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Waging Peace
By farrind on 2010-07-14 23:17:04
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed,
sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged
harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she ' With silent lips. "Give me your
tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send
these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" - Sonnet by Emma Lazarus What a
pleasure to be blogging, at least once this July. In the time frame (roughly) of the last two years, a group -we call ourselves a
project- has formed in response to a need in some Albany communities. What follows is an outline of what that group has
done, and has tried to do over that period. The name we settled on is the Iraqi Refugee Project.This is not exactly standard
fare for the blog you have tuned in to. And the reason for the above title may seem obscure (though hopefully, by the end
you'll see its connection to the whole subject). By the way, an earlier posting (July 11) mentions an event you might want to
catch. On July 23 through 25, a Peace Conference is planned. The place is the Crowne Plaza, in downtown Albany, and the
link is: www.NationalPeaceConference.org In the spring of 2008, the urge to help newcomers to the community- to the
Capital District- began to grow. Members of the group were drawn from these three organizations: Bethlehem Neighbors for
Peace, WAW (Women against War) and Women's Association for Family Affairs. What I found in myself in the fall of 2008
was a desire to actually try to make a difference, to do it during a few new gaps in my schedule, and without driving a lot of
miles. I joined a group of others, mostly women in welcoming just a few families to our area. In plain, blunt English, the
vast majority of them are driven here because of the war in Iraq -they are called refugees. Quite truthfully, we started
working with a handful of families. After a few months, there were more. This kept up, until now there are more than 300
families (more on this transformation later). What would you predict might be some problems faced by people who are
traveling to, setting up shop in a new land? Here, I will leave a blank space, to give you time to reflect on this, and then
continue with a few of the ways this group has helped in 2009 and part of 2010. So pause, then read on: If I left you with the
impression that the Iraqi Refugee Project is the main player, or even the guiding force helping these families settle in, it
would be a mistake. Oh no, indeed: other agencies, other groups, and literally dozens of other helpers are part of the process.
I only touch on them here, since this is a brief piece, and they will have to await internet information of their own, at other
times and other websites. Some of the jobs we faced: networking to search for apartments so families can start to settle.
Preparing small welcoming touches. Helping a family to enroll children in school. Helping them meet a few teachers, know
a bit about a school system as well as just finding the route to school. Talking with newcomers about streets, locations, and
which bus lines to take (the process of becoming a driver, including a New York road test is a whole step beyond this). Once
temperatures plummeted in December, shopping for those important coats, warm pants, and boots. Our group stepped up to
the challenge of all of this, and more. As you are reading, let your mind take you forward to this March. The Iraqi Refugee
Project decided to try a Sunday evening meeting, a community event that we planned as part dinner, part social (and yes, I'll
admit, part experiment). The celebration was held in Albany, and was open to people of any age; indeed, to just about
anyone. Actually, I took part in a little early planning (choosing a large hall as the location) and then there was a gap when
my participation dribbled down to .. well, next to nothing. So then the Sunday in March arrived, and having this celebration
penned into my datebook, I obediently showed up. The place was large- at least as big as two usual church sanctuaries- the
early arrivals drifted in, then six people here, a family or two there, then three more families, followed by a few more,
until...our whole room was full. After a while, supper was served. The number of families from Iraq was amazing. The
conversations and smiling started flowing, and the flowing grew, and never stopped; at least until the hall closed up, and the
evening was over. When you read a story of events like this, the question that comes to the fore is: what, generally is a
refugee? Let's go with a basic definition. Refugees are people who, for serious reasons, flee their native country and can't go
back right away. Using this definition, the world as a whole has roughly 14 million refugees. And most of these people are
originally from the middle east, Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa. So refugees, and refugee questions will be with us for a long
time. So now, a quick peek into our future. The Iraqi Refugee Project will stick to the same goals of welcoming those who
come. If you readers want to know more, please say so. In that case, more of the story will be forthcoming. As I framed out
what you've just read, my mind echoed with the lines that are inside the Statue of Liberty, that tall symbol which guards one
of our country's major harbors. They are written above; the poem, by Emma Lazarus, starts: Give me your tired, your poor
What appropriate lines for the effort of getting people, old and young, from another land to feel welcome in the place where
(many of us) grew up. Being a part, even a small part, of the Iraqi Refugee Project is starting to feel like one of the most
useful aspects of my life. It ranks very near my efforts to teach my son to read: it is work that expands, and is pointed toward
the future. Can you guess why this title, Waging Peace, is appropriate? I look forward to all your comments. farrind
