Information for Employers

Information for Employers:

Prepared For the Workforce

                  Refugees are eager to enter your workplace and are equally prepared. Refugees arrive in America with incredible previous work experience. No matter the roles and jobs refugees possessed in their home nation, they each share valuable knowledge learned from their journey as a refugee. In their home nations, they have faced adversity and successfully overcame their challenges. They know what it is like to be challenged, and more importantly understand the work required and process by which one can overcoming these obstacles. Refugees tackle these problems with their fellow countrymen. They understand the value of teamwork, and have already had extensive practice working in groups toward a common goal. Beyond their struggles derived from persecution, refugees often come to America with valuable skills practiced in their homeland. These skills are numerous and include knowledge in fields such as information technology, healthcare, hospitality and food production. While in refugee camps individuals are exposed to a variety of beneficial classes including English. These classes enable most refugees to arrive in America with a firm grasp of the English language and the ability to communicate with customers. 

                  When refugees arrive in America, they are highly motivated to begin a new life for their family. Refugees are incredibly hard workers, and are willing to do whatever it takes to make their long journey to America a success. Because of this, they are extremely dependable and reliable workers. The African Community Center (ACC) helps to provide the refugees with everything else they need to successfully enter the workforce. Refugees are fully documented as legal residents of Colorado, meaning they are already authorized to work in the United States. We only refer individuals who have proven themselves capable of fitting your job criteria and hiring needs. Refugees are tested thoroughly at the ACC to show their strengths and weaknesses and to identify jobs the refugee can excel at. The ACC helps to provide further training for refugees to complete their knowledge on specific industries, including food service, retail and customer service, and janitorial cleaning. We continue our assistance even after the refugee is successfully hired. Our staff is always available to provide support to your business, including interpretation, cross-cultural support and other services.

Economic and Financial Benefits of Refugees

Hiring refugees can benefit your company in numerous ways, including tax cuts and stimulating growth. Hiring a refugee could exempt you from a 6.2% share of social security tax on wages paid, as well as a general business tax credit of 6.2% on wages paid to employees retained for at least 52 consecutive weeks. Refugees have the potential to contribute largely to a business and local economic growth, primarily through economic stimulus that may include, but is not limited to “the local purchase of food, non-food items, shelter materials by agencies supplying relief items, disbursements made by aid workers, the assets brought by refugees themselves, as well as employment and income accrued to local population, directly or indirectly, through assistance projects for refugee areas” (UNHCR). When refugees enter the labor force, they begin to directly compete with local citizens for scarce resources. This healthy competition can cause an increase in demand for food and other commodities that will boost local economic activity (UNHCR). Not only have refugees proven to enhance the skill level and overall diversity of a country, but also they have been known to foster innovation and flexibility. In Australia, five of the eight billionaires are either 2^nd or 3^rd generation refugees (Business Review). In 2006, incoming refugees accounted for $2.815 billion of overall GDP for Australia and $3.84 billion for the United Kingdom (CRR). The majority of refugees entering a first-world country are equipped with a determination to succeed, learn, and work hard. This mentality contributes to the refugees’ entrepreneurial tendencies, which translates to greater economic output. Refugees can also potentially extend business and industrial networks to other investment links, both regional and global, through connections to their homeland.

Below is a summarized list of some of the positive effects refugees can have on a businesses and local economies:

- Drive expansion of output

- Increase domestic demand

- Provide a skilled and flexible workforce

- Foster entrepreneurship

- Encourage innovation and technological transfer

- Develop trade links and international integration

- Support change and challenge rigidities

- Improve the value and return on capital

- Expand business and job opportunities

- Spread the costs of overhead requirements

- Through a growing economy, encourage the purchase of more modern, technologically advanced equipment

Social Benefits of Hiring Refugees

                  Hiring a refugee to be employed in your business is a mutually favorable decision, benefiting both the employer and the employee. One of the largest benefits of hiring a refugee for your business is the social aspects that are attached to their presence in the workplace. Eager to rebuild their lives in their new home in America, refugees often maintain a very high level of work ethic, and are incredibly driven at any task they are given to work. With a high desire to succeed, refugees are very determined workers, and will do their hardest to make themselves, and in turn your own business as successful as possible. Along with having incredibly devoted and hard workers, hiring refugees to your workplace will add a high level of diversity to your business.  Not only will they bring a different culture and idea set into the workplace, but they will also provide a very crucially important function that many businesses today are lacking, a multilingual employee. Coming from a variety of different countries, refugees will already be fluent in one or more languages other than English. This will allow your business to easily interact with foreign customers, who might not easily understand English, and having an employee fluent in their native language will allow for an ease of communication and overall a better experience for the customer. Finally, many refugees are looking to immerse themselves in American culture, and will not only be open to doing this in their workplace, but also sharing their own native cultures as well, providing a very diverse and open business environment.

How to Work with Refugees: Suggestions and Concerns Addressed

                  Regarding the process of working with refugees in the workplace, Chef Michael Duffy, Executive Chef at the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, offers salient advice: “People are people; it’s pretty simple.” The reality is that the process behind hiring a refugee is similar to the process behind hiring any other employee, as is the process of training and executing tasks. As Chef Duffy notes, “They are very dedicated people. They’re very hard-working and they’re eager to learn, and that eagerness is a tool that you don’t find that often.” The following questions and answers provide valuable insights into the nuts-and-bolts of working with refugees.

Will communication be difficult?

                  Refugees speak English to varying degrees of fluency, so the most correct answer to this question is that it depends. Most refugees are attending or have attended English classes in their lives, so conversations progress normally, or require only slightly more patience from both parties involved. Hands-on teaching methods are quite effective for training individuals with less English skills. The ACC offers interpretation services any time, completely free of charge.

                  Mr. David Montes, a member of the Human Resources Department at Welby Gardens, found another possible situation: “We hired a couple of refugees that speak English well as supervisors, so when new refugees come, the supervisors can show them what to do.”

Are refugees legal to work in the U.S.?

Yes. Refugees are an internationally-protected class of people, and have full authorization to work in the United States. An ACC Employment Specialist will ensure that any refugees hired through the ACC have the appropriate employment documentation.

Can refugees provide legitimate work references?

While refugees can provide valid work references, the ability of an American employer to reach that reference is a limiting factor. In many cases, the potential employer simply cannot contact the refugee’s past employers. Paula Veith, Benefits Director at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Denver, CO, shared this insight regarding the issue: “You know it’s difficult to call employers from, say, Bhutan, so we had to get creative. We had to rely on the caseworkers to know that a person is reliable and is dedicated to showing up on time and then just go with those opinions.” Indeed, an ACC Employment Specialist often offers a more substantial reference than a previous employer, because the ACC employee has spent more time working one-on-one with that individual, and has experience watching refugees grow into new careers.

Will cultural divides be an issue?

                  While cultural differences can initially require more patience in the training process, they ultimately add to the workplace. As Ms. Veith notes, “It enriches our culture here at the Hyatt to have people from all around the world.” Diversity brings new perspectives, ideas, and solutions into the place of work.

Bhutanese Refugee Backgrounder

BHUTANESE REFUGEE BACKGROUNDER

By: Jack Foersterling, Cameron Hickert, Nick Stubler, and Roderick O'Dorisio

Who are the Bhutanese?

Bordered by India to the south and China to the north, Bhutan is a landlocked country “about half the size of Indiana” (Campling). Although small, this country’s refugee population – in proportion to its total population – is one of the highest in the world. Indeed, “Since 1991 over one sixth of Bhutan's people have sought asylum in Nepal, India and other countries” (Bhutanese Refugee Support Group). The vast majority of these refugees (around 107,000 total) reside in refugee camps in Nepal, where the Nepali government denies them “two basic rights that are prerequisites for local integration: freedom of movement and the right to work and earn a living” (Resettlement Support Center). Although many desperately want to work, they simply are not allowed. In response to this plight, the United States has offered to resettle 60,000 refugees. This has helped ease the rampant overpopulation (and associated problems) in the Nepali refugee camps, although they are still far from ideal. Of course, another forced evacuation is not appealing to all refugees, already tired from their first exhausting journey: “While many welcome the chance to begin new lives in other countries, a group of refugees opposes the resettlement plan, saying that repatriation to Bhutan is the only acceptable solution” (Resettlement Support Center). Regardless, those who have made the passage to the United States are eager and willing to support themselves and their families in a new homeland.

The Conflict in Bhutan

The conflict in southern Bhutan is both complicated and intricate. It has its roots within the historical, political, and cultural complexes of the three main groups of people: the original inhabitants of the nation, people of Nepalese origin who are now Bhutanese citizens, and recent Nepalese migrants. The conflict in southern Bhutan began when illegal Nepalese immigrants began to settle in Bhutan for economic reasons. Rather than integrate into Bhutanese society, this constantly growing population of Nepali immigrants chose to remain culturally Nepalese. The Bhutanese government perceived this growing group of immigrants to only identity with Nepal and be a part of the Greater Nepal movement. The government saw this growing dichotomy as a threat to their national unity and created a “One Nation One People” policy in response. Under this policy, Bhutanese citizens were required to use the Driglam Namzha (Bhutanese national dress and etiquette code) and reinforced the status of Dzongkha as the national language. Nepali was discontinued as a school course across the nation. After conducting their nation’s first census in 1988, Bhutanese officials were surprised to learn the magnitude of Bhutan’s immigrant population. They have since ‘encouraged’ those of Nepali descent, some of which who have called southern Bhutan home since the late nineteenth century, to permanently leave Bhutan.

Culture in Bhutan

The nation of Bhutan has long been a very isolated state, relying on the sheer size of the Himalayas that surround them to keep them uninfluenced by outside cultures and customs. Because of their little interaction with outside cultures, the Bhutanese have long held their own beliefs and heritage sacred within their culture. Due to this fact, the Bhutanese have held traditions that have remained since the beginning of the country’s founding in the mid 17th century. The basis of Bhutanese culture is centered on Buddhism, the main religion of Bhutan. These Buddhist practices can be seen widely throughout Bhutan with prayer flags set up along the mountainsides, and a small white flag adorns each roof under which the owner has appeased the local god by extending a payment or offering.  The preservation of the Bhutan tradition and culture is known as Driglamnamza, and was required of all citizens in 1990. This law, regarding the correct way to eat, talk, and show respect by bowing to those in the government and clergy, was quickly fought against by those of the Lhotsampas ethnic group, or Bhutanese citizens who come from Nepali descent. It is also this decree of Driglamnamza that has led to over 20% of Bhutan’s citizens being persecuted for their different beliefs and ideals.

            The dress code of Bhutan is fairly simple, the nationally required dress, known as the Driglam Namzha, is required in public during daylight hours. Men typically wear a heavy robe that reaches their knees with a belt forming a front pocket at the front of their robe. Women wear colorful blouses that are worn in a way to create an ankle length dress. Bhutanese women hold a large amount of power in the community, and have more rights than some men of other nearby nations and cultures. Women hold a large part in the ownership of land, and work alongside their male counterparts in the fields or owning small shops. Marriage is a mutual affair and divorce is not uncommon within the Bhutanese culture. Bhutanese food staples include red rice, buckwheat and a variety of chicken, yak and beef in the more mountainous regions.

Health Status of Bhutanese Refugees

Prior to entering the United States of America, the Bhutanese refugees are faced with numerous diseases and other detriments that affect their overall health and mental stability. Perhaps one of the most significant areas of study is the impact of torture on the mental health of Bhutanese refugees. According to a study conducted by the American Medical Association, severe torture is directly correlated with traumatic experiences and psychiatric ailments. Some of most prevalent illnesses that are carried over to American soil from the refugee camps overseas include depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The study conducted by the American Medical Association concludes that torture plays a significant role in the development of PTSD, and the study proceeds to deliver specific solutions that can counter the effects of PTSD in Western society. Another significant link to mental instability is the caste hierarchies that are established in the Nepalese refugee camps. According to a recent study conducted by Duke University, a strong correlation between a lower hierarchical status and mental trauma exist. This is because most refugees who do not possess a prominent role in the caste hierarchy are usually discriminated against and thus endure more frequent acts of torture compared to individuals who hold a higher ranking in the hierarchy. For American employers, knowing the previous hierarchical status of a refugee is valuable information when discussing how to treat and what services to provide a specific refugee in the desired work environment.

6 out of every 10 Bhutanese refugees currently located in refugee camps in Nepal will commit suicide within the next year according to a study done by McGill University. In the same study, colloquial language is included to describe the feelings that Bhutanese refugees associate with their mental health. The refugees often “experience dukha (sadness), manaasik bhoj (mental burden) or tanab (tension) in the man (heart-mind).” The last facet of mental stability involves the female Bhutanese refugees. According to a study conducted by the Human Rights Watch, women’s independence within refugee camps is extremely limited. They are often victims of abusive relationships and are presented with no alternatives because any attempt to leave an abusive or violent relationship often means losing custody of the children. Additional reports of sexual trafficking have been recorded. Personal health information, specifically mental status, is crucial for employers because it provides them with the necessary information to appropriately implement specific services that can create a more secure and unthreatening work environment for the Bhutanese refugees. 

Employing Refugees

When reading both the Congolese Backgrounder from the CORC and the Employer Guide to Hiring Refugees from the ACC, I was very surprised to see how the refugees are treated almost as a completely alien people. The frequently asked questions section of the ACC’s Employer Guide acts as though the employers have never interacted with someone a little bit different than them. While yes, I do know that this is technically necessary to have all of these questions and answers to settle any sort of lingering questions from the employer, but I do believe that the ACC could do a better job of depicting the refugees as individuals instead of one nondescript group. I do enjoy that the Congolese Backgrounder includes a short description of each part of the Congolese culture, from language, to marriage, to differentiations between Congo and United States cultures. One part of the ACC’s Employer Guide that I did find very useful was the “Benefits to your Business” section. Although they do advertise all refugees as the same kind of people, I feel as though they do a wonderful job of giving the best light to the refugees based on the situation some of them have come out of. In the article I read for an earlier blog post, I read about many stories of Iraqi refugees having been doctors, attorneys, or other high paying professions before that were re-located here in America. Now they can barely get jobs working as dishwashers or janitors. With the help of the ACC, these refugees, who may not be able to exactly show their true talents to their employers, are able to get the best job possible for their previous work experience in their home countries.

Bhutanese Refugee Annotated Bibliography

Works Cited

"100000 Milestone for Bhutanese Refugee Resettlement." Himalayan Times [Kathmandu] 26 Apr. 2013: n. pag. Proquest Central. Web. 01 May 2013. <http://search.proquest.com/docview/1346158765?accountid=14608>.

This newspaper article, published in Kathmandu in the Himalayan Times, covers the migration of many of the Bhutanese refugees currently taking refuge in Nepalese refugee camps to other countries around the world. Under relocation programs that started in 2007, over 80,000 refugees have moved to 8 different countries, with another 20,000 refugees having resettlement papers submitted. Over 65,000 refugees have been resettled to America, by far the largest relocation group, the UNCHR plans to continue their success of relocation of Bhutanese refugees in the next coming years for the remainder of those in the camps.

"Bhutanese Refugee Resettlement Becomes UNHCR's Largest." Himalayan Times [Kathmandu] 19 June 2010: n. pag. ProQuest Central. Web. 01 May 2013. <http://search.proquest.com/docview/503940177?accountid=14608>.

This newspaper article, also from the Himalayan Times based out of Kathmandu, Nepal, covers that the resettlement of Bhutanese refugees to the neighboring country of Nepal has become the largest resettlement program through the UNHCR worldwide. Nepal UNHCR representative Stephane Jaquemet said "We are very proud to be the largest resettlement program." on World Refugee Day, June 20th. Because this article was written before the most recent one regarding the number of refugees haven been resettled across the globe is not up to date, so it is very interesting to see how much it has grown in the short period of time.

Ives, Jack D. "A Personal View: Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal." Mountain Research and Development 22.4 (2002): 411-14. JSTOR. Web. 01 May 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/25164091 .>. This article was written by Jack D. Ives, Senior Advisor on Mountain Ecology at United Nations University on his personal experiences with Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. He begins with the facts that there are over 130,000 Bhutanese people have been forced to live in exile over the past 10 years, and that about 100,000 of these refugees live in UNHCR refugee camps in areas of eastern nepal. These people were forced to leave their country in September and October of 1990, after peaceful mass demonstrations were opposing the law that curtailed the cultural and religious freedoms of Bhutanese citizens of Nepali decent. He further explains his involvement with Dinesh Dhakal, a Bhutanese man who had contacted UNU about obtaining a fellowship, as the university did not have a Bhutanese fellow. After meeting many times with Dhakal and visiting the camps in Nepal, Ives came up with the conclusion that to truly solve this crisis, all the people of the international community must come together and work together because this is not just a Bhutanese problem, its a humanitarian problem much larger than that.

"Resettlement of Bhutanese Refugees to US Begins." The Hindustan Times [New Delhi] 08 Nov. 2007: n. pag. ProQuest Central. Web. 01 May 2013. <http://search.proquest.com/docview/470446326?accountid=14608>.

This article, one of the oldest that I found on the topic of Bhutanese refugee relocation, is allocating the future plans for the resettlement of Bhutanese refugees from the Nepali camps to other nations across the globe. "said the US government would take 60,000 refugees over a five-year period although the limit could be extended if required. 'There is no cap if more than 60,000 people are interested in being resettled.'" the article stated. With over 65,000 refugees in America now in 2013, it is very nice to see that the UNHCR as well as their affiliate in American relocation efforts have exceeded their goals for helping those in the Nepali camps.

"US Resettlement Plans Give Hope to Bhutanese Refugees." The Hindustan Times [New Delhi] 27 Apr. 2007: n. pag. ProQuest Central. Web. 01 May 2013. <http://search.proquest.com/docview/469431746?accountid=14608>.

This article from the Hindustan Times is the oldest one of the articles I researched. It was published right as the United States as well as other countries to begin in the assistance of the resettlement and relocation efforts for the Bhutanese in Nepali refugee camps. It states that there is finally a "light at the end of a tunnel" for the more than 100,000 Bhutanese refugees currently taking home in the camps. With facts similar to other articles, 60,000 in the next five years, the interest of Canada, Denmark and Norway, etc., this article was the very beginning of those to come regarding the massive movement of Bhutanese refugees to new homes across the globe.

More than Just a Name Final Draft

Jack Foersterling

Professor Leake

WRIT 1733

More Than Just a Name

Having been in class for a total of 5 weeks now and having read, watched, researched, and seen first hand many different refugee stories my definition of a refugee and what their story entails has both remained true to, but also grown immensely from what my ideas at the beginning of the quarter were. Our first blog post focused on such an idea. Exactly what is a refugee? While we all have the definition fed to us by the popular media stories (starving African children come to mind pretty quickly) what most people fail to see is the very broad range of situations a refugee can come from. The definition I came up with at the beginning of the quarter is “A “refugee” in my definition is someone who changes location, from their physical home or homeland, by either force or on his or her own accord.” (Foersterling) For the next class we were to read the UNHCR report regarding the definition of refugees, which gave the following, “A refugee is someone who ‘owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country…” (UNHCR, 3) Now while I believe my definition and that given by the UNHCR are very close in description, we must also remember that the UNHCR definition was given at a 1951 convention dealing with the status of refugees, over 60 years ago. 60 years is a large amount of time for a single definition to still be held in place regarding a group of people. To put things into perspective, African Americans didn’t even have the right to vote until 13 years after this conference took place. While I believe the definition still holds generally true to the majority of those under refugee status, a modern convention on refugees would allow for a new definition of a refugee that involves all that has happened globally since the previous one.

            Now that I have gone over the working “definition” of a refugee through both my idea and what the actual legal parameters are, we can tackle what it means to have a “refugee story”. One of the main topics we have covered in class, the idea of a “refugee story” has very grey lines on what exactly it means, solely because there are so many examples of them that trying to cram them all under one overarching denotation. Much like any time one group of people is defined by their stereotype or general characteristics, there are still a very large portion of the common population that do not adhere anywhere close to the “norm” of their group. Take for example the common stereotypes of minority groups such as Latino Americans and African Americans. While we might try and reject the idea that there is the common “idea” of what both groups are like, whether we like it or not, they exist. Stereotypes have for decades plagued groups of individuals by describing their diverse culture in simplistic terms that grossly oversimplify the actions and beliefs.

            I believe that both the best and the worst thing for the sharing of these refugee stories in American culture, as well as world culture, has been the popular media. The second a war or genocide or other form of social persecution of people begins in a developing country today it is a media feeding frenzy for who can be on the scene fastest and getting coverage of the event unfolding. While at its core this does seem like a positive thing, media covering large world events that effect a large group of people, the modern media outlets have reached a level of coverage much more than just reporting the news to the general public. If you flip on the news today, any channel, it doesn’t matter if its on one side of the spectrum like FOX or the complete other side like CNN, you will see the same thing, the over dramatization and coverage of events. As a journalism major I have been engrained with the idea that we cover stories and make our lead titles something that will attract the largest audience. What does this for the average American media consumer? Horror stories. War in this country, famine in this one, murder in this city, scandal in the capital, etc. It is all the same, if it has a shock factor big enough, it will make front-page news guaranteed. There is no way any major news corporation will cover the story of a man who was reconnected with his lost father after 30 years over any story involving some form of violence or unjust actions. In the covering of refugees in African countries, the media almost doesn’t treat the victims as people. “A Southern Sudanese activist I interviewed on the U.S. East Coast commented on her own work with the Lost Boys of Sudan, critiquing the ways in which the media appropriated the boy’s suffering without emphasis on their daily struggle and the impact of war trauma and violence on their mental health and general well-being.” (Fadlalla, 106) Put in coverage that almost makes them seem like the animals out of a Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commercial, the refugees are put in a light that even the hardest criminal will feel pity for them. News broadcasters look for the biggest “sob story” when covering the refugees. As described in an article written regarding the resettling of Iraqi refugees in the greater Boston Area, the author says, “His life in America hasn’t been easy. But he’s safe, and he says that counts for a lot when you know how it feels to be kidnapped, beaten up by insurgents, and stuffed into a trunk” It is easy to see the author’s use of such deep and powerful language to entice a certain feeling from the reader. Like Deng said, there are plenty of stories that involve the typical, as Fadlalla describes, “…these Sudanese youth ate insects and grass, risked being eaten by jungle carnivores, and drank their own urine to survive” (Fadlalla, 102) recollections. However, like Deng also stated many refugee stories are fabricated for the media, “But now, sponsors and newspaper reporters and the like expect the stories to have certain elements, and the Lost Boys have been consistent in their willingness to oblige. Survivors tell the stories the sympathetic want, and that means making the stories as shocking as possible. My own story includes enough small embellishments that I cannot criticize the accounts of others.” (Eggers, 21) Much like we as college students did not technically “lie” to college admissions board about our accomplishments and what we did in high school, but it would be very easy to state that we all buffed up our best traits and stories and threw them to the front of the line to get the most attention. We, along with the refugees telling their stories are not simply lying, but more fabricating some of the truths to make our stories and our triumphs stand above the rest.

  While the major media outlets do have their faults (just like any large corporation these days) they do assist in what their true purpose was initially intended for, informing the general public of worldly events and happenings. Without them we would have little to no idea what is happening two states away from us let alone what is going on in the Middle East and Africa. Without the popular media covering stories of refugees and their struggle, there would be nowhere close to the amount of help going to them from American sources as there is now. Everything starting from the UN to other world-wide help and support groups down to local organizations that hold small fundraisers to send money to African and other refugees would not be at all as effective as they stand today without the assistance of the major media covering the events that occur in the places they are helping. While both sides of the coin can be debated for whether or not the mass media and its coverage of refugees either hurts or helps the telling of their stories, I do believe that the stories would not be able to be told without it.

            What I have noticed in reading, watching and researching about refugee stories is that their largest detriment is that they forget the individual, the person. They instead focus on the large group, summarizing the stories of many into the story of one. It is not until you search out stories such as God Grew Tired of Us, of Beetles and Angels, and What is the What all you find are stories without names. There is no Deng, no Mawi, no John Buhl or Panther or Daniel, all that they use is “refugees”. There is no personality to this word “refugee” it is a blank faced title given to characterize such a large and diverse group of people, many times, who could not be more different. African refugees, Asian refugees, even Native American refugees, are we saying that all of these people are the same? Refugees deserve the right to the name they were given at birth, not the one they were given when they were forcibly removed from their country against their will. They are people, just like you and I, it doesn’t take much reading to see that. Mawi describes in his book the perils of growing up in the suburbs of Chicago not only as a refugee, but mostly just as a child. I share so many similar experiences with him in this respect. No, I did not move from an African refugee camp to America at a very young age, but I did deal with bullies, I dealt with school, I dealt with my parents, I dealt with girls. While our backgrounds may be completely different and we have experienced things the other may never even imagine, we still share such a solid common ground. While one of us has the technical denotation as a refugee and the other is just a white middleclass suburban kid, we both grew up here, we’re both, and I proudly say this, Americans.

            Overall, there should be no reason that refugees should be defined by their legal status and title, they should be defined by their actions, and their individual stories, not those about their entire group. They tell these stories for a reason, to hold this sense of individual. As Deng said, “Whatever I do, however I find a way to live, I will tell these stories. I have spoken to every person I have encountered these last difficult days...I speak to these people, and I speak to you because I cannot help it. It gives me strength, almost unbelievable strength, to know that you are there. I covet your eyes, your ears, the collapsible space between us. How blessed are we to have each other? I am alive and you are alive and so we must fill the air with our words. I will fill today, tomorrow, every day until I am taken back to God. I will tell stories to people who will listen and to people who don't want to listen, to people who seek me out and to those who run. All the while I will know that you are there. How can I pretend that you do not exist? It would be almost as impossible as you pretending that I do not exist.” (Eggersa, 115) We must choose to break outside what is simply given to us instantaneously through mass media that hits us in waves every second in todays fast paced society, we must not simply take the story given to us and move on. We have to look at the individual and not the group. We have to see people, not just “refugees”, because it’s more than just a name.

Works Cited

Asgedom, M. (2002). Of beetles & angels: a boy's remarkable journey from a      refugee camp to Harvard. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co..

Eggers, D. (2006). What is the what: the autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng            : a novel. San Francisco: McSweeney's.

UNHCR. (2012, September). Protecting Refugees and the Role of UNHCR. UNHCR, September 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from https://blackboard.du.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id _2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%

Fadlalla, A. (2009). Contested Borders of (In)humanity: Sudanese Refugees and     the Mediation of Suffering and Subaltern Visibilities. Urban Anthropology,           38(1), 80-113. Retrieved March 23, 2012, from https://blackboard.du.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=  _2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype            %3DCourse%26id%3D_208109_1%26url%3D