The Mosaic of Our Future
“It has been one year since the refugee crisis landed on our doorstep here in Germany with the suddenness of a tsunami. In these last twelve months my horizons have been stretched, my heart pulled, my life lit up and my perspective forever changed. I now consider many beautiful men, women and children, whom I ordinarily should never have met, to be some of my closest friends. But these times are anything but ordinary...never before in history has the world been in such flux.
“Their world was shattered, and the pieces are being sprinkled like some new mosaic across ours. It is up to each one of us to determine what our new shared world picture will look like. Peaceful or in turmoil. Accepting and open or discriminating and closed. Integrated and colorful or segregated and black and white.
“Whatever we decide, their future is our future. Their story is our story.”
- Trisha Leimer, TSOS President, quoted in November 2016.
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.