descendants and survivors that there is no healing without restitution. it s hard to move forward from the events that transpired 100 years ago when many people can point to their family members. they point to refugee stories of their great grandparents or grandparents fleeing the city. i want you to take a listen to some of the conversations we had. i think the centennial of this race massacre is a moment to heal as a community. people here in tulsa did everything that was asked of them, and then the result was, it was destroyed with the help of the government. and i feel i neededed to be here to be with my ancestors to say, we think you should be paid after 100 years. it s long overdue. it can never be too late.
‘Sindhi Tapestry’: How an anthology of works by 60 Sindhi writers from around the world came to life
Editor Saaz Aggarwal explains how the collection went from impulse to fruition. A traditional Sindhi peengho, made of Burmese teak, from 1942. | Courtesy Subash Bijlani
On 9 June 2020, out of the blue, the way such things tend to happen, I received an email from one Anil Jaisinghani with subject line “Totally Impressed”.
Anil was writing to tell me what had happened to him after he read my 2012 book
Sindh: Stories from a Vanished Homeland: “So happy to read your book…THANK YOU for making me feel whole rather than a lost Sindhi.”
Coffee can be more than just a drink; for some, it opens up a field of opportunities, as discussed by former refugees in an event hosted by 1951 Coffee Company Thursday.
First opening its doors to Berkeley in 2015, 1951 Coffee Company is a nonprofit organization that trains and hires refugees, asylees and special immigrant visa holders while educating the community about their struggles, according to the company’s website. The virtual event, “Opening Doors: Refugees’ Stories of Inclusivity in the Coffee Industry,” focused on the stories of graduates from the company’s training program and cafe managers about their experiences working in the coffee sector.
anything you want. people hear that, and ambassador, it s frightening. you say even if you were to get a fake syrian passport and pose as a refugee, it would take time. we hear refugee stories are to be taken at face value. they say this is my story and customs officials are told not to question it. the vetting process is a long one. it s not, you know, ten questions in one afternoon. this goes on for months and months and months. i just don t think an organization like islamic state is going to want to put an operative in that position where the chances of detection are far greater than if that individual was just seeking a tourist visa. once again, why bother with masquerading as a refugee or buying a fake passport when they ve got several thousand
indeed. but you know, bob baer was talking about how on the border they ve been instructed to take refugee stories at face value and not ask questions. you would think that they would know not to come in in groups. i mean, do you feel that, that these things have been thought through and are prepared for, or perhaps not? well, i think so i know that the department is ratcheting the department of homeland security obviously with the state department is ratcheting up refugee surveillance essentially because we won t take what people say for granted. as i said earlier, we have much more focus on a family unification standard for refugees. in other words, there s a lot of syrian americans, can people vouch for others. and as i m willing to say, none of this is perfect. but you have to think of what is the alternative? without a refugee program in the united states, this will say to europe, and especially very right-wing elements in europe, that not even the united states is taking