6/20 World Refugee Day is the day the worldwide community has spent focused on ways to improve the lives of refugees. Most of us know that refugees are forced to leave their homes due to war, terror, or other crises—but fleeing their home country is often just the beginning of a difficult journey. Many refugees find themselves living in camps until they are resettled—some of which are dangerous or not well-equipped for long term living. Refugees don’t always have a say in which country they are ultimately relocated to, and the bureaucratic process involved in finding their new home can take years. I assume my great grandparents along with my grandpa and his sister fled Germany when the nazis took over their farm. They eventually made it to the USA going through Ellis Island and ending up in southern MN. While there are most of our relatives still back in the home country my grandparents never went back but settled in America. Hana learned Germany with a plan for us to go back to visit and see the family castle in ruins. I loved that Hana learned the language of her ancestors. It is so like Hana to honor her heritage like that. Hana also honored her Pakistani side. She was a great advocate for those marginalized and was aware of the struggles immigrants had acclimating to the American culture. That is why she was such a great advocate for equity and social justice. She worked hard for diversity inclusion and equity and social justice. Hana wanted everyone to feel loved and accepted, to be embraced by the fullness of their humanity. I love you Hana. I miss you and wish you were still here with me.
6/20 World Refugee Day is the day the worldwide community has spent focused on ways to improve the lives of refugees. Most of us know that refugees are forced to leave their homes due to war, terror, or other crises—but fleeing their home country is often just the beginning of a difficult journey. Many refugees find themselves living in camps until they are resettled—some of which are dangerous or not well-equipped for long term living. Refugees don’t always have a say in which country they are ultimately relocated to, and the bureaucratic process involved in finding their new home can take years. I assume my great grandparents along with my grandpa and his sister fled Germany when the nazis took over their farm. They eventually made it to the USA going through Ellis Island and ending up in southern MN. While there are most of our relatives still back in the home country my grandparents never went back but settled in America. Hana learned Germany with a plan for us to go back to visit and see the family castle in ruins. I loved that Hana learned the language of her ancestors. It is so like Hana to honor her heritage like that. Hana also honored her Pakistani side. She was a great advocate for those marginalized and was aware of the struggles immigrants had acclimating to the American culture. That is why she was such a great advocate for equity and social justice. She worked hard for diversity inclusion and equity and social justice. Hana wanted everyone to feel loved and accepted, to be embraced by the fullness of their humanity. I love you Hana. I miss you and wish you were still here with me.
