Making Buffalo Home

It might still be more than a month away for kids, but some adults went back to school this week. It was the start of the Buffalo Public Schools’ summer semester of English classes for individuals aged 21 and older.

The International Institute of Buffalo held a naturalization ceremony Wednesday in conjunction with World Refugee Day. Twenty-five candidates from 15 different countries officially became citizens of the United States. WBFO’s Nick Lippa was there and spoke with a few immigrants on what brought them to this country.

One hundred immigrants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo are here to seek asylum in the United States.

With a combination of guest artists, Indonesian immigrants and Buffalo-born residents, Buffalo Gamelan Club put on a four-hour show Thursday night at Kleinhans Music Hall that featured shadow puppets. As the group continues to tackle more ambitious performances, WBFO’s Nick Lippa reports on their growth in the community.

He was born in Germany in 1925. Stephan Lewy and his Jewish family were able to flee that nation just after Kristallnacht in 1938, but he eventually returned to Europe as part of the U.S. Army, serving under General Patton's command and liberating many of his fellow Jews. Lewy, who now shares his life experiences with local students, was honored this week as Erie County's Senior of the Year.

Much of the current focus on immigration into the United States remains on the country’s southern border. But in Buffalo, a local organization continues to serve as a beacon of hope for individuals and families fleeing war-torn and unstable nations.

Friday evening from 5:30 to 8 p.m., WNED | WBFO's Making Buffalo Home is collaborating with a new exhibit, Finding Refuge in Buffalo, opening at the Horizons Gallery. WBFO's Mark Wozniak spoke with Jody K. Biehl, the director of the Universiaty at Buffalo Journalism Program who is in charge of the project, about the event.

Making Buffalo Home is a WNED|WBFO multi-year project looking at the impact immigrants and refugees are having in our community. As WBFO's Nick Lippa reports, Dr. Peilun Vicky Chang has played pipe organ at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lancaster for 16 years now. The internationally renowned musician and composer has come a long way since leaving Taiwan.

The Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo is hosting a visiting exhibit created by a Burmese artist who, along with hundreds of subjects he has met through his project, are former political prisoners in their homeland. His exhibit, a Show of Hands, features plaster casts of each former prisoner's hand. Some of them are of individuals who have since settled in Buffalo after spending years as refugees.

Making Buffalo Home is a WNED|WBFO multi-year project looking at the impact immigrants and refugees are having in our community. As WBFO's Chris Caya reports, a local company is not only employing refugees, it's also helping them learn English.

Tuesday at 1 p.m. WNED/WBFO is hosting another Facebook Live event as part of the "Making Buffalo Home" initiative. It's the second in an ongoing community conversation on the impact of immigration in Western New York. For a preview WBFO's Jay Moran chats with WNED Senior Producer Lynne Bader.

The region has become home to thousands of refugees in recent years. The influx is credited with the dramatic change in the fortunes of the west side of Buffalo.  WBFO/WNED Senior Director of News and Public Affairs Dave Rosenthal will examine the impact of refugees and their future roles in this community during "Understanding the Refugee Process." Rosenthal will be joined by a panel of experts for the community conversation which can be viewed on Facebook Live on Tuesday, July 24 at 1 p.m.

Have a question or comment for the group? Leave it on WNED's Facebook event post or send it to fblive@wned.org.