Migrating to Michigan (14 page)

Yak smiled. “My mother works at a hospital.”

“Is she a doctor or a nurse?” I asked.

“No,” Yak replied. “She cleans at the hospital. You know, she scrubs floors and makes beds. It is very hard work and she does not make much money, but she is happy to have a job. She is also very pleased that we are doing well in school. I work hard to make her proud.”

Mister Adams signed a message to Professor Tuesday. When he was finished, the professor nodded his head. “I'll ask Yak.”

The professor turned to Yak, “Mister Adams wants to know what the differences are between Michigan and the Republic of Sudan.”

Yak laughed out loud, “Everything is different. There is no war. The people have been very kind here in Michigan. The food is different—it is very good and there is lots of it compared to the Sudan. In the north of Sudan is a large desert. It is very hot in most of the country. In Michigan it can be very cold. I do not like the cold.”

“My friend Yak is a perfect example of immigrants who are still coming to Michigan,” said the professor. “All the settlements and towns we have visited have seen many new immigrants. People think of the town of Hamtramck as Poletown … or a Polish community. But, even the community of Hamtramck is being changed. Immigrants from places like Yemen and Bangladesh have moved to the city.

The professor thought for a moment before he continued. “Today, Michigan is home to a large Arab-American population. Other recent immigrants include people from India, China, Mexico, Canada, Eastern Europe, Laos, Germany, Thailand, Korea, the United Kingdom, and Poland. Long ago many people came to Michigan through the seaport of Detroit. Today, they come through a different port … the airport. Detroit Metropolitan Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world.”

The professor returned to his laptop and did a search. “Ah, here it is,” he said. “A recent study indicates that just over 8 percent of Michigan's population does not speak English at home. That's very interesting.”

“Does that mean some immigrants don't learn English?” Rachel asked.

“For some people, learning a new language is very difficult,” noted the professor. “Young people usually have an easier time of it.”

“That is true with my mother,” Yak said. “My brothers and I learned to speak English very quickly. It is harder for her. Many people have a hard time understanding her when she talks.”

“Some immigrant groups wanted to learn the English language so they would be thought of as Americans rather than foreigners,” added the professor. “Others preferred to keep the culture of their former countries, so they are less interested in learning a different language.”

“Think about Frankenmuth and Holland, Michigan,” said the professor. “Though many different people have moved to those cities, each town works hard to keep their German and Dutch heritages alive. These towns and others across the state celebrate their ethnic pride with wonderful restaurants, festivals, and celebrations.”

“My father took me to a Greektown festival in Detroit,” Rachel said. “It was fun! The food there was the best I've ever had.”

“Ah, yes,” replied Professor Tuesday, “the area in and around Detroit is very diverse. Several cultures celebrate their uniqueness. You mentioned Greektown. There's also Corktown, which is largely Irish. Mexicantown is a proud ethnic community in Detroit. And, as we have seen, Hamtramck still maintains much of its Polish heritage.”

“What about African Americans?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, we haven't had time today to study the immigration of black people to Michigan. Several famous African Americans call Michigan their home,” replied the professor as he tapped a pencil on his desk. “Many came from the south to Michigan to find work, especially work in the automotive industry. During the awful time of slavery in our country, Michigan was a famous stop on the Underground Railroad—a road to freedom for many, many slaves.”

“Can we take just one more trip back in time to learn more about black immigrants?” I asked. “Please?”

“I'm sorry,” said the professor. “I have some important work to finish before the end of the day, so our time is over even though there are many places and times that would be wonderful to visit. If you or your classmates would like to learn more about African Americans in Michigan, I would be happy to help you another day.”

Professor Tuesday stood up. “I must get back to work now. Tuesday is almost over and Tuesdays are important to me, you know.”

“Thank you for all your help, Professor,” Owen said as he shook the professor's hand.

“Yes, thank you very much,” Rachel added.

When I added my thanks, Mister Adams ran across the room to us. He hugged Owen, Rachel, and then me. Then the professor's nephew stuck out his hand to shake ours.

“It was a pleasure meeting you,” said Mister Adams in a loud, booming voice.

Our mouths hung open. “Mister Adams! You just talked,” I said.

“Of course I did,” replied Mister Adams.

“Why haven't you said anything before?” asked the professor.

“I didn't have anything to say,” answered Mister Adams.

O
wen and Rachel went to work on their report on the Sunday after our visit with Professor Tuesday. Owen's mother dropped him off at Rachel's house. They took seats at the kitchen table and started.

“I've got an idea,” Rachel said. “Why don't we trade journals? That way you can see what I wrote, and I can see what you wrote.”

“Okay,” said Owen. He handed Rachel his journal and she slid hers across the table to him.

Rachel was shocked when she opened Owen's journal. “You didn't write very much.”

“So what?” Owen replied. “I wrote some notes and drew some pictures. You wrote a lot of junk that we probably won't even use.”

“This will never do,” Rachel said angrily. “I want a good grade on this report, and you aren't helping.”

Rachel and Owen started arguing, just like they did in Miss Pepper's class. Then Owen held up his hand. The room went quiet for a moment.

“Wait,” he said, “I've got a great idea.”

“Yah, right,” Rachel replied. “So, what's this great idea?”

“You are good at writing, I am good at drawing,” he said. “Why don't we use your words and my pictures to make the report? If we work together, it could make a great project.”

“That's not a bad idea,” Rachel said, “not a bad idea at all.”

“It's sort of like the immigrants of Michigan,” Owen added. “They were different, but they had to work together to make a great state.”

The two of them worked through the afternoon, sharing ideas and points they wanted to include in their report. Owen scanned some of his pictures and created a presentation on the computer. That way they could show the report to the whole class all at once. Rachel's mother checked in on them from time to time. They showed her their report as they worked on it. She was very excited and thought the two of them did a great job.

Owen, Rachel, and I walked to school together the next day. They were both pleased about their report. When we entered Miss Pepper's classroom, we had the shock of our lives. There, talking with Miss Pepper, was a lady who looked strangely like the professor. Mister Adams and Professor Tuesday sat next to her. The professor's nephew ran up and gave us big hugs.

The lady sitting next to Professor Tuesday had bright red hair and freckles. She wore big glasses like the professor and even shrugged her shoulders like he did.

“You must be Mrs. Sweetie Pie,” Rachel said. “I am pleased to meet you. I'm sure you must have heard this before, but Mister Adams is a great kid.”

Sweetie Pie said, “Thank you, I am very proud of him. He does wander off now and then, though.”

“We know,” Owen said as he rolled his eyes. “So, what are you all doing here?”

“We're here to see your report. I wouldn't miss it for the world,” said Professor Tuesday.

“Me either,” said Mister Adams. “We are very eager to hear what you have to say.”

“Okay,” Rachel said, “but you can't wander off during our presentation, Mister Adams.”

We all had a good laugh. When the bell rang, Owen and Rachel took their seats. Professor Tuesday, Sweetie Pie, and Mister Adams sat in the back of the room. After the Pledge of Allegiance and morning announcements, Miss Pepper walked to the front of the classroom.

“Today, we have a special report by Rachel and Owen,” our teacher announced. “And, we also have special guests with us.” Miss Pepper pointed to the back of the room. “Many of you will remember Professor Tuesday. The young man with him is the professor's nephew, Mister Adams, and the professor's sister, Mrs. Sweetie Pie.”

Some of the kids in the class started laughing, but Rachel stopped them. “That's enough of that,” she said. “Maybe Mister Adams and Mrs. Sweetie Pie have unusual names, but that's no reason to laugh at them. All of us have to be more understanding of others.”

Robert, the class troublemaker, spoke up, “Is that you, Rachel, or did some alien take over your body?”

Rachel stared at him. “Maybe I've changed, Robert. Maybe I have realized that nobody's perfect … not even you.”

Robert shut his big trap and sat back in his seat. Owen went to set up the computer and the projector while Rachel took their report to the front of the classroom.

When everything was ready, Rachel began. “This is a report on immigrants to Michigan. It was prepared by Owen and me with the help of Professor Tuesday and Mister Adams … Oh, and Jesse, too.”

Owen started the presentation with a picture he had drawn of the Erie Canal, and Rachel talked about everything we learned during our visit. Then it was Owen's turn as he told everyone about frontier Detroit. Owen joked about how he was sneezing and tripping all the time. He even showed his muddy sneaker to the class. Everybody laughed.

The report they'd written together shared the story of many of the immigrants to Michigan, but they were careful to tell everyone that there were many more immigrants to our state that they couldn't talk about because they didn't have the time.

After the presentation the class was very quiet. You could hear a pin drop. Suddenly Professor Tuesday, Mister Adams, and Mrs. Sweetie Pie stood up and clapped loudly. Then the whole class and Miss Pepper stood and clapped with them. It was very exciting.

When the room settled down, some of our classmates had questions.

“What was the coolest thing you saw?” Nathan asked.

“All the ships in frontier Detroit,” answered Owen, “and the big fish on Mackinac Island were cool, too.”

“I don't know if it was the coolest thing I saw,” Rachel said, “but talking with the Polish girl in Hamtramck was fun and interesting.”

Miss Pepper raised her hand and Rachel called on her. “What was the most important thing you learned?”

“It may sound silly,” she said, “but Owen and I never used to get along. Everyone knows we argued all the time. So, the most important thing I learned is that we all need to get along with each other. Immigrants had to do it. That was the only way they could survive.”

“That is a very good answer,” said Miss Pepper. “I think you both deserve an
A
on your report.”

I was very proud of my friends.

Before Rachel and Owen took their seats, Tamika asked one final question. “If you could go back in history one more time, what would you like to see?”

“I would like to learn more about the Underground Railroad and African-American people in our state,” Rachel answered. “And, Professor Tuesday told Owen and me that he would be interested in helping us learn more.”

Professor Tuesday smiled, nodding his head in approval. Mister Adams made the “okay” sign.

THE END