WORLD BRIDGE BLOG

It’s been nearly two months since I joined Refugees International. I am still learning about the many complex challenges we face in addressing the world’s displacement crises and I’ve been inspired by my many teachers, including RI’s staff and board members who have traveled to the most war-torn regions of the world to meet with people whose lives have been upended. I look forward with great anticipation to being a witness myself as I join missions to Pakistan, Haiti and the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya in the coming weeks.

As I continue to learn, I am reminded of what all of us can do – whether in our profession or as engaged members of our global society – to make a difference. We can talk. We can share information. We can inspire others to care about the 40 million people worldwide who have been forced by conflict or crisis to leave their homes.

I recently spoke with a woman named Tatiana, a 61 year-old mother and grandmother, a piano teacher who has lived in the United States for over 20 years. Tatiana left Russia for Ukraine shortly before the fall of the Soviet Union and then came to the U.S. seeking asylum after being persecuted for her political beliefs. The U.S. denied Tatiana’s asylum case, but neither the Soviet Union nor Ukraine recognizes her as a citizen, so she had nowhere to return to.

Tatiana has no nationality, and there is no legal pathway for her to acquire citizenship in the U.S.  She lives in limbo and is unable to fully participate in society. She has no travel documents and no means to acquire them. She has been separated from some of her closest family members for decades.  And although Tatiana and her son have paid taxes in the United States since they arrived 20 years ago, she is not eligible for social security. Tatiana must check in with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) every month by telephone and every six months in person. She never knows what might happen when she goes to DHS and lives in fear that she could be arbitrarily jailed.

I shared Tatiana’s story last week when I testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing on the Refugee Protection Act of 2010. By having the courage to tell her story, Tatiana is helping to shine a light on the plight of the estimated 4,000 stateless people living in the U.S. and 12 million worldwide.

I recently had the honor of addressing the graduating class at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. Central to its mission is the Colleges' commitment to global understanding, community service and service learning. My hope is that the crowd of future leaders and their parents walked away with a seed planted that will inspire some of them to join us in our mission to serve refugees.

Last week I co-chaired the Chicago Council Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security. More than 500 people gathered to listen to experts including USAID administrator Rajiv Shah, who released a roadmap to the Obama administration’s Feed the Future program– a plan to end hunger through agriculture development. While refugees were not the focus of this event, you can be certain that I took advantage of this opportunity to grab the ear of event speakers and participants who can and should be allies in our efforts to serve displaced populations.

We all have more opportunities than we realize to shine the light on the women, men and children who suffer the most during times of conflict.  Let’s all keep talking.