Refugees & Racism / Peace Day 2022

Happy International Day of Peace!

What is Peace Day?
Each year, Glocally Connected takes part in the International Day of Peace, or “Peace Day”. This special day is celebrated around the world on the 21st September as a day to put aside differences to commit to strengthening peace around the globe with a new annual theme. For 2022, the UN has decided to focus on Ending Racism, and Building Peace, to build a society where all members can flourish through equal treatment, regardless of race.

 

The Need for Equitable Refuge Around the World
As conflict and war endures around the world, we can see how race-based discrimination have inflamed struggles for certain racial groups, particularly within those trying to seek refuge. Racism can affect refugees at each and every stage of the displacement cycle, as a cause of displacement from phone countries, in transit countries, and in host countries as well. As Joanna Regulska, UC Davis vice provost and dean of Global Affairs mentioned in a panel on the situation in Ukraine, “racism that already exists becomes amplified during crisis”.

This amplification can be seen within Ukraine as people attempt to cross borders from within Ukraine to avoid the Russian invasion, brighting to light the deep-rooted racism in the country. Many reports account for white women and children being given priority to leave Ukraine, while other racial minorities were barred from entering trains. As Jo Adetunji reports for TheConversation.com, per racist logic, some people are seen as vulnerable, while “others as beyond the realm of moral obligation to receive protection,” with racialized people being deemed as not worthy of this same protection. While Ukrainian refugees deserve safety from this war as much as others, the process of seeking refuge both in Ukraine and around the world deserved to be equitable for all refugees, regardless of race.

 

Photo by: Zaur Ibrahimov

Seeking Asylum Here In The States
The United States has been associated with racist notions since the birth of the nation, bleeding over into many crevices of society that affect racial minorities on a daily basis. This interwoven racism has unique and challenging nuances that many asylum seekers must navigate before they even begin to transition over to the States.

Research conducted with Afghan asylum seekers in Northern California found that discrimination can be detrimental to refugees’ mental health. Experiencing discriminatory behavior often makes the traumatic experience of displacement exacerbate stress factors associated with pre-migration and post-resettlement, such as loss of social support, socio-economic factors, and challenges with cultural adjustment.

The mere perception of discrimination that a refugee might feel, a.k.a. Perceived Discrimination, has been shown to impact health through multiple paths, including reduced access to employment, housing, and education. The perception of unfair treatment and access to resources can harm an individual’s self-esteem, hindering opportunities in the social and economic sphere, as in integrating into the community and being hired into a job. Posing harm to refugees in integration due simply to their ethnic group identification.

​
How can we build peace?

“Wherever we see racism, we must condemn it without reservation, without hesitation, without qualification.”
– António Guterres

Racism not only harms those who endure it first hand, but society as a whole. Glocally Connected is standing up against racial prejudice and discrimination to build a more peaceful and respectful world for all, beyond racism.

1. Build up your fact-based understanding of current public perceptions of migrants and refugees
Attitudes towards refugees can vary greatly, it’s important to understand these perceptions and biases in order to combat them. By diversifying your knowledge and news sources, you gain a bigger picture of the issues at hand with different viewpoints (You can even subscribe to our newsletter)! Having nuanced, fact-based views on refugees can help to work towards anti-discrimination.

2. Hold those around you accountable
​​Challenge yourself to engage a respectful conversation when problematic comments/policies are made by friends and family. By utilizing the E.A.R.S. strategy (from Dr. Kathy Obear) you can help to hold others accountable.​

  • Explore, inquire, and ask questions

    Acknowledge their feelings

    Restate what they said to check for accuracy

    Search for solutions together

When discrimination becomes institutional or has been structurally woven into a system, refugees can face reduced access to things like public services. Public sector workers and policy makers’ biases can often translate into discriminatory treatment. Take a stand to be influence anti-racist policy by writing letters, emails, calling offices, or even visiting these policymaker offices!

3. Learn with humility and intention
It’s important to understand that you cannot know or fully understand the experience of marginalized communities you don’t identify with. Rather than listening to respond, practice empathy through active listening and validating their experiences and feelings when engaging with these communities.
Having the intention of being anti-racist requires a mindful presence and awareness in our daily life. Setting the intention to keep your heart and mind open and vulnerable is essential in consciously pursuing this overall goal on Peace Day and every day.

4. Get involved in organizations that support justice
The more we actively seek to experience interconnectedness and work to make life better for others who experience discrimination, the more we work towards the 2022 Peace Day mission. By volunteering time, donating money (if possible), or spreading awareness of their mission, you can help organizations that actively work to help disproportionately affected communities.

What is Glocally Connected Doing to help?

Photo By: Ricardo Gomez Angel

  • Community Support

  • Education & Mentorship

  • Entrepreneurial Empowerment

  • Advocacy Work

Glocally Connected is actively working towards the 2022 Peace Day theme of fighting racism to build peace and commits itself to working towards this mission beyond this annual theme.

As many refugees experience health issues such as stress and PTSD as a result of discrimination and trauma of seeking refuge, Glocally Connected is providing Health & Behavioral Health Workshops that aim to educate and support refugees with the help of the local community.

One of our central missions is to provide education for refugees. Our Tutoring Services are offered to local refugee children by our volunteers in a variety of subjects, as well as a weekly multi-level ESL Class held via Zoom. Along with this, we offer Employee & Mentorship Services aiming to connect refugees with local mentors who can help guide them toward a long-term and sustainable career, as well as aid in professional development.

We aim to empower female refugee entrepreneurs by supporting their work and art, while providing the tools to start and run a successful business. One of the refugee women Glocally Connected has helped, Friba, was successful in creating an Afghan cuisine catering company. Currently, we are helping refugee women passionate about jewelry and artisanship create an online e-commerce store.

Dr. Selin Nielsen represents Glocally Connected as she attends conferences and conducts presentations around the world to raise awareness and educate on pressing refugee issues, like that of racial discrimination, as well as advocate for policy changes. She has held workshops across the globe and advocated for refugee issues at the United Nations. In the future, Dr. Selin hopes to expand her education and advocacy work to middle and high schools, as a way to engage the youth in humanitarian work.

Sienna SevernsInternational Peace Day, Peace Day, 2022Comment