Right now, homeless sure fits
We've gotten a few complaints today about the use of the term "refugee" to describe those people evacuated from the Gulf coast. I've been unable to find a recent "refugee" reference in the newspaper itself, but I may have missed some. I have seen it used in wire stories on our Web site, though.
A dust-up over refugee references gained steam when Jesse Jackson condemned it, saying it has racist connotations. President Bush later agreed that it was the wrong term to use.
Others including The Chicago Tribune (reg. req.), the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and plenty of bloggers have weighed in.
The dictionary definition of refugee is One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution.
Evacuee is a person who has been evacuated from a dangerous place.
I asked our style maven, Jim Denery, about our usage. He said: We started using "evacuees" about a week ago, after the term refugee started to draw attention in the national media. We decided that since refugee is usually associated with religious or political persecution, evacuees would be more appropriate. In cases where displaced or homeless fit, we're also using those terms.
Is the distinction important? To some, certainly. We're interested in being precise and, putting aside whether racism is involved, evacuee seems to be the more accurate description.
Comments (4)
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Speaking of language, I’m glad at least that the word “homeless” has been reclaimed to mean “people who have lost their homes,” and is no longer (or at least not entirely) a polite synonym for “vagrants.”
Posted on September 8, 2005 9:14 PM
We had a virtual meeting over at NCDisasterAid.org and decided that "evacuees" was more fitting. It seemed unthinkable that there were "refugees" who were Americans IN America. We didn't discuss racist meanings; we didn't think of that or in that way.
But our good pastors did point out that there are people-without-homes right here in Greensboro and while our hearts go out to and our help is extended to Gulf Coast evacuees, we should never forget that there are people right here at home who need shelter and jobs. We just have to work harder for everyone and not jump on a compassion bandwagon only to jump off later when it doesn't hurt our hearts so much.
The pastor got several "amens" that were well-deserved. (I heard that story from those who were there; I didn't attend.)
Posted on September 8, 2005 9:53 PM
This was discussed in a W-S Journal Reader Feedback Forum a day or so ago.
If I am not mistaken, as the laws are currently written, people who have been misplaced by this storm must be "classified" as refugees in order to receive state and federal assistance (this would be a good thing for a reporter to check on). If this is the case, then the distinction IS very important.
If an evacuee has an objection to the word (which when literally defined has NO "racist" or national association), by all means, state the objection . . . but then take the money/help. The designation can be changed later.
As everyone has said, we have a lot to learn from this storm.
Posted on September 9, 2005 9:32 AM
Jim: "Vagrant" means "wanderer" with no visible means of support. The vast majority of Guilford County's homeless population is not nomadic, so "vagrant" does not apply, but "homeless" certainly does. Even those who live on the street normally occupy a particular neighborhood or area of town. Again, not vagrants but homeless. At last count, there were at least 1900 people homeless in Guilford County, many of them children. It's wonderful and appropriate that people are able to have compassion for those who lose their housing due to a natural disaster, but sad and shameful that some people are not able to be compassionate to those who've lost housing because of unemployment, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, addiction issues, domestic violence, or other problems. Compassion can be narrowly defined sometimes.
Sue: Thanks for your words. And amen! Let's all do what we can for those affected by Katrina, while also caring for those who are homeless and jobless and in poverty in Greensboro, and for those living in desparate circumstances all over the world. To paraphrase Bell Hooks (or bell hooks, as she would have spelled it): When one of us is bound, none of us is free.
Peace y'all, Missy
Posted on September 10, 2005 12:00 AM