African Responses To Forced Displacement

As we gear up for the next public lecture in the series, let me share the video recording of the second public lecture in this year’s Butler Seminar on Religion and Global Affairs. It features Jan Holton’s keynote address, responses from my colleague Robin Turner as well as Kizito Kalima, and an engaging Q&A session afterwards.

Be sure to join us on January 23rd and February 27th for the remaining two events in the series, including a double keynote at one, and at the other, a panel of local refugees and immigrants who’ve not only arrived, but then turned around to help others who followed them. Here are the details, so that you can mark your calendars from now if you have not already done so:

The Ethics of Migration and Welcome in the Americas

Tuesday, January 23, 7:00 PM

Schrott Center for the Arts, Butler Arts Center

Controversy over immigration into the United States from elsewhere in the Americas has led to a proposal to construct a wall along the southern U.S. border, as well as faith organizations, schools, and municipalities declaring themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.

Keynote Speakers

Rev. Dr. Miguel A. de la Torre is the Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado and the Executive Officer for the Society of Race, Ethnicity and Religion. De La Torre is a Fulbright scholar and author of The U.S. Immigration Crisis: Toward an Ethics of Place (2016).

The Rev. John L. McCullough is President and CEO of Church World Service, a global humanitarian agency with programs in development, advocacy for social justice, and refugee assistance. He has overseen the agency’s concentration on sustainable access to food and water and served as a member of the White House Task Force on Global Poverty and Development.

Hoosier Hospitality, Refugees, and Immigration

Tuesday, February 27, 7:00 PM

Schrott Center for the Arts, Butler Arts Center

The stories of refugees and migration are the stories of people who live in Indianapolis and its vicinity—stories of those who have come here from elsewhere, and stories of those who welcomed them to their new home.

Panelists

Naw Phaw is from Burma and the Director of Language Services at LUNA Language Services. She is on the Board of Directors at Exodus Refugee Immigration, and also works as a volunteer with the Immigrant Welcome Center.

Rev. Emmanuel Musinga is the pastor of Grace Tabernacle Church in Indianapolis, a congregation serving refugees from Congo like himself.

Mastora Bakhiet is the founder of the Darfur Women’s Network and Director of the Women Development Section in the Community Development Administration for the Jebel Marra Rural Development Project in Darfur.

The Syrian Refugee Support Group of Indianapolis is a group of volunteers dedicated to providing much-needed assistance to Syrian refugees in Indianapolis. The panel will feature a representative from this grass roots local Syrian support network.