19 miles is the distance I live from Amarillo Texas… a town that receives the highest ratio of new refugees to existing population than any other Texas city. Amarillo is overwhelmed with more than 1,000 refugees, and now has at least 22 languages spoken in public schools.
I was never faced with 20+ languages in my public school, but I did learn a few things. My junior year I took a science class and learned about Newton’s third law of physics.
“For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action.”
I would consider the influx of refugees since 2012 a significant undertaking and likewise, it has caused an equal (or opposite) re-action. Many lawmakers, local officials, and community leaders discuss the topic with a coined set of buzzwords.
Straining, Burdensome, and Overwhelming to name a few.
But the only thing more overwhelming than the refugees – is the stigma we place upon them. Have you ever looked up the actual definition of refugee?
refugee
ˌrefyo͝oˈjē/
noun
noun: refugee; plural noun: refugees
a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
When will we learn to stop associating refugees with terms like immigrant or terrorist? Because what the news does not share is how many refugees do not want to be here. They do not want to leave their country, and they certainly do not want to live in a place where they are ostracized. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. Who wants to face so much warfare, corruption, and terror that it forces you to abandon your own Country? It is tragic really. But even more heartbreaking than the tragedy itself is the judgment and bigotry these people face once they arrive at their new "home". They flee from discrimination to be faced with…wait for it…more discrimination.
I wish more people saw the refugee crisis as a call to action rather than a public duty. Sure we can give these people temporary aid, shelter, food, and clothing. But why does it stop there? We do very little justice by assisting a refugee if we are not compelled to know his or her story. Why are they leaving? And while we show them unconditional love during their stay here; is there something greater that we could be doing?
I have seen firsthand how much judgment refugees encounter, and it breaks my heart. Haven't they gone through enough already? If you took a moment to talk them you might realize how educated, kind-hearted, strong, and hard working most of them are.
This is why I do not want refugees in my city. Because they deserve so much more.
I do not want my city to be their last hope. I want it to be a destination, not a place of desperation.
I do not want to live in a world that harbors so much terror that it causes families to flee their homes.
I do not want my city to be associated with sorrow, struggle, or exclusion.
I do not want people to live in so much unfamiliarity that they do not feel loved or accepted.
I do not want refugees in my city because it means that there is a crisis somewhere so large that it has consumed a population and driven out people with fear.
I do not want to help them only here in my city… I want to help them where they truly need help, at the root of the problem, in their own country.
A global God must equal a global vision.
Do you have a global vision? I do.
