Blog 2 : Wrestling with the questions
Blog 2:
D.C. is a heart of liberation. Every day, there are many events intended to honor the certain community or uplift the awareness on certain matters. As a EYA Cohort, we have been making the best out of these opportunities as much as possible. We went to the Pride Parade and the Pride Capitol Concert, jazz festivals, museums, etc in addition to our adventurous Friday seminars and Sunday worship. I love Friday seminars because they let me wrestle with the questions which I feel uncomfortable asking but are important. I also have been enjoying discovering new sceneries, cafes, and stores when I have time to walk around. Being active in D.C. energizes me.
Yesterday was World Refugee Day - June 20th - a day that is set aside to honor and commemorate the sacrifice, struggles, resilience of refugees around the world and celebrate the contributions they make in their new communities. This day is also an important day for us to show the government that we, the people, seriously care about the vulnerable, regardless of race, ethnicity and religion, and for us to urge them to wake up and take action in its power. This year, I have been involved in an effort to lift up this day to people’s attention more than ever. CWS held a press conference on Capitol Hill with the speakers including Senator Brian Schatz Representative Ted Lieu and Joe Neguse, and faith leaders and refugee leaders. All the speeches were powerful. They spoke deep into my heart, and reminded me again of the beauty and strength of American legacy founded by immigrants.
Days as an intern at CWS have been going by very quickly. It is still surreal to grasp that I am working with such talented and knowledgeable colleagues. Especially for the first few days at work, I was pretty nervous and felt overwhelmed by skillful people around me. In order to seize learnings and chances, I have tried my hardest to take an initiative to volunteer for any events or work to do. Every single second of this experience is a gift given by God to cherish. Last week, I had my first ever experience of the march and the press conference pertaining to the closure of Homestead Child Detention Center. I was on the meeting call with other faith-based refugee resettlement organizations about organizing this event and I asked my supervisors if I could attend the event although CWS was not an endorser. Both my supervisors encouraged me to go for my personal experience and I could witness and feel the strength of civic engagement addressed by people of faith. We marched to the Department of Health and Human Services to deliver the more than 100,000 petitions, which did not be received unfortunately. Such interpersonal experience to fight against unjust policies further motivates me in the office work.
I am genuinely enjoying gaining knowledge in immigrants and refugee policies and I am honored to work in this field, especially because I have many friends who themselves are immigrants or refugees not only in the U.S. but all around the world. The current humanitarian crisis of the administration is only benefiting people with power and harming many more people who are ignored.
By working together with FBOs of different faiths, I have come to be amazed by the strong impact of people of faith, regardless of differences in denominations, on policies and its work for integral human development. We come together in an effort to pursue the basic humanitarian cause and this type of unity is most needed in the government. The past week, I also met with staff members of Senator Ted Cruz and Cory Gardner, and Rep. Cory Gardner. We went to ask their boss to vote for/against or co-sponsor certain bills and resolutions which significantly impact the vulnerable we support. In the midst of this political mess, there is still hope because I have acknowledged from our genuine discussion that we are all humans who care about those in suffer. It made me realize that this is what “serving people” is when we were asking them to vote for NO BAN Act, for example, and our ask could change the government official’s thought to take an action, and my friends from the Muslim Ban affected countries, who are legally studying in the U.S. on their visa, can go home to see their family during summer.
This is a small start of my journey to pass down the opportunities and privileges I’ve earned to the next generation. I am never forgetful of God and people (my family, teachers, friends, loved ones) who have raised me up.
“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people.” Isaiah 10:1-2.
Yesterday was World Refugee Day - June 20th - a day that is set aside to honor and commemorate the sacrifice, struggles, resilience of refugees around the world and celebrate the contributions they make in their new communities. This day is also an important day for us to show the government that we, the people, seriously care about the vulnerable, regardless of race, ethnicity and religion, and for us to urge them to wake up and take action in its power. This year, I have been involved in an effort to lift up this day to people’s attention more than ever. CWS held a press conference on Capitol Hill with the speakers including Senator Brian Schatz Representative Ted Lieu and Joe Neguse, and faith leaders and refugee leaders. All the speeches were powerful. They spoke deep into my heart, and reminded me again of the beauty and strength of American legacy founded by immigrants.
Days as an intern at CWS have been going by very quickly. It is still surreal to grasp that I am working with such talented and knowledgeable colleagues. Especially for the first few days at work, I was pretty nervous and felt overwhelmed by skillful people around me. In order to seize learnings and chances, I have tried my hardest to take an initiative to volunteer for any events or work to do. Every single second of this experience is a gift given by God to cherish. Last week, I had my first ever experience of the march and the press conference pertaining to the closure of Homestead Child Detention Center. I was on the meeting call with other faith-based refugee resettlement organizations about organizing this event and I asked my supervisors if I could attend the event although CWS was not an endorser. Both my supervisors encouraged me to go for my personal experience and I could witness and feel the strength of civic engagement addressed by people of faith. We marched to the Department of Health and Human Services to deliver the more than 100,000 petitions, which did not be received unfortunately. Such interpersonal experience to fight against unjust policies further motivates me in the office work.
I am genuinely enjoying gaining knowledge in immigrants and refugee policies and I am honored to work in this field, especially because I have many friends who themselves are immigrants or refugees not only in the U.S. but all around the world. The current humanitarian crisis of the administration is only benefiting people with power and harming many more people who are ignored.
By working together with FBOs of different faiths, I have come to be amazed by the strong impact of people of faith, regardless of differences in denominations, on policies and its work for integral human development. We come together in an effort to pursue the basic humanitarian cause and this type of unity is most needed in the government. The past week, I also met with staff members of Senator Ted Cruz and Cory Gardner, and Rep. Cory Gardner. We went to ask their boss to vote for/against or co-sponsor certain bills and resolutions which significantly impact the vulnerable we support. In the midst of this political mess, there is still hope because I have acknowledged from our genuine discussion that we are all humans who care about those in suffer. It made me realize that this is what “serving people” is when we were asking them to vote for NO BAN Act, for example, and our ask could change the government official’s thought to take an action, and my friends from the Muslim Ban affected countries, who are legally studying in the U.S. on their visa, can go home to see their family during summer.
This is a small start of my journey to pass down the opportunities and privileges I’ve earned to the next generation. I am never forgetful of God and people (my family, teachers, friends, loved ones) who have raised me up.
“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people.” Isaiah 10:1-2.
-Tomomi
Thank you for sharing these experiences! It is amazing to see the faith community mobilize and take a moral stand together. I hope that these experiences continue to feel worshipful as you are mindful of God's presence and call. A call to name injustice and address its impact through prayer and action.
ReplyDeleteKatie