We just returned from our trip to Normandy and apologize for not communicating in the midst of the riots. Fortunately, we haven't been impacted by the rioting as it's all been centralized in the suburbs surrounding Paris.

We're reading that racial integration is much harder here in France than it is in the United States. Immigrants of Arab and African origin feel marginalized in many parts of France. Unemployment is disproportionately higher in the minority communities and it is comparatively much more difficult for immigrants to move from working class to middle class because of negative attitudes toward them.

Here is a quote from one MESSAGE mother who thinks that part of the problem is that France never seems to have properly recognized and dealt with its failings, particularly during colonial times and the Algerian war. "There seems to be a sort of mass denial, and it's not something which people in France like to discuss or analyze. That for me is the difference with the USA. In the States, there has been the will to lay bare even the ugliest parts of history, including slavery, and to try to repair the damage done (whether or not it has been successful is, of course, another debate). That has just not happened here and many people are ignorant of what the French colonies went through. They are simply not aware of France's responsibility."

I think that sums up some of the history behind the unrest and violence, as pointless and unnecessary as it is. Thank you for checking in with us, and as soon as we unpack we'll be sure to post more details from our travels during the past week soon.