Immigrant finds challenges in new home

Editor's note: This is the next in a series of stories looking at recent immigration into the Findlay area, specifically the Haitian community. This series will run over multiple weeks as we examine the assimilation process of immigrants into this community. Like many residents in Findlay, Francky Zamor works at a local manufacturing plant. He has two daughters and a son, and is a devout Christian. His 40th birthday is in November, and he can be seen on weekends helping people in the community. Francky is also one of about 1,000 Haitians living in Findlay, and one of the thousands that have settled in Ohio searching for better conditions in the Land of the Free. He arrived in the United States last October with the help of CBP One, an app launched by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2020 for noncitizens seeking legal entry into the United States. Like many other Haitians living in the United States, he left his home to escape a corrupt government and gang violence. "I traveled to Mexico and then from Mexico to a program called CBP One. (Through) the program, I came to the U.S.," Francky said. "First of all, I spent about a few weeks in California. Four, five weeks later I moved to Ohio." He came to the state in search of job opportunities. "I'm working as a machine operator," Francky said. He's been able to keep a stable income while he's lived here. "We still have a lot of people here (that) don't have a job yet," he said. "The way they are (surviving), sometimes it's difficult." Francky, like most of the Haitian people who have recently immigrated to Findlay, is living in a hotel on the west side of town. Space is limited and rooms are overcrowded by several people. "We got a few families here. (They have) about 3, 4, 5 kids. They are living in a room," he said. "It's not okay for five, six people just sleeping in (one) room." Even with a stable job and steady income, finding housing is an uphill battle. Francky said he has tried multiple times to apply for local housing, but has yet to be approved. "I hope maybe one day God will (put) someone in our way to help us with this problem," he added. "Because some of us are here in a very bad situation." Back home, Francky was a translator for American missionaries that visited the country. He began learning English in the early 2000s. "I speak English because back in 2004, 2005, I was working as a translator, it was part of my job," he said. "Also, I was working in project management, so any project that we were doing all over (Haiti), I'm the one who was always going to make sure this place really feels the impact of the project that we were going to make." Because of his language skills, much of his time spent outside of work is helping other Haitians with navigating life in America. "I always give all of my heart to help them, (whichever) problem they're facing. Help them fill out the application for home, fill out the application for work, when they are going to the court. When they're going to the hospital," he said. "I'm always here to support, to help them where I can." Despite working and living in Findlay legally, Francky says, Haitians haven't always been warmly welcomed into the community. "Some of the people, they say, 'Where is this migrant from, why do they come in here in Findlay? Why do you not go somewhere else?'" Francky said. "That makes me sad because I cannot understand why people try to treat me badly." Integrating into the community has been a challenge, but his steadfast faith keeps him going. "Here in Findlay, we cannot find Haitian churches. Sometime we try to go in the Findlay churches. But some, as you know, don't speak English," Francky said. "So we just (do) small services on Sunday morning between us." The Haitian people, he said, just want to live peacefully within the community. "I'm a child of God. Even (if) you're white, even (if) I'm black, all of us are a child of God," Francky said. "If I cut my hand, if you cut your arm, the blood would still be red." "Give us a chance," he added. "We are here to live as a civilized people and to respect each other."