2023 Displacement Today Lecture Series at The College of Wooster
University and college campuses are often lively centers of positive community action. That’s why when Their Story is Our Story (TSOS) was invited to present our Displacement Today lecture series at The College of Wooster in Ohio, we jumped at the chance to connect with their faculty and students. Hosted by Wooster’s English, Digital and Visual Storytelling, Music, and Political Science departments, the campus visit provided a number of opportunities for future academic collaboration and research-based contributions to TSOS’s Think Tank.
In 2022, Ohio welcomed over 1,000 newly displaced refugees with the largest population coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most of those who are resettled in Ohio are supported by the cities of Cleveland and Columbus. TSOS hopes to launch a Community Programs team in Ohio soon.
Speaking about the challenges faced by over 100 million displaced persons, co-presenters Dr. Liz Jevtic-Somlaii, TSOS Associate Director, and Brandi Kilmer, Director of Community Programs were joined by former refugee and recent George Mason University neuroscience graduate, Mahsa Ahmadi. Ahmadi, who spoke both from her own lived experience and undergraduate studies focusing on the brain, attested to how stories can overcome cultural barriers in ways that data can’t. “Neurons that fire together are wired together,” she said.
Other lecture topics included integration and advocacy solutions culminating with a live multi-media performance of “The Story of Our Journey” composed by Wooster Music Professor, Dr. Dylan Findley and performed by clarinetist Dr. Csaba Jevtic-Somlai.
If you are a resident of Ohio and would like to get involved in supporting those in your community, we encourage you to seek out a resettlement agency or non-profit organization near you.
If you are interested in hosting a TSOS Displacement Today lecture series or starting a TSOS Changemaker Campus Chapter at your University, please reach out:
Contact USOfficial 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.