refugees

Somali refugee gives back to Syracuse refugee community
By Jamie Jenson
September 20, 2017 - 9:03am
Hussein Yerow grew up in a refugee camp, but that hasn't stopped him from improving his literacy skills and helping others in the community.

As he walks around North Side Learning Center, Hussein Yerow, a former refugee, is stopped several times.

“Hussein, where are my pencils?” a volunteer says.

“Hussein, remember to wait for me!” his little brother yells.

Syracuse University community stages sit-in to support refugees and immigrants
By Ellen Meyers
February 2, 2017 - 7:32pm
At least 200 Syracuse University students and faculty members gathered at the Life Sciences Complex to show solidarity for refugees.

When Nedda Sarshar graduates from Syracuse University in May, the odds of her parents seeing her lead the Class of 2017’s procession as Senior Class Marshal are unlikely. 

Her parents, who are Iranian refugees, will probably stay back in Canada, fearing what would happen to them if they tried to travel into the U.S. in light of President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on immigration.

“This s---, it’s going to get worse,” Sarshar said. “We keep resisting, never getting used to it. This is about standing up to hate.”

“Let them in”: Syracuse residents gather at airport to protest Trump’s immigration executive order
By Sarah Heikkinen
January 30, 2017 - 12:32am
SU students, activists and families with young children protested President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration Sunday night at the local airport.

At least 1,000 protesters gathered at Terminal A in the Syracuse Hancock International Airport Sunday night to protest the latest executive order signed by President Donald Trump.

They carried signs of all shapes, sizes and colors, presenting the same underlying message: #NoMuslimBan.

Deaf refugees in Syracuse work to overcome unique challenges
By Samantha Mendoza
September 7, 2016 - 6:30pm
Resources available in the city to help with language barrier, job placement

It’s a summer afternoon in August, and Hai Nay Htoo is sitting in a classroom. He and a group of peers watch as their instructor at Whole Me, Inc. gives the day’s lesson about job preparation and training. Like many 19-year-olds, Hai is concerned about the future and all that comes with it: making himself employable, becoming independent and finding a job.

Hai also faces a different set of challenges. He is a deaf refugee who arrived in the U.S. from Burma in 2012.