The Power of Community Advocacy: A Look at the 2021 Refugee Advocacy Week
Contributors: Natalia Tohmé and Naz Hussein
What exactly defines a refugee? Under international law, a “refugee” is a person who is unable or unwilling to return to their home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution due to race, membership in a particular social group, political opinion, religion, or national origin. As of 2019, there are over 26 million refugees worldwide, and since 1975 the U.S has welcomed 3 million refugees from around the world.
Florida has always been a leader in terms of resettlement and hospitality for refugees and immigrants: it hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the nation, receiving about 28,000 refugees each year. The number of arrivals is steadily increasing as time passes. While Cubans account for more than 80% of the arrivals to Florida each year, the state’s refugee program serves those from more than 50 countries including Haiti, Iraq, Burma, Egypt, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, Eritrea, and Sudan, illuminating Florida’s diverse culture and historical landscape.
Due to rhetoric that strips humanity from their experiences, refugees have become the center of a political or social debate, rather than people who need visibility, support, and uplifting. Many times, refugees and their families are depicted in a dehumanizing and homogeneous manner. Mainstream media positions them as voiceless burdens or humanitarian emergencies that must be immediately “resolved”. But the truth is, refugees, asylum-seekers, and immigrants are not just stories or statistics. They are complex and brilliant individuals, with families, legacies, and ambitions. They are not defined by their displacement, but by their passions, personalities, and how they choose to evolve.
The We Are All America campaign leads refugee and asylee advocacy efforts in Florida. The campaign plays a critical role in raising awareness about challenges faced by the refugee community and in advancing welcoming policies in the state. In 2019 alone, the campaign impacted more than 1,000 refugees and allies, trained 100 refugees to share their stories, and had over 60 legislative visits for testimonials statewide.
Refugee Advocacy Week, held annually, is a pertinent part of this Florida campaign. In 2021, the Third Annual Refugee Advocacy Week occurred from March 22nd till March 26th. It mobilized directly impacted communities, refugee service providers, faith leaders, advocates, and supporters to Tallahassee virtually. The historic move educated legislators on refugee resettlement and the impact of recent policy changes, empowered the voices of the refugee community and celebrated the contributions refugees have made in Florida.
As thousands of refugees arrive annually, state and federal resettlement policy must continue to evolve. Basma Alawee, a former refugee from Iraq and a Refugee Congress Delegate since 2013, identified the urgent need to unite U.S based refugee/immigration rights groups, faith-based organizations, refugees, and decision makers, in order to capture refugees’ influence on American culture, economy, and future trajectory.
In light of this, Basma started organizing the refugee community in Florida through the We Are All America campaign in 2017. She immediately sought to educate legislators on local refugee programs and their refugee constituents. Basma connected refugee families to local decision makers, so that their stories do not go unheard and their voices do not get stifled.
This year, the week started with Refugee 101 Advocacy Training, a presentation by refugee service providers, former refugees, and legislative staff on how to successfully educate representatives about refugee experiences. On Wednesday, a fruitful and informative roundtable discussion transpired involving experts including Hiram Ruiz, Bill Brim, Sylvia Acevedo, Vania Aguilar, Terry Coonan, and Kristen Bloom. They addressed Florida’s refugee resettlement, its current challenges, and how the community is rebuilding the program to continue Florida’s tradition of welcoming refugees.
Lastly, the week concluded with a virtual press conference that involved advocates, faith leaders, and refugees who celebrated Florida’s incredibly diverse community. They shared their stories on refugee resettlement and emphasized the importance of inclusive and empathetic approaches.
For this reason, the work being done by international and grassroots organizations were highlighted during Refugee Advocacy Week. This work must be recognized every day, because it is the responsibility of citizens to advocate for vulnerable populations. By creating platforms that share personal narratives, communities can begin to nurture compassion and understanding amongst each other.
Advocacy works to transform and create policies and services that affect the lives of displaced people on a global and local scale. In turn, the measures adopted by governments, non-governmental organizations, and grassroots organizations help to protect and support those in need. Refugees often go unnoticed and only have community members to rely on for support, leaving them vulnerable in many regards.
Through advocacy and education, we can shed light on the injustices faced by refugee communities; by elevating their voices and concerns, we can humanize their stories and journeys, allowing us to inspire meaningful policy, healthy environments, and equitable services.
Despite the accomplishments of organizations nationwide, the refugee community continues to face novel challenges. Though the refugee program’s budget has remained constant since 2015, federal funding for resettlement agencies has greatly diminished due to actions taken by the previous administration. Also, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, operations have been halted as the federal government establishes appropriate operational measures to safely resettle migrants.
In order to efficiently reconstruct the refugee program within the United States and rebuild a haven for those in need, widespread action is imperative. In early April 2021, Basma Alawee expressed, “We have had enough in the last four years and we are not willing to accept any less than what we were promised.” With this, more than 260 former refugee leaders called on the current administration to push the Refugee Admissions to 62,500 for 2021 and 125,000 for 2022, as promised by the sitting President and through an Executive Order signed on February 4th, 2021.
Recent news suggests that the promised increased number of refugees might not happen. Refugees and their supporters alike urge that lawmakers reconsider this move. Refugees are our neighbors, classmates, leaders, parents, role models, and friends. They are vital members of our robust cities and rural hubs, providing the economic and cultural foundation of American life and energy. “I think to understand we always need to know who is our neighbor and to be a good neighbor. It’s something that exists all the time and that’s what we want to be every single day”, Mrs. Alawee shared.
“We see that passion that they [refugees] have from the very first moment. They see this as their home. The more prepared our communities are to provide that support for people to actually rebuild their lives and move ahead, the better communities we have. Now what is important to consider is that we need to remove those barriers that many of our communities have built for our refugees…We need to work together as communities so that we actually see all the qualifications, the very unique expertise, and skills that they have to really contribute to our society because they are ready to do that. And only as a united community we can actually participate and assist in the process” Vania Aguilar passionately expressed during the roundtable.
What would our country be without its dedication to protecting refugees and providing them the resources to build families, a culture, and ideals for generations? Let us continue this tradition by focusing on connecting our communities and our representatives in order to create positive change and justice within our refugee families. “We want to celebrate the resilience of a refugee mother. The courageousness of a refugee father. And the hopefulness of a refugee child,” said Ghadir Kassab.
Natalia is a Miami native and currently a Climate and Health graduate student at the University of Miami, with a background in International Studies and Geography from the University of Florida. As the daughter of first-generation Lebanese immigrants, she is passionate about bridging her two homes together in order to produce novel ideas and positive citizen diplomacy to enhance education, healthcare, and our environment around the globe.
Naz grew up between her hometown of Kirkuk, Iraq and adopted city Beirut, Lebanon. She immigrated to South Florida as a UNHCR refugee during 2014. Shortly after, Naz attended the University of Florida, majoring in International Studies and Telecommunication. She is currently a senior researching migration and working with a non-profit on refugee humanitarian aid. Naz is also a storyteller passionate about uplifting underprivileged voices through accurate representations. Her other experiences include being a creative writing director, an English language teacher, and a Fulbright applicant. In the future, she hopes to enter the international public service field and advocate for refugee and migrant rights.
