Mass media coverage of the Syrian Civil War has desensitized a lot of us to the disastrous displacement Syria's people have suffered in recent years. It seems that a day cannot go by without covering Syrian immigration to other countries as they flee the immense violence that is destroying their country, and this coverage should continue. It should continue until everyone, internationally, realizes this could just as easily be them. In anticipation of World Refugee Day on June 20th, Alicia Keys has partnered with the WeAreHere Movement to produce a short film that will contextualize the Syrian refugee crisis in a Southern California setting. On June 16th, she released the trailer for "Let Me In" on her YouTube page, and it asks viewers to humanize the seemingly faceless crisis in Syria. With this film, Keys hopes to inspire action to help the nearly 10 million refugees who have had to flee their homes with almost nothing in search of help and peace.
The trailer begins simply. A jogger runs past a typical home in suburban southern California as Keys, acting as a mother of two, asks her daughter if she's ready to present her project at school. This mundane activity, which could easily be any parent's daily morning routine, is interrupted by a news report of conflict between opposition forces and American armed forces fighting for control in the region. The family isn't involved; they're innocent of any fault in the violent altercation, but their home is destroyed in the in the conflict and they are forced to flee to their nearest haven: Mexico.
(Screenshot from the "Let Me In" trailer)
Mexico is apprehensive about providing refuge to Keys and her family, and it initially sparks a feeling of outrage. Why wouldn't they help her? The cold truth is that Mexico's attitude towards Keys in the film is the same bias that Syrian refugees have been receiving from nearly every country they have looked to for help. From the trailer is it plain to see that Keys and her family had nothing to do with the violent conflict, so they were innocent victims who suffered the consequences of others' actions. Unfortunately, Mexican authorities cock their guns and stare mercilessly as they eye American refugees as intruders. Meanwhile, Keys's hauntingly beautiful new song "Hallelujah" plays and the trailer concludes with the film's title, "Let Me In."
With a violent conflict like the one in Syria, it is easy for people to distance themselves from the problem because they think its a faraway issue; the civil war is something that won't personally affect them, so they think it's not their concern. However, our world is more interconnected than it has ever been. We can see, hear, and speak to people across the globe in a matter of seconds with the right methods, so what is our excuse for refusing innocent people's cry for help? We see these refugees on the news every day, we know their children live in shoddy refugee camps, and yet many of us dare to say that it isn't our problem.
If you are interested in stepping away from the popular sentiment of apathy towards the Syrian refugees and getting involved with Keys' project, please visit WeAreHere Movement's website. Here, you can sign up for the website's newsletter about all of its causes and updates on "Let Me In."
This isn't just Syria's problem. This is everyone's problem.
