Written by Megan Carson
While watching this moving video by Amnesty International, I was reminded of an experience I had last week. I took a day trip to a bigger city with a higher population of refugees. While out grocery shopping, I came across a family who caught my eye. I could hear them speaking in a language unfamiliar to me and noticed other details that told me they were likely from somewhere in the Middle East. I felt an urgent desire to know their story.
We passed each other in the store three or four times, each time my tongue tied up, preventing any words from coming out. I worried about putting them on the spot or making them uncomfortable. But, when we serendipitously found ourselves in the parking lot across the way from each other, I knew it was my last chance and I’d regret it if I didn’t go say something.
I saw them stiffen a little as I approached their car with determined purpose in my step. I started by asking if they spoke English. The young adult son said he did, so I spoke to him, asking where they were from and if they were refugees. I introduced myself and explained that I noticed them in the store and I simply wanted them to know how happy I was that they are here.
The parents and the younger son all watched in anticipation, eager to understand what we were talking about. The young man turned to them to explain and when they turned back to me with beaming smiles stretched across their faces, I reached my hand out to each of them and said, “Welcome to America. Welcome.”
They were stunned, as if they were being seen for the first time. Was it a little awkward to make the initial approach? Yes. Was that awkwardness worth it after seeing the joy on their faces, erasing any feeling they might’ve had of invisibility, then to be welcomed and accepted? Absolutely! It filled my heart with love and I imagine it did the same for them.
Go try it out. Find someone who looks lonely or perhaps feels invisible. Look them in the eye. See them. And then let them know that you see them. We all want to be seen, heard, and understood... but there are some among us who need it more desperately than we can possibly understand.
Official Statement on the Detention of Refugees and Ongoing Community Violence
With another death in Minnesota and continued violence toward individuals and groups standing up for their communities, we acknowledge the profound fear and uncertainty people are feeling--not just locally, but across the country.
On top of this, there are reports that refugees invited and admitted to our country through the U.S. Refugee Admission Program are now being detained, meaning that our new friends and neighbors feel that fear most acutely.
Refugees have already fled violence and persecution once. They came here legally, seeking safety. In moments like these, we reaffirm our commitment to building communities where refugees and immigrants can live without fear. Where they can go to work, send their children to school, and build lives of dignity and belonging.
We call for due process, accountability, and humanity in all immigration enforcement operations. We call upon our leaders to demand the demilitarization of our neighborhoods and cities. And we call on all of us to continue the work of welcoming and protecting those who have been forcibly displaced from their homes.