Little Bosnia: The Gateway Generation
When people talk about the Bosnian community, they often speak of “waves.” The first wave to arrive in St. Louis was 1992, when the Bosnian war started. Around that time there were less than 1,000 Bosnians here. Over the next 10 years, two more major waves of Bosnian refugees came to our region and their population is currently estimated to be between 50, 000 and 70,000.
Now there is a fourth wave–the children who are born here in the United States.
We set out to do a web series on St. Louis’ largest group of immigrants because our community wants to know more about them. As we’ve covered the key aspects of this group–the war that forced them to flee their country, their journey here and the impact they’ve had on our city, a theme of survival has emerged. Bosnian-Americans have had to undergo war, grief, trauma and resettlement to a strange new land.
In St. Louis, they rebuilt themselves and have been a part of our community for nearly 20 years. As our series about them winds to an end, I think we can all enjoy the focus of this segment–the first-generation of children born here, the gateway generation.
We met these four young people when musician Alen Colic invited us to sit in on their guitar lesson and talk with them. As you’ll see in the video, they are as adorable and as bright as any other kids. But what is unique about them are the double lives they lead, in living between two cultures and two languages.
Though they do this juggling act with apparent ease, I can’t help but look at them and think of earlier waves of immigrants in St. Louis and those past generations that we only know now as really old black and white photographs and stories. Romantic, nostalgic stuff and yet it wasn’t easy for them either.
Associate Community Producer: Sonya Stevenson.
Category: Refugees
