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As World Refugee Day is celebrated this week with public events and advocacy campaigns, I think of the power of everyday conversation between strangers. Recently, I had an uncomfortable one at the Tucson airport with a smart, articulate former commercial airline pilot as we waited to board our flight. The topic of Trump’s travel ban came up; he was for it.

“We don’t need more Muslims,” he said. I asked him for his reasons. A self-described news hound, he quoted what to him were incontrovertible facts. “Look, 99% of all terrorist attacks in the U.S. have been committed by Muslims.” When I asked where that number came from, he replied, “A Pew Research Center study.” According to my acquaintance, almost all refugees are men. They don’t care about their women. They just leave them behind while they climb into boats to cross the Mediterranean. They take away American jobs. They abuse our welfare system.

As we who support refugees and try to stay informed about immigration know, none of this is true . . . according to news sources we are consuming. If only we could remember those facts and figures when meeting a stranger who, like us, believes his sources.  Does it matter? Should we try to change someone’s mind on such a fraught topic in a few short minutes of conversation in an airport lounge? Could we?

Share Facts When and Where We Can

I’m sure I didn’t change the pilot’s mind that day. Maybe no one could have, even if much better informed than I am and armed with a sharper memory and a taste for argument. But, yes, it matters. With the cancerous spread of false news to Americans long turned-off by mainstream news, it’s important to share actual facts when and where we can. Otherwise, we two strangers just exchange opinions and leave each other uninformed and disrespecting each other.

I wish I could say my acquaintance took in any of my mild advocacy for Muslim refugees. In future, I’ll try to become better informed on the points he raised, since we hear them all the time and there is plenty of solid reporting refuting them. But how to even make it through such a conversation without giving up in frustration?

Experts in such matters recommend, as a first rule, listening. Be polite and try to understand what the stranger is saying – it’s common sense. Take into consideration what fears may prompt the person’s statements. For instance, a woman I met in Tucson vented about what she heard were thousands and thousands of non-Latino refugees sneaking into the U.S. across the southern border near where she lived. (Not true.)

How to Discuss Tough Issues

HIAS, the Jewish refugee resettlement agency, offers tips for answering tough questions in conversation with strangers, friends and family members who may disagree with our views on refugees.  They address the kinds of objections the pilot expressed to me – refugees as a security threat, drain on our economy, etc. – on their website www.HIAS.org.

As for staying current on those points, the other refugee resettlement organizations with whom we collaborate in partnerships are also good resources, as is UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency. See our website pages Our Partners and Learn More.

Next time you find yourself in a conversation that touches on refugees, don’t be afraid to try seeking common ground. Not everyone can find a World Refugee Day event to attend near them. But we can all advocate for refugees in small ways, one fact-based conversation at a time.

Of course, some conversations wind up going nowhere, like the one I had with the Uber driver who took me to the Tucson airport.

“Where are you from?” he asked.

“Washington, DC,” I answered.

“That’s in Vermont, right?”

Tell us about a difficult conversation about Muslim refugees you have had. Share tips for success on our Facebook page.

Laurette Bennhold-Samaan is volunteering on the Greek island of Samos in a camp for migrants seeking asylum and refugee status. Read about the early days of her adventure in the following excerpts from her blog, which she has kindly given us permission to share. Laurette was a cross-cultural specialist with the Peace Corps in Washington, D.C., 1994-2001.

“I needed to change directions,” Laurette Bennhold-Samaan decided after her last job ended. “I needed to take advantage of the time ‘off’ in between jobs and do something that I have always wanted to do but never had the courage to explore.”

“How could I take a month off of my life and go and serve out of my comfort zone? How could I not?”

“I wanted to be on the front lines working with people in need. The possibilities were endless and the exploration easy with the internet. . . My mind kept returning to refugees.”

After applying on line to Samos Volunteers, she was accepted and soon on her way to Samos. The small Aegean island’s close proximity to Turkey makes it a destination for migrants seeking entry to Europe from their conflict–torn countries. Laurette lives in a modest hotel near the camp, which is funded by the United Nations and Samaritan’s Purse.

“The refugees arrive by dinghies in the middle of the night . . . and the typical less-than-2-hour boat ride from Turkey can last anywhere from 4–10 hours as they need to take the longer less direct routes to not get caught by the Turkish coast guard. The local coast guard might spot them or they land and a local will spot them and call the police.”

“The police then call Samos Volunteers (US!!) who will come in the middle of the night to supply dry clothes, blankets, food and water. They might have not had food or water in days depending on when they left. In the morning the other NGOs and local authorities take over to get them police identification papers. They are then brought to the camp and either put in tents or barracks, as this refugee camp was an old military site. Last week, 300 arrived by dinghies.”

“The majority of refugees who arrive in Samos have experienced violent conflict. While we are not here to provide any sort of medical, legal, or psychological support, we empower and stimulate the refugees through our work and activities, which include playing with the children, teaching English, German, Greek and French through Farsi, Arabic, Kurdish and Sorani [a Kurdish language], doing arts and crafts, music lessons and any other skills volunteers come with!”

“I ran up to the camp to play with the children under the olive tree . . .” So begins one of Laurette’s first days at the camp. Volunteers’ activities are spontaneous, since they never know when the next migrants will arrive.

“We made animal masks with the kids in which they had a lot of fun. Interestingly enough, many wanted to make sea animals such as dolphins, which I found fascinating, given how they had to cross dangerous waterways to get here.”

“That night, as I was folding origami with them, they were building boats and labeling them as good or bad and role-playing some disappearing. The thought of what they were really saying still gives me a pit in my stomach.”

“Today I began by working at the warehouse, where massive donations are received from all over the world, and we sorted out packages of sweat pants, T-shirts, socks and shoes which are given to those arriving by boat.”

“Living conditions at the camp are extremely basic, unsanitary and can be shocking for some; there can be shortages of both water and electricity, and the majority of refugees are surviving on camp rations. Some of the refugees have been here over a year. Imagine no school, no work and nothing to do but wait, under such living conditions.”

“If their papers are processed positively for asylum or family reunification, they are the fortunate ones. The others might get a denial (they have no legal representation), which they can appeal, but after a second appeal (decided by a single judge) they are arrested and put in jail for a few months before they are deported.” Laurette saw such an arrest:

“As we were drawing, I looked on the street and saw at least 20 police . . . arresting someone who had lost their second appeal being taken to the deportation center. I cannot get the picture out of my head, nor the tears out of my eyes, of the Syrian refugee who I had served tea to the day before.”

“Before I came, I thought that the refugees would be so traumatized by their past, and many are, but ALL of them are much more stressed about their future, as it is so uncertain.”

Visit www.samosvolunteers.org or our Overseas Action page for other volunteer opportunities.

Have you worked in a refugee camp? Share your experience with us here or on our Facebook page!

At no time in history have so many refugees wandered the earth or languished in makeshift camps. On June 20, we have a chance to speak up for them with a collective voice, joining millions of people around the globe on World Refugee Day.

 Since its creation in 2000 by the United Nations, more than 100 countries have welcomed the annual commemoration to focus attention on the plight of refugees. Of the unprecedented 65 million people now forcibly displaced by conflict and persecution, 21 million are refugees, unable to return to their country. The U.S. takes in only a fraction of them, compared to other countries.

As our nation’s response to the refugee crisis hovers in the twin limbos of an appeal to the Supreme Court on the travel ban and the Trump administration’s proposed budget cutbacks in international aid, World Refugee Day offers a timely opportunity to advocate for refugees.

Support Refugees Worldwide

Stand with the U.N.’s refugee agency, UNHCR, by signing its petition #With Refugees.  The petition has drawn more than 1.5 million supporters and will be launched on June 20, calling governments to work together and do their fair share for refugees. It asks governments to ensure every refugee family has somewhere safe to live, every refugee child gets an education, and every refugee can work or learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community. www.unhcr.org/refugeeday/

 UNHCR remains committed to bringing humanitarian aid to all displaced persons, no matter how challenging -- in Syria, for example, where the war only worsens. The agency provides a network of community centers offering child protection, education and health services in the region’s hosting countries. But they are desperately underfunded.

Stand with Refugees in the U.S.

To celebrate World Refugee Day close to home, check out the UNHCR website’s Events page for a map of the U.S. showing events from mid-June to early July. Find one near you at www.unhcr.org/refugeeday/us/events/

 Many other refugee organizations are hosting World Refugee Day activities, from house parties to concerts to film festivals to soccer tournaments. Visit their websites on our pages Our Partners and Refugee Organizations.  Celebrities and civic organizations across the U.S. will also mark the event to honor refugees’ strength and courage.

Get together with your refugee neighbors for this global celebration. Volunteer for a local event. Show support by inviting a refugee family to your home or placing a welcoming sign on your lawn. Thank them for their contributions to your community.

 With President Trump’s travel ban on appeal to the Supreme Court, the main focus of refugee advocacy currently is the administration’s 2018 budget request for deep cuts to programs affecting refugees. Two leading refugee resettlement groups, LIRS (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service) and HIAS, the Jewish refugee support organization, are marshalling appeals to Congress. Both condemn the cuts and urge raising the number of refugees to be resettled next year. To participate in this campaign, visit www.LIRS.org and www.hias.org.

Spread the word about World Refugee Day. Use your social media accounts to raise awareness about refugees. Then go out and celebrate with them.

Share on Twitter or our Facebook page ideas for celebrating refugees and events honoring them near you.