Understanding and Welcoming Refugees

We live in a truly unprecedented era. Never before has the world been so connected and our destinies been so intertwined. Thanks to technological advances, we have greater access to information and to each other than ever before. We can travel farther and faster than ever before. We live in a globalized world, where what happens on one side of world has the greatest potential in all of human history to impact those of us on the other side. 

And because of this, the global refugee crisis—that thing happening “over there”—is something we here in Houston cannot ignore. 

Currently, there are an estimated 68.5 million forcibly displaced persons in the world, people who have been forced to flee from their homes due to some form of conflict.  That’s roughly the population of the United Kingdom. Of them, almost one third, 25.4 million, are classified by the United Nations as “refugees”: displaced people who are outside the borders of their countries of origin. By definition, a refugee is unable or unwilling to return home due to a well-founded fear of persecution.

What else is a refugee? A refugee is a father who wants to provide for his family. A pregnant mother concerned about her baby and her other children. A young man who wants to avoid war. A little girl who can no longer attend school. An elderly gentleman who remembers a peaceful existence, who never imagined his country would be destroyed. Refugees are ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. The current refugee crisis is the worst humanitarian issue of our day, on a scale never seen before, considered the greatest migration crisis in the history of mankind. It is estimated that one quarter of the 25 million refugees are from one country alone—Syria. Half of all refugees in the world are under the age of 18. 

For decades the United States has resettled refugees.  In fact, we have historically been the world’s top resettlement country. (In 2018, however, the U.S. will resettle a historic low. ) Since the Refugee Act of 1980, the U.S. has resettled over three million refugees. Over the past decade 24% of those resettled were from Burma (Myanmar), 20% from Iraq, and 14% from Bhutan. On average the U.S. resettles 90,000 refugees per year, not a modest number by any means; in the broader context, however, less than 1% of all refugees globally are resettled into a third country in any given year. Many more refugees are turned away.

Refugees live in every state in the U.S. Many refugees have landed in Texas, in Houston, America’s current #1 city for resettlement. Houston resettles more refugees than some nations, resettling refugees from dozens of countries in any given year. Refugees (and immigrants in general) have changed the landscape of our city:

• One out of every four Houstonians was born abroad.

• We are the most racially and ethnically diverse city in the nation, eclipsing cities like Los Angeles and New York in terms of statistical diversity. 

• We are the nation’s top refugee resettlement city, settling over 70,000 refugees since 1978.

• In Fort Bend County, the nation’s most ethnically diverse county, over 95 languages are spoken in the school district.

• Thirty years ago, Houston was largely bi-racial; today everyone is a demographic minority. The U.S. census predicts that by 2040 or 2050, the U.S. will be a minority majority nation. In Houston this is already a reality.

Houston has become not just a microcosm of the world's people, but also a microcosm of the world's religions. From Armenian Orthodox and Bah’ai to Yazidis and Zoroastrians we can account for dozens of major religious affiliations, and some of the nation’s largest churches. It’s the collaborative spirit among these faith groups and interfaith groups that have helped thousands of refugees rebuild their lives in Houston. 

When refugees first arrive, they have many urgent needs. Among them are the need to learn English, the need to get a job, and the need to arrange for personal transportation. Parents need to enroll kids in school and buy clothes and supplies. Almost nothing compares to friendship in terms of helping refugees thrive. There are multiple opportunities for our Houston community to get involved and welcome these newcomers.

Houston refugees are supported by a refugee consortium consisting of five refugee agencies, plus one English institute:

1. YMCA International Services

2. Refugee Services of Texas

3. Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston

4. Catholic Charities

5. Alliance for Multicultural Community Services

6. Bilingual Education Institute

While each of these agencies manages their own cases and programs, there is a lot of cooperation and solidarity among them.

Since 2003, Houston’s refugee consortium has collaborated with the City of Houston and dozens of community partners to host World Refugee Day Houston, an event seeking to raise awareness, show gratitude, and honor refugees. World Refugee Day, recognized globally on June 20, was established in 2001 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and is celebrated around the world yearly. The Houston event takes a different form every year: it might be a cultural festival, or a panel discussion, or a story showcase. World Refugee Day Houston is a great way for Houstonians to meet refugees and celebrate their achievements.

For decades, Houston has boasted a welcoming spirit toward refugees. There are many ways for you to get involved with refugees in Houston. One of the best ways to start is to contact one of the agencies and ask about volunteer opportunities. Many churches and temples have their own ministries for refugees. You can also do a quick Google search to seek out community partners and refugee support organizations. Here is a list of just a few of those organizations.

• Houston Welcomes Refugees

• PAIR (Partnership for the Advancement & Immersion of Refugees)

• Houston in Motion

• Amaanah Refugee Services

• Prestige Learning Institute

• The Community Cloth

• Plant it Forward

• Abba’s House

• Houston’s Refugee Voices

• Freewheels

Refugees contribute to the thriving of our city. They teach us about resilience, grit, and perseverance. They are part of the fabric of our cosmopolitan city. Join Vox Culture in welcoming refugees.

Bio:

Cindy M. Wu is a local author and speaker, and former Vox Culture board member. You can find her at www.cindymwu.com. 

Sources:

  http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html

  http://www.rcusa.org/history/

  http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/07/05/for-the-first-time-u-s-resettles-fewer-refugees-than-the-rest-of-the-world/.

Beyond the Margins: An LGBTQA+ Refugee Experience

When people think of refugees and asylum seekers, they often think of widely publicized news stories where countries are engrossed in civil and political unrest that results in a large-scale refugee crisis. The unique challenges faced by the LGBTQA+ community in countries where they are persecuted often go unnoticed. In an effort to shed light on the mistreatment, victimization, and criminalization the LGBTQA+ community still faces all around the world, the City of Houston Office of New Americans, ACLU of Texas, The Alliance, Human Rights First, Refugee Council USA, and YMCA International Services held a symposium at Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church where refugees, asylum seekers, and experts shared their stories. 

The evening began with opening statements made by Resurrection Reverend Vickey Gibbs and Terence O’Neil from the City of Houston Office of New Americans. Reverend Gibbs and Mr. O’Neil welcomed the audience and described how Houston is a welcoming city for all people regardless of who you love, where you come from, or what religion you practice. They reminded us that refugees and asylum seekers should not be afraid in Houston – they are welcome here and they are safe here. As Pride month comes to an close, they wanted to make sure that the LGBTQA+ community is included in the current refugee and immigrant conversation that has taken hold of the United States.

While the United States has made great strides with the rights of the LGBTQA+ community, we are reminded that all over the world, LGBTQA+ individuals are often the targets of persecution. A short film was screened during the symposium illustrating the extent of the institutionalized violence and discrimination the LGBTQA+ community faces in countries all across the world. Homosexuality is currently illegal in approximately 76 countries. Additionally, many countries do not have hate crime laws that protect the LGBTQA+ community. Homophobic and transphobic violence often goes ignored by police and government officials in these countries, which causes LGBTQA+ individuals to seek refuge or asylum in the United States. In the film Tyler Oakley, a popular YouTuber and member of the LGBTQA+ community, interviewed several refugees who fled to the United States due to persecution based on their sexuality. After interviewing these refugees, Oakley noted that they are some of the most patriotic individuals he has ever met.

Following the short film screening, a panel moderated by Melanie Toarmina Pang, social worker and founding co-chair of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, was conducted. The panel featured Christian Longue Dessug from Cameroon, Mary N. from Iran, Franklin Lucien Tatpa from Cameroon, Adonnay Antonio Aguilar Marmol from El Salvador, Anandrea Molina from Mexico, and Laura Nally, managing attorney of the Houston office of Human Rights First. Pang began the panel with an expression of love and gratitude for the individuals who are brave enough to share their personal stories with the public and kind enough to inform the community of the challenges faced by LGBTQA+ refugees and asylum seekers. While each panelist had a unique story to tell, there was one theme they all had in common: each panelist lived in constant fear for their lives as a direct result of their sexuality. The panelists shared their memories of being jailed, beaten, bullied, rejected by their families, and outed by their friends. Despite these conditions, it took incredible strength for the panelists to leave everything they knew and loved behind to seek refuge in a foreign country. After coming to the United States, each panelist took it upon himself or herself to give back to the LGBTQA+ immigrant community by getting involved in volunteer work and community service. 

While it was clear each member of the panel was grateful for the refuge the United States provided, the conversation inevitably turned to the current dismal state of immigrant affairs in the U.S. One panelist noted that “the new administration is a circus [and is] putting the lives of LGBT people at risk” with their zero tolerance policy. Immigration lawyer Laura Nally also noted that there has been a clear increase in the detention of asylum seekers where they are put in unsanitary detention centers that are filled with discrimination and a lack of privacy, which uniquely affects LGBTQA+ individuals. 

As the evening comes to a close, we are left wondering where we, as a community, city, and nation, can go from here. These are my suggestions: Educate yourself. Vote. Hold your government representatives accountable for their words and their actions. Know where your tax dollars are going. Get involved in your community. Above all else, listen to people’s stories, and give the individuals who have personally experienced the effects of hateful policies a platform to speak and to educate. It seems easy to not care about these issues when they do not personally affect you, but it is important to remember that we are stronger together. Empathy is what makes us human. In the face of adversity, it’s important not to forget that. 

By: Chelsea Ogan, Vox Advocacy Ambassador on Refugees

Understanding World Refugee Day in Houston

World Refugee Day is celebrated every year on June 20th. This year the Houston Refugee Consortium, in partnership with the City of Houston Office of New Americans and Immigrant Communities, celebrated World Refugee Day 2018 with guest speakers and a panel held at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. The goal of the event was to discuss the global refugee crisis and Houston’s response to it. 

The main theme of the night was to celebrate Houston’s diversity as well as the courage of refugees. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner presented a city proclamation commemorating World Refugee Day and spoke about how diversity makes the Houston community stronger. Additionally, the status of immigrants and refugees in the current presidential administration was not lost on Mayor Turner as he proudly stated, “we don’t build walls. We cherish and value relationships. We value families and the family unit. We welcome them with open arms.” He went on to discuss how the role of diverse cities such as Houston has never been more important than it is today, and Houston should lead the way in opening its communities to immigrants and refugees.

Following Mayor Turner, Dr. Stephen Klineberg, Rice University professor and founder of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, presented statistical data illustrating the growing diversity, or demographic revolution, of the Houston area. His research, which was made possible through local surveys and United States census data, suggested that even if American boarders were completely shut down and all immigrants and refugees were barred from entering the country, the Anglo population of Houston – and eventually America as a whole – will continue to decrease while other populations grow.

In fact, Dr. Klineberg asserts that, “no conceivable force in world can stop America from becoming less and less Anglo and more everything else.” Given this undeniable fact, Dr. Klineberg states the next step for America is figuring out how to keep it from tearing us apart. 

State Representative Gene Wu for Texas House District 137, was the third speaker of the evening. Representative Wu expressed his anger and frustration with the current state of immigrant and refugee affairs in the United States under the Trump administration, reminding the audience that 39% of adults in his district were born outside of the United States. Much of the Representative’s anger stems from the fact that the individuals affected by the xenophobic policies of the current administration, “are his people.” However, he reminds us that refugees and immigrants are the very spirit of our nation, and our actions, our advocacy, our voice, and our passion have ever been more important than they are now. 

To end the night, a panel featuring several members of the community was conducted by moderator Lomi Kriel of the Houston Chronicle. The panel included Yuliya Labanouskaya, Starbucks District Manager, Jonathan Trinh, Principal of Margaret Long Wisdom High School, Jeff Watkins, Vice President of Global Initiatives – YMCA of Greater Houston, and Alyssa Stebbing, Director of Outreach at Trinity Episcopal Church and Diocese of Texas Liaison for Episcopal Migration Ministries. The panel discussed ways to help refugees succeed in resettling in America, including employment opportunities, volunteering to teach English as a second language, volunteering to teach valuable skills and trades, and simply checking in and keeping up with a refugee family going through the resettlement process. If you are looking to get involved with refugee resettlement in the Houston area, you can contact Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, YMCA International Services, Refugee Services of Texas, or Alliance for Multicultural Community Services.

 Overall, the night was filled with passion, conviction, and hope. While it is easy to feel discouraged in light of current events in the United States, World Refugee Day Houston reminds us that that our diversity is our strength, and it should be celebrated not vilified. It is easy for people to forget the power they hold, but everyone has a voice that matters – and right now, our voices matter a lot. I came out of World Refugee Day Houston feeling empowered and optimistic about the future of refugees and immigrants in the Houston community. If there is one thing I took away from the panel, it is that refugees and immigrants are here to stay. If you are looking to get involved with refugee resettlement in the Houston area, you can contact Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, YMCA International Services, Refugee Services of Texas, or Alliance for Multicultural Community Services. 

By: Chelsea Ogan, Vox Advocacy Ambassador on Refugees

Exhibit Opening: The Faces of Syrian Refugees

One day after World Refugee Day, Michael S. Cohen (who insists on the inclusion of his middle initial, not to be confused with the American attorney) spoke at the Holocaust Museum Houston about the inspiration and story behind his photography exhibit, The Faces of Syrian Refugees.

An impactful photo can change the rhetoric of political conversations, and Cohen recognized the power of the lens early in his photography career. During his speech, he flipped through a few iconic photos that sparked this sort of dialogue – the first, an image of smiling Holocaust refugees aboard the S.S. St. Louis, unaware that they were to be denied a place to stay in Cuba and forced back to Europe; the second, a three-year-old boy named Alan Kurdi, whose dead body lay alone on the beach after his family capsized in a boat escaping Syria. 

Cohen noticed a common thread among modern-day refugee photos. “[These images tend to be] tragic, gritty, sensational, and sad. If refugees could be introduced differently, we could create a connection,” Cohen said. He set out to create an exhibit that would balance the story Americans were being told about refugees – to humanize them and show they are just as unique and diverse as those not labeled as refugees. With a three-person team, he was put into contact with 20 Syrian refugees who were willing to share their stories of thriving after their escape.

The exhibit features one close-up image, one full length portrait, and a Proust-style questionnaire probing into who the subjects are as people with questions such as “What keeps you up at night?” and “What brings you joy?” The images are blown up on six-foot banners with many of the subjects turning out an open palm. Cohen’s hope is that exhibit visitors will be brave enough to approach these photos and stand eye-to-eye with them, perhaps even hand-to-hand. The interactive portion of the exhibit even extends past the physical portraits. The 20 refugees are following a specific hashtag - #tfosr – so if any visitor posts a selfie with the hashtag, they can interact with the portrait subjects via social media. 

Michael Cohen said the most rewarding part of the process in creating this exhibit is getting to see the reactions of the audience, especially in “target states” like Texas, where refugees may not be as openly welcomed. In the audience, a first-generation Syrian-American thanked Cohen for the exhibit and for portraying Syrians as normal people. Another visitor was a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and he encouraged other attendees to make #tfosr go viral. 

The portrait subjects are grateful for the exhibit as well. When asked what he would like to say to people who come to this exhibit, Ali, a refugee who fled Syria in 2014, said, “I would like to say, you did the right thing, because you have to break the ice between us. You have to come close to other people to see them.”

The Faces of Syrian Refugees exhibit can be visited at the Mincberg Gallery in the Holocaust Museum Houston until Sunday, August 26, 2018.

By Vox Blogger: Erin Philip

Summer Solstice in Houston: Making the time for Vibrancy and Appreciating Earth!

Have you ever taken the chance to experience the Summer Solstice? Not sure what it is? Well here is your chance to find out and experience it TOMORROW, 6/21!

The Summer Solstice is traditionally a pagan holiday, marking the longest, most sunlit day of the year and the start of the summer (Houston Press). But no matter your religious beliefs, the Summer Solstice gives us an opportunity to truly celebrate the gift of nature and all that surrounds us. With so many hectic and often stressful events occurring in our daily personal, professional, social and political lives, taking the time to unwind and recharge can be a huge source of comfort. The earth cares for us and provides us with essential resources that as human beings we cannot live without. Simply noticing and appreciating the life and abundance that is readily available in our natural environment reminds us to care for and show up for ourselves similarly. If you are able, take time this week to celebrate the start of a new season. Reflect on what the past season has brought us – the joys, triumphs, challenges and lessons. Let natural phenomena bring us greater awareness of what is truly important to us in life. 

What is the solstice all about? 

June 21, 2018 marks the moment when the Sun’s direct rays reach as far north as they ever get, appearing straight overhead along the Tropic of Cancer, at 23.5 degrees north latitude. As a result we see the sun take its highest and longest past through the sky” (Washington Post).  

Whether you celebrate the Summer Solstice as a pagan, or want to observe the holiday as a new tradition, summer is a season of excitement, adventure and creativity. As one of the greenest large cities in the U.S., there are numerous venues in Houston to absorb natural beauty and enjoy a day of celebration and summer relaxation. So mark your calendars for tomorrow, June 21 and bring your family and friends to one of Houston’s many scenic spots:

1. The Boardwalk Town Lake – Check out local musician, Adrian Michael at the lake’s Summer Solstice event from 7:30pm to 9:30 pm.

2. Residences at Kirby Collection – A great place to go for panoramic views of the entire city! Also featuring a pool, cabanas, outdoor kitchen and grills. 

Make your day beautiful at any of these popular Houston venues, or make your way to any one of the Texas State parks residing in Houston! Join with your community and those you love and have fun. Happy summer! 

BY: Kelly Beecher