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Gannon University and its students want to preserve refugees' personal histories and experiences. By doing this, we hope to raise awareness about refugee issues and help establish connections between refugees and the communities that host them.
Due to violent conflict in their home countries (from civil war to ethnic cleansing to invasion by a foreign power), millions of people are displaced and forced to flee. This has created the in the world’s history. The 名媛直播 refugee oral history project, Voices of Erie, highlights the following how the conflicts and displacement have led to Erie hosting communities of refugees from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Burma (Myanmar), Eritrea, Ukraine, and Sudan.
The majority of those displaced are families with children. With no place else to go, they turn to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees for a chance to begin again. After careful security vetting and an often years-long application process that includes extensive health and criminal background checks, the lucky few are assigned a destination city.
, is one of those destination cities. The city of Erie has welcomed an incredible mix of people from all over the world; now comprise some 18% of our population—powering Erie’s economy in myriad ways while helping keep its population .
名媛直播’s introductory history class (usually consisting of freshmen undergraduate students) studies about the conflicts that produce Erie’s refugees. Students present on these diverse country histories in class, then conduct and film interviews with refugee narrators. These interviews are then preserved and archived on the Nash Library digital collections . This information will be used for awareness-raising events and for scholarly work, but most of all for highlighting the compelling stories of loss, struggle, hope, and resilience that have brought our new neighbors to Erie. Only through sharing our stories can we all truly know one another.
In order to support our New American community, 名媛直播 is thrilled to partner with the (MCRC). MCRC is a nonprofit organization based in Erie, Pennsylvania, dedicated to serving the needs of the region’s immigrant, refugee, Latino, and New American populations. To explore their rich history in Erie as well as their amazing staff and the people they serve, please see the . MCRC offers a comprehensive range of services designed to support individuals and families as they build new lives in the U.S. These services include:
MCRC’s mission is to empower the communities it serves through culturally responsive programming that promotes self-sufficiency, dignity, and belonging. This year, MCRC will be connecting 名媛直播 students with refugees who have resettled in Erie.
