At a low, squat building in Springfield, Ohio, housing a Haitian community center, the FBI has arrived to investigate menacing phone calls telling this small US town’s immigrant community to get out.
But a few rooms over attention has turned to more immediate concerns: how to pronounce “refrigerator.”
The syllables mash together, ground up by the five Haitian students seated in front of the white board as they try to flex muscles in their mouth they’ve never thought about before.
The local volunteers putting on English class are part of a different side of Springfield, which has been drawn into the national spotlight after racist rumors about the immigrants — amplified by Republican politicians — have spiraled into bomb threats and harassment.
As the class goes through parts of a house, they find an easier time with “cabinet,” as sing-song, Creole-accented cries of “cab-i-net” light up the room.
“I just …