black girl blogging writes about world refugee day and refugee women…
excerpted from black girl blogging
A refugee woman may actually be the most powerful being you will ever meet. Whether she walked in tatters or designers, reality tells that she likely walked past dozens, hundreds, or thousands of people whom she left behind. People who didn’t make it out, and yet people exactly like her. She may recall their stunted journeys with every step. And yet she continues to walk. You might be unaware of the expression on her face. She may not disclose how many different lives she led, from fear to hope to indifference to ferocity. Reality provoked her to emotions of such nuance and contradiction that one would think humanity had not discovered them, before inhuman circumstances broadened the capacity of her human face. What you may see is blind faith, or a steeled persistence. You may have never seen what power it took to keep eyes so willing to remain open to new sights, a mouth so willing to continue to speak and engage and a face turned toward a new, possibly terrifying reality.
True but there is another reality. Just heard this morning from a good friend who is an AS here in UK - she has been placed in a shared house in a small town up north for the past year - cant work, hardly any more having to use food coupons, nothing to do for months on end and v v depressed and no way to know the eventual outcome - its total crap - you could be woken in the middle of the night and told thats it bye you are deported.
This is actually the guest blogger who wrote that piece for Black Girl Blogging…I think you’re point is totally true. Except that I think that woman is still strong. She’s still alive, still eating, and has not given up yet. I don’t know her backstory, and I hope that one day she regains her strength to work and not be dependent on others, but I can’t say that she’s entirely given in to the fear. Many of us couldn’t - or wouldn’t choose to continue living in midst of that constant fear and depression. I hope she gets better. But I admire her still. She should credit herself with the strength she does have…
defintely.