The experiences of Civil War refugees who came to Worcester County, Mass. during the late 1800s mirror those of war refugees in may wars since, including today’s wars, Clark University professor Janette Greenwood said yesterday in the African American Studies Center.

The sparsely attended talk, entitled ‘Gone Up North: Southern Black Migration to New England 1863-1900,’ was part of the ‘Blacks and Asians in the making of the modern world’ series given by the department.

The lecture which focused on the experience of the Civil War refugees in Worcester County is pertinent in today’s world due to the ever growing number of war refugees. She said their experiences, and the ways other people view them, are similar now to what they were then.

‘The idea that refugees have symbolic meaning existed in the Civil War and is the same holds true now,’ Greenwood said. ‘The sense of obligation and commitment we should have as they are representatives of what we struggle for as a nation.’

The struggle for assimilation and acceptance holds true for both the former slaves and the current war refugees, she said.

One of the particular aspects of the obligation and responsibility Greenwood mentioned Americans have toward war refugees is interracial aid and networks, which she said are most important in the early stages of the of the immigration of these refugees. This was true post-Civil War and is true now, she said.

‘Former slaves anticipated the plight of future war refugees,’ Greenwood said.

One of the greatest dangers to the refugees is peoples’ short-term memory. In the case of Civil War refugees, ‘white sympathy and patronage faded very quickly with the memory of the Civil War.’

One of the most important ways societies can help that change for refugees is education, she said.

‘Schools in the eyes of free people came to symbolize freedom and equalities,’ she said.

For Iraqi refugees, who are the second largest refugee group in the world, education is particularly important, as Iraqi Madrasas are marked by their radical teachings, she said after the lecture. Education is not only important for assimilation, but for access to quality jobs that offer social mobility to refugees, she said.

One of the most important lessons taught by the experiences of Civil War refugees is the importance of employment. Without jobs, refugees cannot assimilate.

‘Lack of access to jobs worsened the racial problems and limited social mobility severely,’ she said.

In a nation where racial tensions are at an all-time high, she said that warning is particularly pertinent.

If our presence in Iraq is really to instigate change and help provide the Iraqi people with freedom then offering refugees access to education and employment in our own county is more than necessary it is our responsibility, she said.

‘This is the most important lesson that study of the civil war refugees provides’ Greenwood said.