While the Trump administration wants to significantly reduce the number of refugees and asylum seekers allowed into the United States, there are already thousands of people in our community who came here through these legal channels and are contributing to their communities.
In Tucson, a cooperative effort between Iskashitaa Refugee Network and Odyssey Storytelling wants you to meet five of those residents who hail from Africa or Asia.
In the event that's called Belonging: Building A Better Tucson, four refugees and one asylum seeker are sharing their stories about the long process of being in limbo and uncertainty, and moving to United States to begin new lives.
They will comprise the storytellers for the live event at the University of Arizona's Gallagher Theater on Thursday August 14 beginning at 7 pm.
Audace Mbonyingingo grew up in Burundi but is seeking asylum in the United States. He is excited about new opportunities in this country.
Rebecca Ursule is a University of Arizona Student who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When she was five years old, she moved to Uganda with her family.
After 15 years there, Rebecca moved to Arizona with her parents, her six sisters and a little brother.
Sara Haghighi is a former refugee from Iran who lived in California before moving to Tucson where she advocates for refugees and adult education.
This is the second such collaborative effort between Iskashitaa Refugee Network, and Odyssey Storytelling in Tucson.
A fifth storyteller was not available for an interview when we met them in advance. His name is Benson Gasanga. He is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has two daughters, and likes to watch soccer, read books, and play the guitar.
Laura Porfirio is a volunteer at both organizations, and like other people in these groups, she believes it's imperative that people share stories and others listen.
"I always say that the work I have done with storytelling and adult education, working for Pima Community College, it comes from my family. Being raised by my grandma from Italy who didn't get to take English classes and added so much to the communities that she lived in. And nobody got to hear her story, her voice was not heard," Porfirio says.
"And I'm all about those voices getting heard."
For additional information about refugees and asylum seekers, you can go to various sources including these:
The United Nations Refugee Agency, the American Immigration Council, and Global Refuge.
