Understanding the refugee crisis from a different perspective was one of the most influential moments from today’s Talk Back. While the world is concerned with the policies being set in place regarding the current Syrian refugee crisis, the film ‘Every Face Has a Name’ painted the picture in a different light.
Hopeful and happy, the film included Holocaust survivors watching footage of themselves reaching refugee camps. Each of them commented on how happy they looked. Many of them commented on how they could not describe how liberated they felt, and how they thought that moment would never come.
Interviews with the survivors provided insight into a moment that so drastically impacted their lives – their stories highlighted the necessity of effectively handling the current refugee crisis.
Audience members were allowed to participate in the discussion at the Talk Back following the film. This brought to light a conversation on how the US handles immigration policy.
Instead of discussing current policies in the form of a list of countries or numbers of people, the film provided the personal story insight needed to humanize the issue.
One of the facilitators from the Talk Back was part of the Colorado Immigration Rights Association, and commented on how regardless of the year or the country, the story is the same over and over again. She concluded by saying,
“The reality is that we have a lot of people living in the shadows of this country.”
