Documenting stories ...one refugee at a time
As young as a few years . . . to upwards of 80 or 90 years old, courageous refugees overcome unthinkable odds, situations, abuses and adversity to arrive at their new homes. Their stories and experiences speak of immense courage, diligent perseverance, preserved generational customs, valued communal traditions, routine habits and commonplace perceptions. Their stories are the fabric of tremendous historical quilts, these stories not only teach us factual information, but can serve to compliment our history books, and provide an illustrative bridge to the human and his or her story. Understanding these stories can build empathy, support diversity and foster belonging. Quoting the famous author Khalid Hosseini, "Refugees are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, with all the same hopes and ambitions as us --- except that a twist of fate has bound their lives." I found this quote to be not only poignant, but insightful, and empowering.
This quote makes evident the need for our global society to listen, learn and appreciate the stories of this brave and fragile community. Their stories . . . in their own words . . . their functional verbs and descriptive adjectives . . . will help illustrate for us a familiarity within them. The pressing need for their stories to be heard and understood as part of our collective history, is important now and today, more than ever.
