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Kenan students share insight on refugee crisis in new op-ed

“Why are you doing this to us?”

This question, posed by a 5-year old girl currently living in Jordan, is at the core of a new op-ed written by a group of seven Duke undergraduates who participated in the Kenan Institute for Ethics’ DukeImmerse program, which combines classroom and field research to help students fully understand the causes and consequences of today’s refugee crisis.

The commentary, posted on the Huffington Post, provides insight into the lives of displaced people the students met during a monthlong trip to Jordan and how America’s travel ban impacts them. In their piece, the students argue that the U.S. should welcome more refugees into the country to provide a safe life that can help them achieve hopes and dreams for their families.

“We listened to teachers, lawyers, artists, police officers, and accountants,” they write. “We spent time with mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and children whose only hope of a future lies with the citizens of countries such as ours. As a nation, we must be kind and empathetic enough to welcome them in.”

Read the full op-ed on the Huffington Post.

Authors of the op-ed include Bryce Cracknell, Sara Evall, Sloan Talbot, Louden Richason, Isabella Arbelaez, Idalis French, and Josie Tarin.