Virtual.
Registration: Free but advance registration is required. Click here to register.
The HOME Refugee Steering Committee continues its virtual HOME Conversations series in 2023 with more HOME: Conversations on Forced Displacement. The series continues to emphasize both active dialogue and actionable steps. Each conversation takes place in two parts, with a virtual panel discussion on an aspect of forced displacement followed, a month later, by a discussion about taking action.The series is moderated by HOME Refugee Steering Committee member Paul Vang.
HOME: Conversations on Forced Displacement examines relevant issues in contemporary refugee resettlement at the local level and across the globe. We hope to engage community members in understanding specific refugee resettlement crises as well as the larger issues of forced displacement, including its various contexts, while also providing an opportunity for participants to learn how they can get involved in local, on-the-ground efforts to aid refugee families and communities as they resettle among us.
As with all HOME Conversations, artists will be integral to our discussions and action plans, and we will be seeking ways to bring together diverse voices to forge solutions that extend beyond a specific refugee population.
Saturday, October 22, 2022 – 11 am-12:30 pm (Click here to watch a recording of this Conversation.)
Saturday, November 12, 2022 – 11 am-12:30 pm
Ukraine, Origins of Conflict and Its Continuation
Conflict in Ukraine has been intrinsically tied to the identity and history of its people and the region, shaped by geopolitics and relations to neighboring Russia. About 8 million internally displaced Ukrainians and 7 million Ukrainian refugees have been affected by the Russo-Ukrainian War which began in 2014 has now extended for over eight years. These conversations on Ukraine will discuss the root, the complexity, and the continuation of the country's crisis through the lens of Ukrainian scholars, artists and activists. In October, we present a panel discussion, and in November, we guide participants in an action-based discussion with a focus on impacting change in Milwaukee, both led by moderator Paul Vang. Panelists include Sonya Bilocerkowycz, Halyna Salapata, Misha Tyutyunik, and Karina Tweedell. For moderator and panelist biographies and recommended readings and resources, click here.
Saturday, February 18, 2023 – 11 am-12:30 pm
Saturday, March 18, 2023 – 11 am-12:30 pm
LGBTQIA+, Diversity, Intersectionality, and the "well-founded fear"
People with a sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual characteristic (SOGIESC) that does not conform to the sociocultural norms of their surroundings typically face public and institutional stigma. Those who are also refugees confront multiple and compounding forms of discrimination and societal exclusion; often, it is their LGBTQIA+ identity that leads to the dire need to have their refugee or asylee status legally determined. According to UNHCR 2021, LGBTQIA+ refugees are also at a higher risk of not having access to services that are available for all refugees, and they may require specific or additional resources. This session looks into, as well as beyond, the diversity of gender and sexual identities that nest beneath the LGBTQIA+ umbrella and identifies areas where the need for international protection and, in many cases, resettlement applies. In February, we present these issues with a panel of LGBTQIA+ refugee artists, advocates, and thought leaders. In March, we guide participants in an action-based discussion with a focus on addressing biases and impacting change in Milwaukee. Both sessions are led by moderator Paul Vang. Panelists include Amal Haj Sleman and Ammar Khalifa. For moderator and panelist biographies and recommended readings and resources, click here.
Fee: $16/$12 members for one adult and one child.
