“Why do Americans hate us?”

It was a jarring question to hear, asked by one of our refugee friends to a community partner organization.

We have to do better. 

We have to change the rhetoric. We have to change the culture. 

Unfortunately, it’s not the work that only a few can do… it requires all of us. It requires all of us to be the type of people who look at others with kindness and compassion instead of fear and hate. It requires us reaching out, instead of looking down. It requires us to be different, to be better… to see the humanity in the strangers among us, to see friendship. 

I want us to be people who tell a better story. To be people who rise up and look for ways to unify instead of divide. To be people of love. 

Today, Columbia has this opportunity. We have the chance to change the narrative, to change the rhetoric, to embrace a different way of thinking, being, living. It’s a way forward toward love and unity. It’s a way forward toward curiosity and open-mindedness. 

It’s a way forward that makes us better. As individuals and a community. It’s a way forward that blends lives together in a way that respects, cares for, and celebrates another in a distinct desire to learn from each other and grow together. 

And when we do this, we no longer hear questions like the one above. Instead, we hear the opposite… “Why do Americans love us? Why are they being so kind? Why are they so generous? Why do they want to be our friends?” 

Isn’t that the legacy you’d rather leave behind? 

I had the great honor to sit down with one of our supporters and hear her personal journey of how she arrived in America over 50 years ago. She said something to the tune that it feels like many Americans have forgotten where they came from – where their grandparents, or great grandparents came from. Her own home country is populated with people who were born there… whose grandparents were born there, whose great-great-great-great grandparents were born there. 

But America is different. “It’s beautiful.” She remarked. 

And while wrought with a complicated history, she’s right. You may recall that I, too, am the granddaughter of refugees. That I am only here today because 80 years ago my grandparents fled. And they were supported and welcomed by a community in Ohio who helped pave the way for them. 

If you go back far enough, you may find your own family history challenges your way of thinking about the here and now. 

So, I’m asking: Will you help us change the narrative? 

Will you join us in the quest to be people who embody radical kindness and hospitality? To be people of warmth and hope? To be people who go out of their way to love their neighbors? 

A few practical ways to do this: 

• Stop your feet – see the people around you. Engage with them – even a smile matters. The people in the store next to you, or working behind the register – they may just need your presence in that exact moment to offer kindness and grace. 

• Consider the weight of your words and the impact your voice has. Are you using it to lift up or are you using it to tear down? Are there meaningful ways that you can advocate for others and use your words for good (consider how joining our Poem-a-thon might give you an opportunity you didn’t even know you needed!)?

• Give some thought into how you spend your time. Are you racking up hours scrolling social media, or are there other, more purposeful ways you could be using your minutes? Could you plan to help us with our Summer Market or World Refugee Day this year (Save the Date – June 20 & 21!)? Join our Volunteer Group and stay updated on ways you can actively be involved! 

• Are there areas in your budget that you could chisel out a few dollars a month to support a charitable cause that you are passionate about? Can you forgo a few coffee drinks a week or put one of your entertainment subscriptions on pause and, instead, offer that to support work that you believe in? (In case you forgot, we’re still looking for lots of monthly donors 😉). 

• Have a 3-5 year-old (know someone who does)? Consider a Summer Session at City Preschool. It’s a perfect way to get to know families from all over the world and see firsthand the beauty of cultures intersecting with each other. 

There are so many ways to make a real impact.

Help us tell a better story; one that the generations after us will be proud of. 

Debbie Beal

Executive Director 

 

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