Each year in North Carolina, hundreds of refugees are placed in the state. According to the Center for New North Carolinians at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, refugees are often settled in Mecklenburg, Wake, Buncombe and Craven counties. Guilford County is home to the state's largest and most diverse refugee communities. On average, almost 500 refugees settle in Guilford County each year. As a result, county leaders are putting more attention on refugees. This fall, the Greensboro Public Library's One City, One Book program is featuring Mary Pipher's The Middle of Everywhere. In the book, Pipher recounts her experience in Lincoln, NE, with a growing refugee population.

UNC-TV, in partnership with Guilford College, joins Greensboro's conversation on refugees as it examines the issues raised by Pipher's book. The program will look at how many refugees are settling in North Carolina and why. It will explore what refugees find when they come to North Carolina, how these new residents adjust to life in the US and what their experiences can teach us all. Wednesday, October 27, at 3 PM, UNC-TV's Shannon Vickery will moderate a panel discussion, taped before an audience in Guilford College's Dana Auditorium. This town meeting will be seen across North Carolina on UNC-TV in a one-hour special presentation Focus On...Refugees, premiering Tuesday, November 23, at 9 PM.

Panelists:

• Mary Pipher, author, The Middle of Everywhere
• Pat Priest, director, Refugee & Immigration Services, Lutheran Family Services of the Carolinas
• Omer Omer, African Services Coalition; Sudanese refugee
• Axel Lluch, director of Hispanic & Latino Affairs, NC Governor's Office

During the live town meeting, Vickery will introduce the panelists, who will make their opening statements. Then discussion will center on three main segments: the refugee experience in North Carolina, what North Carolinians can learn from the refugees and audience questions and comments.

Focus On...Refugees will air Tuesday, November 23, at 9 PM, following the 8 PM premiere of another UNC-TV Public Affairs special from Guilford County, Focus On...Inclusion, taping Tuesday, November 16, on the campus of UNC Greensboro.

Focus On.Refugees is part of UNC-TV's ongoing commitment to producing programs for and about North Carolina. Member-supported UNC-TV's 11 stations comprise North Carolina's only statewide television network, made possible through a unique partnership of public investment and private support.

-UNC-TV-