For decades, the United States has been known as the melting pot of the world — a place where, according to the Statue of Liberty, we welcome the world’s tired, poor huddled masses that yearn to breathe free. Yet the recent debate following President Barack Obama’s June 15 announcement of a policy that will block the deportation of some children of undocumented immigrants shows how the country’s melting pot status remains a point of contention.
According to the most recent census data, 7.4 percent of North Carolinians are foreign born and approximately 10 percent age five or older speak a language other than English at home. While North Carolina falls behind the national average in both categories (12.7 percent and 20.1 percent respectively), the Tar Heel state does not lack diversity. In fact, North Carolina is ranked in the top 10 for states with the fastest growing immigrant populations.
As the debate over immigration continues, WhichWayNC will profile four North Carolina towns – Mount Olive, Siler City, Hickory and Morrisville - focusing on each place’s immigrant populations. Words like “invasion,” “illegal” and ”alien” may surround the immigration debate. But WhichWayNC hopes to look past the rhetoric to see into people’s lives. Because daggumit, if we’re still a melting pot, North Carolina residents should know how the state is transforming.