November 23, 2015

Public talk Nov. 24 urges solidarity with Syrian refugees

Interested in the Syrian refugee crisis?

A public discussion at the University of Washington Tuesday, Nov. 24 aims to provide information about how local residents and communities can help advocate for Syrian refugees. Sponsored by UW Law’s Immigrant Families Advocacy Project, the “Social Justice Tuesday” event will be held from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. in Room 127 in William H. Gates Hall, with a reception and snacks afterward in Room 115. Speakers are:

• Rahaf Baker, who migrated from Syria to the U.K. as a child and is now pursuing a master’s degree in public health at the University of Washington, with a focus on refugee health. Baker is a member of the Syrian American Medical Society, which provides medical care in war zones throughout Syria.
• Nina Boe, a program director for the Washington Rescue Committee for Syrian Refugees. An alumna of the University of Washington, Boe has long been active in Seattle’s refugee community with the International Rescue Committee and Episcopal Migration Ministries.

“We as a law school community fundamentally reject the xenophobic and racist rhetoric used to demonize Syrian Muslims and others seeking refuge,” UW law students and the Immigrant Families Advocacy Project said in a joint statement posted on the event’s Facebook page.

“Despite the statements from governors and others, the law does not permit states to reject refugees in their states who have been accepted by the federal government. In light of our history as a country, essentially a country of immigrants, it is our responsibility as a state and a country to act with compassion toward those who are fleeing a devastating years-long civil war without regard to race, color, nationality, or religion,” the UW groups said.

William H. Gates Hall is located near the northwest corner of the UW campus, near the intersection of 15^th Avenue Northeast and Northwest 43^rd Street. A map and directions are available online.