Refugee Awareness Week: Writing for Change

Pax Christi, a student group that promotes peace and justice, sponsored Refugee Awareness Week April 18-25 to increase awareness and promote action around the refugee crisis. Throughout the week, Pax Christi shared information at lobby tables in Hogan, and invited students to donate toiletries and write welcome messages for newly arrived refugees at Ascentria (a social service agency that supports immigrants). Students also wrote letters to prominent government officials urging change in the current immigration policy. The week concluded with a multi-faith prayer vigil in the Mary Chapel, creating a space of solidarity and a call to action. Pax Christi co-chair Mary Cunningham wrote the following reflection on the week’s events.  

As a member of Pax Christi, an event that was especially moving to me was the advocacy letter writing night. I joined 10 to 15 other students in Campion house Thursday night, energized and ready to write letters to various government officials urging them to reconsider their opinion regarding Trump’s recent immigration ban. We wrote to government officials including Representative Lamar Smith from Texas and Representative Mike Johnson from Louisiana, both members of the House Judiciary Committee on immigration. Both supported Trump’s immigration ban, citing the importance of national security. In letters to these representatives we described how the immigration ban affects the world’s most vulnerable people and how banning innocent individuals is unlikely to improve national security.

Another letter recipient was House Speaker Paul Ryan. As a member of Pax Christi, a religiously affiliated social justice group, I was intrigued to write to a fellow Catholic. In my letter, I talked about the Catholic call to live out the ‘Preferential Option for the Poor,’ a concept introduced after Vatican II. This concept calls for us to follow the example of Jesus by entering into close proximity with the poor, especially those who are disproportionately affected by societal structures. In my letter, I revisited my own experience working with asylum speakers during my study abroad year in France. Experiencing the extreme vulnerability of these individuals firsthand prompted me to learn more about the issues surrounding migration. Drawing from my own experience, I encouraged the Speaker to open his eyes, to live in proximity with those affected by the crisis and to be open to the ways in which his heart could change.

Beyond writing to these government officials, we also wanted to thank those whose tireless work has improved and shed light on the current refugee crisis. As a group, we collectively wrote to Representative Jim McGovern from Massachusetts. We thanked him for his support and encouraged him to continue the fight for refugees. McGovern visited campus this past Monday, enabling me to hand deliver the letters to McGovern himself. As a woman passionate for social change, it was special to connect with a person who wields the power to enact change in Washington.