CBS 21 December 14, 2019
Lancaster City was named the 6th “Welcoming City” in the U.S. this past September. As part of the Pennsylvania Refugee Resettlement program, 401 asylum seekers now call Lancaster home.
And while Lancaster has many Amish families who have lived there for many generations, there’s not a lot of mixing between all these communities.
So a lunch was held, hosted by an Amish family, to share food and stories of the Amish and refugee communities.
This gathering was put together by two people who call Lancaster home. Mustafa Nuur is a refugee from Somalia and Phil Lapp’s family has Amish roots.The organizers are Lancaster based refugee resource called Bridge and LoKal Experiences.
“Bringing those communities together and letting people experience the cultures combined,” Nuur explained is the goal of the experience.
Lapp says he grew up with the Amish and that they’ve always been friends and neighbors.
“To gain a better and deeper appreciation for the role that immigration plays in Lancaster as one of the 6 Welcoming Cities in the US,” said Lapp.