Lee students, staff and faculty, along with members of the community, met to discuss the current refugee crisis
photo by Tammy Rockwell
Throughout the month of February, Lee University hosted a series discussing the current topic of refugees in America, “Unsheltered: A Christian Response to the Refugee Crisis.” The university did not shy away from the volatile discussion but instead invited members of the community and the campus to reexamine their opinions and acquire knowledge on the subject in a safe environment.
“I was overwhelmed by the success of this event,” said Dr. Carolyn Dirksen, distinguished professor and director of faculty development at Lee. “The lecture hall was filled to capacity for most of the sessions, and it is very encouraging that students and townspeople alike are interested in this significant crisis.”
Drs. Carolyn and Murl Dirksen facilitated the five-part series, while Lee alumna Erin Williamson, who had previously spent time in Egypt working with refugees, had the vision for this event. Williamson said she hoped “to take students on a journey from conflict to host countries to resettlement without ever needing to leave campus.”
The series began with Lee religion professor Dr. Michael Fuller offering his idea of how a Christian should respond to the refugee discussion. He challenged attendees to make sure they did not believe the lives of Christians to be more important than those of the non-Christian.
Chelsea Markham Lyle followed Dr. Fuller and discussed the regulations and “red-tape” refugees have to follow before they are admitted to the United States. Ms. Lyle aimed to clear misconceptions about who refugees are and what processes they have to go through in order to be allowed admittance to different countries. She outlined the extensive background checks, fingerprint checks, iris scans, and the multiple interviews, among other things that refugees have to go through.
According to Ms. Lyle, this process can take several years.
The next installment of the series featured the Frontline documentary “Exodus” which follows various refugees and immigrants who are desperate to find safety. After the showing, a panel of Lee professors discussed the movie and continued to clarify misunderstandings on the topic.
Dr. Augustin Bocco, a Tennessee Wesleyan University professor and Lee alumnus, spoke about his experience of seeking asylum in the United States. The West African native shared his story of coming to the U.S. in order to escape a country of political turmoil and unrest, and his journey from arrival to thriving.
“There is some honest fear and honest concern,” said Dr. Bocco. “It is real. I recognize that. But many refugees and asylees are just like us. They just want to see a better life.”
Several students who have had the opportunity to work with refugees followed Dr. Bocco and spoke on their experiences.
“I hope those who attended took away a better understanding of the dimensions of this crisis and of what we can do to help,” said Dr. Carolyn Dirksen. “We tried to introduce some real refugees to tell their individual stories to personalize the masses of statistics and to clarify the intense vetting process that these vulnerable families already go through. “
The President of the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga Bassam Issa spoke at one of the "Unsheltered” sessions. He urged audience members to reconsider the fear of the Islamic religion that is permeating the U.S. and reminded the crowd that Islam is a peaceful religion, and the radicals who promote violence are going against the Quran.
The evening also included several testimonials of refugees both at Lee University and from the Chattanooga area. The night closed with two speakers from the Adventist Muslim Friendship Association. Gabriela Phillips shared that the vision of the association is to foster relationships between religions.
The final installment in the series hosted representatives from Bridge Refugee Services of Chattanooga. Bridge is a non-profit that is committed to providing protection and assistance to refugees as they resettle, including arranging housing, food, and other supplies, in addition to offering classes on how to live in the U.S. and find opportunities for early employment.
For more information about the series, contact cdirksen@leeuniversity.edu.