Editorial

Gung-ho!

The Orient comes to Arkansas

Pass by a group of workers sweating under the August sun here in Arkansas, and the passerby may have a chance to brush up on his Spanish. Or stop for some take-out at a Chinese restaurant in Siloam Springs these days and you're likely to hear some conversation in Mandarin or Cantonese. For here all are welcome whether they're looking for a burrito or an egg roll.

Don't let the only superficial xenophobia in this Age of Trump mislead you. This is a state that's open to all comers--and all dishes, from soul food to turnips-and-greens. Anna Tang recalls that when her folks first came to Siloam Springs they were the only Chinese family in town. If their English was limited to a few words, their work ethic was boundless. So they used what little money they had to take day-long trips to get just the right ingredients for their $4.99 lunch special. And the menu grew as their familiarity with things like taxes and permits did.

The Tangs were pioneers of the Chinese community in Northwest Arkansas, but by now there are a couple of thousand Chinese around them--students, teachers, corporate executives, you name it. The U.S. Census Bureau says there were 1,321 Chinese in Washington and Benton Counties back in 2010, but you can bet there will be more as their kids grow up, meet and marry, and have babies of their own. And those babies will have a chance to grow up and be anything their talent and labor will merit. The story of the Tangs is the story of almost any other wave of immigrants to reach these shores, where Lady Liberty still holds up her undimmed torch beside the golden door.

SmartAsset, the financial research outfit, named this state's own Golden Triangle (Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers) the country's third best when it comes to immigrants' starting their own businesses--close on the heels of Seattle and the pocket where Tennessee and Virginia meet. On average, each of those businesses took in more than $300,000 between sales, receipts and shipments. And tended to be more profitable than their competitors.

Gosh, do you think their work ethic might have something to do with these immigrant families' growing prosperity? So does the support offered by any number of business-savvy organizations private and public alike. To mention only some of them: the Northwest Arkansas Council, the Small Business Administration and Startup Junkie Consulting.

While others may look first to getting their share of the economic pie, the more sage will look to growing the size of the pie for all. They know we all prosper together. To quote Steve Cox of the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce: "Whether you've grown up here your whole life or are immigrating from another area [or another country], it's always a daunting task " to start a business. But the immigrants who succeed remain undaunted, much like the American spirit itself. Not just Rogers but Northwest Arkansas as a whole is doing things the right way, where everyone is treated equal regardless of background. It's the American Way.

Editorial on 08/02/2016

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