“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” reads the Statue of Liberty. The words are a promise of opportunity and mercy, as well as an ideal for Americans to work towards.
Because of the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan, 64,000 Afghan refugees are anticipated to resettle in the United States in the coming years. Over 1,800 of these individuals are expected to establish lives in and around Oklahoma City, Stillwater, and Tulsa, where only 4 in 10,000 citizens speak a Persian language.
These refugees face not only the difficult process of rebuilding a livelihood, but the compounded hardships of a harsh, xenophobic political climate.
In the face of our own internal struggles, it is important that we as Oklahomans come forward ready to welcome and support these people, as well as fight for their right to live freely and peacefully. It is imperative that we battle against fear mongering and suspicion, and work to ensure that humanity is preserved within our state.
