In a small living room in Austin, Texas, a map covered in thumbtacks takes up most of the wall. Through every series of thumbtacks runs a piece of colored string, following the travels of just one resident at the international emergency shelter Casa Marianella. Across the map stretches a rainbow of journeys from countries across the globe. What the strings cannot tell you, the friendly residents of Casa tell stories of tragedy, but also of triumph in the face of persecution and violence.
As the world faces the largest refugee crisis since World War II, the Texas and federal governments both meet displaced people with hostility. But for the past three years, the Liberal Arts Refugee Alliance has sought to challenge misinformation and fear in our community. Working with organizations like Casa Marianella, we’ve met asylum seekers who spent six to nine years traveling through six to nine countries. Through resettlement agencies like Refugee Services of Texas, we’ve worked alongside professional dancers, engineers, theologians and teachers with promising careers that have been put on hold.
You might find these Austin residents bagging your groceries or driving your taxi as they enter an unwelcoming economy and political climate. However, despite Governor Abbott’s disapproval, Texas has been leading the way in housing refugees for the past few years, with about 11 percent of the nation’s total population of refugees resettled in the Lone Star State. And in Austin alone, we have over 12,000 refugees — not including asylum seekers.
University of Texas students we have talked with are surprised to discover that many of their peers they walk the Forty Acres with everyday are refugees themselves. LARA strongly believes that understanding different groups of people comes from direct contact, and as an organization, we seek to connect students and refugees through meaningful service activities. From adult language partner programs to high school mentorships to elementary arts and crafts, we’ve toured museums, grown vegetables and even helped win a court case. We’ve felt inspired, amused and challenged by our work with refugees. Not once have we ever been made to feel threatened or unsafe — a sentiment echoed by LARA’s numerous volunteers.
It is our firm belief that if President Trump or Governor Abbott had a chance to sit down and have a cup of tea with our all-women ESL group, put their hands in the soil next to a Burmese refugee or maybe just share stories and pictures of their families with the friendly faces at Casa Marianella, their hearts and minds would change. Until then, we challenge the UT student body, the Austin community and citizens of the United States to look beyond the stereotypes perpetuated by the news about refugees, immigrants and asylum-seekers. They are our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers and our fellow Americans and they share the same hopes, dreams and desires we do. History is watching.
Rathjen is a history and English junior from Oklahoma City. Gomez is a sociology junior from Wimberley. They are the Liberal Arts Refugee Alliance Director and Volunteer Coordinator.
