Almost a group photo

I attended a meeting to plan a protest of the Muslim Ban. Refugees who have waited years and have been "vetted" beyond any imagination of vetting, are being turned away. President Obama kept the number of refugees allowed to enter the USA to 110,000, far too few given this country's wealth and capacity. The current administration claims they have reduced the number to 50,000, but in actuality they have reduced it to 12,000 to 15,000 (their counting systems disagree). This is abominable. 

So what can we do? We are not being heard by the administration, but we can hear each other, support each other, and commemorate/mourn on the one-year anniversary of the ban. At the end of our meeting, someone wanted a group photo, and I took this as the group was beginning to assemble. Then someone insisted I should be in the photograph, so I handed my camera off to someone who said she could operate it. Her photos were completely out of focus, so you get this warm-up photo.

I loved working with this group of people. Most are former refugees, and a few are recent immigrants; three of us are from older immigrant families who "pass" because of the color of our skin. The event description is here on Facebook (and I think the link will work for those who are not on Facebook as a regular thing). The lead planner has been receiving hate mail because of the event.  

I think it is useful to keep standing up, marching, protesting, and building community with each other. I don't think it will make the least bit of difference to those in power. They boast of their hatred and prejudice. But I think we can support each other, and one of the ways we do that is by gathering, seeing each other, shaking hands with each other, messaging each other on Facebook or text. Sadly we cannot meet face to face with people who are not arriving, but we can go to the airport and mark their absence. We're inviting musicians, poets, and storytellers to present songs and poems or stories from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and Sudan. If we can arrange it, there will also be entertainment from North Korea, Chad, Mali, South Sudan, and Venezuela.