If there is anything you want to know about migration, internationally, nationally, or right here in Greensboro, Dr. Diya Abdo is the person to ask. She is a Lincoln Financial Professor of English at Guilford College. Dr. Abdo is a second-generation Palestinian refugee born and raised in Jordan. While much of her research focuses on Arab women writers and feminism, she is perhaps best known for an initiative she started at Guilford College in 2015, Every Campus a Refuge, or ECAR. The mission of ECAR is for every U.S. college and university to serve as a resettlement campus to help local resettlement agencies by hosting refugee families. The central challenge for refugee families is to find housing. Once their sponsorship benefits (a small stipend and temporary housing) expire, it is really hard for refugee families to find housing. In spite of all of the documentation that cleared their entry into the United States, they don't have social security numbers or a credit history, so it can be hard to convince landlords to rent to them. Under the ECAR program, college campuses provide housing for families. As an example, Guilford College has a refugee family living in a faculty house. To date, Guilford College and Wake Forest are the two participating North Carolina campuses. According to this website, Guiford has hosted 32 refugees, 18 of them children. Trained volunteers help with their daily needs in the resettlement process.
Dr. Abdo travels around the country sharing her expertise. She has given TED Talks and has lectured widely on the topic of ECAR and migration. Currently, she is at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, giving a presentation. Fortunately, she made time in her busy schedule to meet with us and chat over coffee at the Green Bean. Greensboro is lucky she and her family have settled here, and we hope they stay for a very long time. Also, hats off to Guilford College whose 7 core values- community, diversity, equality, excellence, integrity, justice, and stewardship- fit seamlessly with the ECAR initiative and with the mindset of Dr. Abdo.
Happy Friday! Hurry home, Dr. Abdo!
Quite accomplished.
Posted by: William Kendall | Friday, March 24, 2023 at 04:45 PM