120 Stories in 120 Days
In March 2017, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Born Terrorist Entry into the United States.” Among other things, this executive order was intended to halt the national refugee resettlement program for 120 days and dramatically reduce the ceiling for refugee arrivals from 110,000 to 50,000. Although the travel ban was stopped by the courts, Catholic Charities Atlanta, created the 120 Stories in 120 Days Project in order to tell the stories of those individuals who have fled their home due to violence or persecution.
This project will tell 120 stories of clients, staff, volunteers, and community members. We have and will continue to share facts and figures that support a robust national and state-wide refugee resettlement program, but our hope is that these stories will do what numbers can’t. They will humanize the refugee crisis, highlight the successes and the contributions that refugees make to their local communities, and help readers understand that the similarities far outweigh the differences. Refugees are people just like you, seeking safe places to raise their families, free from war and persecution. The United States has long been a beacon of hope providing a safe haven for refugees to call home. Refugees already undergo a comprehensive 18-24 month security vetting process in order to be considered for US resettlement. We can and we should continue to provide this opportunity to those across the globe seeking to rebuild their lives. We hope that you will join us by sharing these important stories with your own social media networks in an effort to keep Georgia and the United States welcoming.
To read these stories, click the arrow to the right.
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If you would like to donate to help Catholic Charities Atlanta continue our important work supporting refugees and immigrants, please click here: https://give.catholiccharitiesatlanta.org/supporting-refugees-and-immigrants.
If you are interested in volunteering your time, we have several opportunities available including academic mentoring, refugee youth mentoring, and English language instruction. Please visit our volunteer page for full details at: https://catholiccharitiesatlanta.org/volunteer/.
For more information:
If you have a story to share, please contact Kimberly Longshore at KLongshore@catholiccharitiesatlanta.org
