I scrutinize the smoke forming up in the sky Morphing into the shape of a grieving mother; I hath no faith in humanity anymore As people around the blue orb spectate like passersby. There is a lover down the street Who has gone unmoored, As the hand he held on to so dearly Is now painted like crimson skies What rot or curse has settled in the marrow of our bones? It is high time we flip the calendar’s pages It is high time we take to the streets, And turn twenty-twenty-six in

For a refugee, leaving behind a home, possessions, and even family is often a necessity. However, one thing they rarely leave behind is their culinary heritage. Across the globe, the Sambusa,savory fried pastry, has made its way from Persia to East Africa to American neighbourhoods. At Hoyo, a Somali-led enterprise in Minnesota, this pastry is more than just a staple of cooking; it is a bridge of opportunity. By employing Somali refugee mothers who arrived in the U.S. and fac

Most of us understand spring. We have all seen the way trees change when the cold months begin to end. During winter, branches stand empty against the sky, the leaves are gone, and flowers disappear into the frozen ground. The air feels still and quiet, and in many places, snow covers the earth and hides the life that once filled the fields. ​ For a moment, it can feel like everything has stopped growing, but when spring arrives, the world slowly begins to wake up again. Tiny

“ Dreams save  us. Dreams lift us up and transform  us. And on my soul, I swear ... until my  dream of a world where dignity , honor  and justice  becomes the reality we all  share -- I'll never  stop fighting. Ever .” You probably know the famous story of Superman. Born on the fading planet Krypton, baby Kal-El was rocketed to Earth with moments to spare, and was found and raised by a couple (Jonathan & Martha Kent) in Kansas who named him Clark Kent. Since his first appeara

You wake up one day, and your whole world is flipped upside down. Nothing is in its right spot anymore, your house looks completely different, and most important of all, you look different. This is a reality for refugees, people who escape their countries in hopes of being free of persecution, war, violence, or human rights violations, and cannot return home safely.   ​ It is no simple task to leave a war-torn country. Refugees must plan quickly and hastily, taking only the b

Do you ever wonder how different types of media shape a child's perspective of the world? If we were to ask someone born in the late 19s about their stance on certain societal problems, it would be completely different if we asked someone born in the early 20s. The world took a significant leap forward when social media became more influential in people's day-to-day lives. Apps, articles, videos, posts, and films—they were the big push to society that helped change prejudiced

All of us could recognize that signature blue-and-red costume, shooting spider webs, and swinging from buildings in New York City. All of us could recognize the name of the infamous friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. In the franchise, Peter Parker gains spider-like abilities: climbing walls, shooting webs, strength, and a certain ‘spidey-sense’ after a genetically enhanced spider bites him. He uses those powers to aid the citizens of New York, all while living under the name o

Education is a vital aspect of life; it helps open the doors of opportunity and is the key to wisdom. Education is more than just academic knowledge; it develops skills essential to daily living, and through education, one develops judgment and reasoning as well as learns how to discern right from wrong. Education is a fundamental human right recognized under international law, including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet, education remains a privilege for ma

This story is about Ahmad, a university student in the UK, but his journey to get here took a decade, three countries, and more loss than any child should ever have to bear. ​ Ahmad was thirteen when his family left Syria. They lived in a small village near Idlib, a place so familiar he could have drawn every stone and olive tree from memory. But life was far from easy. ​ ‘It was six o’clock on a very cold and dark morning in January,’ he remembers. The family had heard warni

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, or professionally known as M.I.A, is a British singer and songwriter.While mainstream audiences recognize her hits like ‘Paper Planes’ and ‘Bad Girls,’ her music is rooted in something much deeper.Born in England to refugee parents who fled during the Sri Lankan Civil War, her journey from a displaced child in London to a hit music artist is the testament to the resilience of the refugee experience.. Over the years,Maya’s voice has bloomed into a

New York City, the most populated city in America, is often looked to as a pinnacle of American achievement; with towering skyscrapers amongst thousands of businesses, it is home to many people and places that have defined American identity since its founding as New Amsterdam. It is also a city of refuge; more than 225,000 asylum seekers have arrived in NYC in just the past four years, and they make up an essential and vital part of what lets the city continue to function. On

Change is hard, whether it be changing schools, changing jobs, or moving 2,000 miles from your home to escape danger. That is the reality for many refugees from all over the world, but for Nujeen Mustafa, she made sure her story was told.   Mustafa was a young girl living with Cerebral Palsy, a neurological disorder that affects movement and coordination. She grew up in Syria, where she could not go to school or leave the house due to the lack of accommodations for people wit

What is home? Countless refugees have had to face this question at some point in their lives, and yet there is never a straightforward answer because they have had to leave what they called “home” in search for asylum. Nevertheless, many hold onto to their culture, traditions, and stories to stay connected to their identity. This was true for Olha Abakumova and her eight-year-old daughter, Zlata.  In western Ukraine, opera singer Olha Abakumova and her husband, Ihor, a tubist

STARS (Standing Together Assisting Refugee Students) is a student-led nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting young local refugee children as they adjust to a new location, culture, and language. Our goal is to provide academic support through tutoring and mentorships, grow interpersonal connections and meaningful relationships, and offer supplemental assistance such as refresh kits.   Based in Houston, Texas, STARS involves itself in the community through supply-drive