees. I encourage you to
continue publishing articles that create awareness and open a dialogue about these
crucial issues.
Sincerely,
Anna Flores