Nobody is ever just a refugee. Nobody is ever just a single thing . . . We dehumanize people when we reduce them to a single thing. – Chimamanda Adichie
The United Nations’ World Humanitarian Day honors all humanitarians who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause, and those who have lost their lives in the cause of duty. It aims to increase public awareness about humanitarian assistance activities worldwide and the importance of international cooperation.
On August 19th, I had the opportunity to attend the World Humanitarian Day event at the United Nations. It was a somber night; highlighting many of the crises people are facing all over the world. The night was littered with beautiful performances and touching speeches.
Between the speeches and the performances given by special guests, those in attendance were shown clips from Children of Syria, a frontline PBS documentary. The documentary followed Hala Kamil and her children as they escaped Aleppo and went to Germany.
Mohammed Assaf, a Palestinian artist from Gaza, was the first guest speaker. He spoke in Arabic while Yasmine Al Massri, Palestinian refugee and star of ABC’s Quantico, translated. Mohammed spoke on behalf of the dignity of the children in crisis situations around the world, particularly those who are refugees. He followed his speech by singing a beautiful song in Arabic that touched everyone in the room, despite the language barrier.
Alisan Porter, winner of The Voice (Season 10), followed Assaf. She sang I’ve Been Down That Road Before and Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Porter dedicated both of these songs to Hala and her family.
Porter was followed by Game of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer who gave a bold speech about gender equality. Dormer talked about the heightened risk for girls and women during times of crisis. She encouraged everyone in the room to engage men and boys in the conversation about this issue. “Men and women, together, are one team. One humanity.” Often, conversations about gender tend to be polarizing. I was particularly moved by her remarks as she sought to unite the genders, recognizing male and female as a team.
Following Dormer’s bold speech, Leslie Odom Jr. and his band took the stage. Leslie thanked Hala and her family for sharing their story with the world. He said, “Never, never stop telling these stories about your loved ones you lost, because it makes a difference and it ensures that their lives and their deaths are not in vain.” Leslie and his band went on to perform the beautiful song I Know That You Know from his new album.
After Leslie’s performance, Chimamanda Adichie, world-renowned author and speaker, gave the keynote address. She talked about her parents, who were refugees for three years before she was born. A man, whose home was overcrowded with his own family, took in Chimamanda’s parents. He made room for them, his fellow human beings. Chimamanda recognized that erasing all boarders is not practical. She acknowledged that individuals cannot make room for everyone, but encouraged everyone to make room for someone. “Creating room for people is a moral imperative.”
The last speaker of the night was Hala Kamil herself. Once again, Yasmine Al Massri translated. Hala lost her husband in Syria. She witnessed the destruction of her country. She saw the fear in her children’s eyes whenever a plane flew over their house. She journeyed from Syria to Germany. She has known suffering, yet she has persevered. Hala is strong and her family is safe. “We may have lost our homes, but we haven’t lost our ability to change this world as it is the only world we have.” (Watch her full speech here).
The final performance of the night was given by the Harlem Gospel Choir. After a somber night, the performance by the brightly dressed choir seemed to offer hope. The audience was clapping and left encouraged.
I must admit, the evening was more emotional than I anticipated. When I got the invitation to go to an event at the United Nations, I didn’t ask for many details, I just said yes.
Today, discussions about immigration and refugees are politically polarizing and more complicated than a sound bite. I will not pretend to offer any kind of policy solution here. The event was not about legislation; the event was about the dignity of our fellow man. As you talk about these issues with your friends, family, and co-workers, remember Hala and her family. Each of us may not have the ability to help everyone in need, but surely we can help someone.