Public TV series will focus on immigrants

A public TV series next spring will follow new U.S. immigrants through their first days and months of adjusting to their new homes in America. Iowa public Television and the University of Northern Iowa have received a five-thousand dollar grant to help promote it in the state. Mark Grey is director of the New Iowans program at UNI. It’s more than a matter of learning about the new citizens, Grey says. They bring good things to the state. In town after town, the influx of the newcomers revitalizes the economy, housing base and other factors. In addition to economic reasons, Grey says there are sound demographic reasons why they also contribute to the state’s health. The birthrate’s dropped for the last five years and in the last figures, half of Iowa counties had negative population growth last year. The collaboration of IPTV and the New Iowans program will create a handbook for welcoming and working with immigrants, and a series of public meetings around the state to discuss the issue.