Summary

One in five Phoenix residents are immigrants, and whether leaving a country by choice or in search of safety, most come to the United States looking for a new start. Meet two who are building businesses to support their families, communities and futures. This story was produced at the 2022 PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Academy.

Five Facts

• Where is Dawlat Alrifai’s home country?


• What are most immigrants looking for when they come to the United States?


• Why is having a coffee shop sometimes difficult?


• Who owns a small coffee shop in Tempe Arizona?


• How many people who live in phoenix are immigrants?

Focus Questions

The business owners interviewed in this story talk about the difficulty in starting over. What are ways that others can support these small businesses in their own community? Media l iteracy : Having learned about how immigrants are a crucial part of the business world, in what ways can journalists bring awareness to more immigrant business stories?

For More

Check out Inflation, pandemic has small businesses on edge this summer https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/inflation-pandemic-has-small-businesses-on-edge-this-summer. Read about immigrants' big role in small businesses! https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/immigrants-play-an-outsize-role-in-small-business.html

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Vivien Williams, a rising senior at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Virginia, and an intern NewsHour Classroom, wrote today's daily news lesson, Edited by Vic Pasquantonio