Grandfather Reflections on Burleigh County Commission Consent to Settle Refugees

Jana at Adonai Evangelical Church, Bismarck

This evening I’ll be attending the Burleigh County Commissioners public meeting where they will hear perspectives, and vote upon Lutheran Social Services request for consent to settle refugees in Burleigh County. I’ve posted a bunch of others’ thoughts the last week. I’ve participated in several small group discussions. Yet, I haven’t said much in public. I’m going to write as a grandfather. Others have well written in Burleigh County as pastors, friends, lawyers, government leaders, professors, social workers, and immigration advocates. If you haven’t read their perspectives, please do.

Ice skating at grandma's (my mom)

When I was just a young father living outside of the United States, we’d visit my parents on furlough at their home on Reno Lake in northern Minnesota. My children naively called their grandparents’ home, “America.” Whenever the stress of travel and crowds got too much they’d request to return to “America.” In America you could easily go fishing. In the summer you could easily swim. You could play outside with little supervision as life was safe. The greatest threat was probably a skunk. Your grandpa’s neighbor had a big dog and your grandpa had a gun. There wasn’t much to be afraid of. You were always loved. You were always accepted. Skin color made no difference. You could eat all the sweets you wanted. The food was always good. If you were tired you could easily take a nap and be held. As a dad I giggled that in my young children’s minds “America” was not nation state, but the emotional state of your grandparents’ home.

Sunset over North Dakota's Missouri River

I moved to Bismarck about a month ago for a variety of good reasons. In the back of my mind though I’m now a grandfather and I wanted to create “America” for my grandchildren. Whatever the outcome of tonight’s vote Bismarck will still be a place where I intend to create “America” for my grandchildren. There will still be beautiful scenery. There will still be fish in the rivers and lakes. There will still be parks and trails to play. I’ll still have a few guns at home. I’ll still have good friends. North Dakota’s economy will still be growing. The schools will still be good. There will still be vibrant churches in Bismarck. The crime rates will still be low.

All of the factors that make Bismarck a good place to create “America” for my grandchildren will also create “America” for other peoples’ grandchildren. Practically, because of low native-born birthrates and North Dakota’s growth there will be people moving here. Some of them will have recent immigration stories. Many will be young married couples with college degrees and a couple kids. As a pastor in Bismarck I get the extra privilege to be a substitute grandpa for lots of families I adore. Some have been in the United States for generations. Some have only been here a short period of time.

What is at stake tonight for me is my moral authority as a grandfather. I’m not alone in this quest for moral authority. Any grandparent in Burleigh County tonight has our grandchildren’s respect on the line.

If the County Commissioners’ decision is, “No” Burleigh County will be one of the test cases as this matter moves through the federal courts. It will be the example as the constitution and freedom of movement is discussed. Many historians will draw a philosophic line with the states’ rights arguments a few Bismarck politicians have made to states’ rights arguments made in the 1850’s and 1860’s to the states’ rights arguments made in the 1950’s through the 1970’s.

Some are debating whether these arguments are valid. Some politicians are weighing whether they can vote, “yes,” and be reelected in Burleigh County. I have no doubt how my grandchildren will see this vote. I have no doubt what the perspective is on Bismarck soccer fields and tracks. The children of refugees were key in several state soccer championships and track times have gotten faster. I have no doubt what the perspective will be for entrepreneurs. Refugees go to work at jobs few others want. I have no doubt what the perspective will be in libraries and schools. Refugee kids study and get good grades. I have no doubt what the perspective will be in church youth groups. Refugee kids are active and provide leadership.

For my grandchildrens' peers this vote is a no brainer. Vote yes because refugees are our neighbors. Refugees in Bismarck are just a fraction of our population. Yet, refugees in just a few years’ time have made our county measurably better athletically, academically, and economically. I’m old enough to know what happens when successful young people finish college, get married, have kids, and start careers. The economics and math say we all benefit.

Now back to making “America” for my grandchildren and moral authority. My granddaughter now hangs on my every word. She laughs when I go sledding with her. She’s smart. She’s social. She weighs serious matters though she’s just a toddler. She like books. Today, her books are mostly pictures. I know a day will come when she reads books full of footnotes. Tonight, I’ll stand with refugees. I want my grandchildren to be proud of my convictions and actions. I know if I don’t stand with refugees a day will come when my grandchildren will have to process my public failings in a deep and profound way. Because I believe in the “America” of children tonight I stand with refugees in Burleigh County.