In the Face of Displacement

by Valerie Ong

Millions of uprooted people have been forced to leave their homes and are unable or too fearful to return home. This is a political and humanitarian crisis which is often overlooked and easily forgotten.

Who are these uprooted people? What does it mean to be uprooted?

People are uprooted from their families, homes, communities and countries because of conflict, natural disasters, economic hardship or racial, religious, social and political persecution. The context and circumstances differ among uprooted people, but a common thread—displacement—runs through them all.

Among the uprooted are asylum seekers, refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and economic migrants. Asylum seekers are those who have fled their home country and are seeking refuge in a country outside their home country. A refugee is someone seeking refuge whose protection needs have been officially recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). An IDP is displaced within his/her home country and does not receive special protection of international refugee law. Additionally, many in severe poverty are often forced to leave home in order to survive.

This issue of the Memo illustrates some specific stories of displacement. Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach sheds light on the plight of Iraqi refugees; on issues closer to home, Gabe Schlabach writes on Native American displacement, MCCWest Coast service worker, Mirna Moeljono, on domestic immigration, and Krista Zimmerman, on New Orleans resident displacement after Hurricane Katrina; MCC Representative for Sudan, Rob Haarsager paints the picture of one Sudanese refugee’s experience; and Theo Sitther focuses on Colombian IDPs.

As war wages, power trumps humanitarian need. The cries of uprooted people are drowned in a sea of political discourse. They are in limbo and in want of life’s basic necessities. They are unable to return, but the challenge to find welcoming new lands to re-establish their roots is yet another obstacle. The question for us as Christians is how we should respond to the cries of the uprooted. Perhaps we should start by acknowledging our responsibility to do so.

Jesus was uprooted.Arefugee, he fled Bethlehem in Judea, to escape King Herod, and sought refuge in Egypt (Matthew 2:13–15). Embodying the struggle of uprooted people, Jesus said, “foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). Throughout the Scriptures, Jesus continually calls us to welcome and care for the strangers, the vulnerable, among us.

MCC walks alongside uprooted peoples around the world, and theWashington Office seeks to advocate for legislation that welcomes the stranger and addresses the challenges faced by uprooted peoples. Your voice can speak volumes on behalf of the displaced.