Influx of Refugees Revitalizes Buffalo, New York

Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. 

It's a common story: A bustling Rust Belt city falls victim to deindustrialization and population decline.

Buffalo, a once booming trade town, knew this story well, but it's found revitalization in refugees. While broadcasting from public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, Takeaway Host John Hockenberry moderated a panel discussion with three residents of The Nickel City who have seen this rebirth first-hand. 

Panelists Eva Hassett, executive director of the International Institute of Buffalo; Larry Christ, chief operating officer of the lighting manufacturer Litelab; and Ayla Abyad, a Syrian architect living in Buffalo, explore how immigrants are working to revitalize and rebuild the city. Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear the full discussion. 

L to R: Takeaway Host John Hockenberry, with Eva Hassett, Ayla Abyad, and Larry Christ.

(Eileen Koteras Elibol of WNED)