Written by Melissa Dalton-Bradford
This is how nonprofits work: You show up and lean on the strongest woman around. Meet that woman, Trisha Leimer, President of Their Story is Our Story. Our scrappy band of seven founding members (including @lizthayerart, @lindsaysilsby, @garrettgibbons, Twila Bird and Morgan Gibbons) conducted and documented dozens of hours of interviews with refugees in Greece and Germany over the summer, and those pieces are now being translated thanks to many of you volunteers.
Trisha and I are on the ground here in central Germany facilitating connections between refugees and locals, teaching German, and discovering on a daily basis stories among our refugee friends that we plan to bring to you.
Our artists are painting, editing photos, weaving together video footage, posting and reposting and putting all of this on our brand new TSOS website. Then there’s the whole technical and legal backstage labor involved....it’s huge, and it’s happening.
This pic was taken by Ali, our Afghan friend whose resilience and good humor keeps us smiling.
My First Asylum Case: An Attorney's Perspective on Asylum in the United States
I took my first asylum case in 2016, when our national dialog on immigration took a decidedly negative turn. As a corporate attorney, I had no experience in immigration law, but my license allowed me to represent individuals fleeing severe persecution and I signed with a local non-profit to offer my help. My first asylum client was a young mother and her two small daughters. I could see myself in Saba.
Their Story is Our Story Applauds the Signing of Virginia House Bill 995 and Continues Efforts to Open Doors for Foreign-trained Medical Professionals in Other States
Their Story is Our Story (TSOS), a non-profit organization that collects and shares the experiences of refugees to deepen understanding and influence action, applauds the signing of Virginia House Bill 995 into law by Governor Glenn Youngkin, after its unanimous passage through the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate. It will create a pathway for foreign-trained doctors who have immigrated to the state, including those whose careers were interrupted by forcible displacement, to fill workforce gaps in medically underserved communities.
Idaho One Refugee Conference
Last fall I was able to attend the 1Refugee Conference in Idaho. The event was well organized and everyone who approached our table was interested in what we did and wanted to know how to get involved. There were at least 100 students majoring in a variety of things who attended the event and we had 20 students give us their contact information. Most were interested in our internship programs.