Refugees in Buffalo: Reinforcements Have Arrived

“The people in Buffalo are just the best. They’re just good people.” It used to annoy me when people would rattle this off as the first thing that they like about Western New York. I thought it was corny. And probably inaccurate.

As I get a little bit older, I see more of the truth in it. At the very least, there is a “down to earth” aspect of our culture that I don’t want to go away, no matter how many shiny new things we have to celebrate.

I see Buffalo’s refugee community playing a huge role in keeping the best of Buffalo while we learn to adapt to the present. I’m idealizing both Buffalo and immigrant values and I don’t care. It’s the part we were born to play.