Platters of fruit and vegetables lay on the table, and students slowly filed into the classroom , filling the room with a warm buzz of conversation. Some students were in chairs, some leaned against the wall, and others sat on the ground. When the lunch bell rang, they turned their attention to the front of the room, where a panel of students sat waiting to talk.
On Thursday, March 19, Global Issues hosted a refugee luncheon where students came to listen to their fellow classmates talk about their experience as new immigrants. Throughout this past semester, Global Issues co-president Fariha Rashid said, the club hosted several programs, including the lunch today, in attempt to draw attention to the plight of the thousands of refugees living in America.
“Global Issues focus of the year is refugees and the refugee crisis. [Today] we are having a few of the ELL, English Language Learners, students talk about their experiences living outside the country, and moving here and what it’s been like,” Rashid said. “We planned to have events throughout the semester. We already had a breakfast and we also have a refugee simulation planned for April 4. For a lot refugees, their experience in America is not easy, it can be hard and we just wanted to raise awareness about that.”
Rashid and Global Issues got the idea for this panel when they realized how little people knew about refugees living in America. At the panel, five students spoke about moving to America and their life in a different country. After they finished speaking, students and teachers asked more specific questions, often times inquiring about the upbringing and school in the panelists home country.
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Though the panel only lasted through A-lunch, it proved to be enjoyable and informative for many students.The luncheon, senior Emily Vu said, was a good way to connect and understand students who come from different cultures. She believes it is important to be aware of other’s background and beliefs. After listening to her peers talk, Vu said, she realized there was much she did not know about refugees living in America.
“Both my mom and dad moved to America during the Vietnam war, so I’ve always thought of it as, it [refugee immigration] happened a long time. But it made me realize, people are still coming to America, and things happening in the world that are forcing people to move from their country,” Vu said. “Actually, one of the girls that was talking reminded me of my mom. Hearing her talk reminded me of all the stories that my mom would to tell me when I was younger.”
However, it was not just those attending the panel who enjoyed the luncheon. Freshman Amable Enyeama, who moved to America from Rwanda six years ago, said he liked speaking at the panel and believes events like the luncheon should be held more often. Enyeama’s parents moved to Rwanda to escape the violence and genocide in Congo and though safer, their life in Rwanda was still difficult. The schools had dirt floors, Enyeama said, and they had little money. His family eventually moved to America after Enyeama’s father developed a heart condition when a building he was doing repair work on collapsed with him inside. Many students do not realize the struggles people from other countries go through, Enyeama said, and the luncheon provided a space for him to tell his story.
“There are other people from my county, but most of them didn’t want to come and talk because I believe they are shy, but I came because I knew someone had to stand up and talk,” Enyeama said. “It’s important to come here and talk about these things, and tell people about my life. They don’t know how things are in different countries, about how bad they can be. But they need to know, and learn, so maybe they can help people who need it”
By Humera Lodhi