For the month of August, War Resisters League is funding a crew of cross-diaspora activists in the US and Canada to fly to Athens, Greece this week to work on the ground with refugees self-organizing in squats, centers and projects across the city.
Updates to come next week, but for now, hear from one of the delegates, Sofia Sami below, or check out some testimonies from others on their fundraiser!
Dear Friends,
In a few days, I will be flying out of Chicago to do solidarity work with refugee communities stranded in Athens, Greece. I’m at peace knowing that I will be going with a group of 7 other organizers who are themselves members of the Syrian, Iraqi, Yemeni, Afghan, Iranian, and Pakistani diaspora. But today, I’m asking for your help.
In the days before I leave, I can’t help but think about how long this trauma will linger through generations. My father recently shared with me that he was called “Panageer” in Pakistan while growing up there. “Panageer”, is a slur that means “the ones that needed protection” in reference to Muslim refugees who fled India in the 1947 Partition. I’ve seen the years of guilt and pain tied with leaving an ancestral homeland even if that displacement is in the face of un-survivable violence. There is no shortage of people who will shame refugees, or as we see now, white nationalists who organize to disrupt boat missions in the Mediterranean rescuing refugees crossing deadly sea routes to Greece and Italy.
Sadly, refugee "support" has a horrific history framed by missionary work--the same savior-esque frameworks we’ve seen ground colonialism and tactics from the military occupations that displace refugee communities in the first place. This is why going on this delegation with cross-diaspora organizers is so important to me. We understand that this support work is deeply political. Will you support by donating today?
When you share diaspora together, you share an origin and history together, and while that kind of relationship is not valued by most refugee support spaces, WRL gets it--and they get that this kind of relationship is key in genuine solidarity work with refugee communities. For myself, this solidarity work in Greece means filling language (Urdu) and cultural gaps wherever there is a need. And in the short time I have, I hope to grow as many meaningful transnational relationships as I can, to be tapped into for future support and organizing.
I trust everyone in this group to hold me accountable to working alongside refugees and migrants instead of on their behalf. The reality is, when you know refugees and migrants as yourself, your parents, your family, your friends--people you have grown up with--you see them as people you can build with. As we've been learning about the many remarkable self-organized refugee projects and centers in Athens, I am excited to ask for your support getting resources to them.
Donate to make this vital work possible today and in the future.
This work is going to be a challenge for me, but I know in this world where only violence seems to cross borders, our work is key. Thank you for making it possible.
In Peace & Solidarity,
Sofia Sami
