On Friday, Nov. 10, the Bucknell Institute of Public Policy (BIPP) traveled to New York City to investigate the New York City migrant crisis. Students who participated in the trip had the opportunity to meet with Adama Bah, founder of Afrikana, a nonprofit organization run by former immigrants that aids migrants seeking asylum in the US by providing shelter, clothing and advocating for other resources like work permits, documentation and access to education.
Bah visited campus prior to the trip to speak with students at BIPP’s Pizza and Policy event. The talk entitled “The NYC Migrant Crisis: A Real-Time, Real-World Policy Perspective” helped raise awareness for the situation among the Bucknell community. Bah shared experiences from their work at the center of the crisis, welcoming migrants from the Port Authority. Following the event, Bah and students helped create snack packs for those at the migrant center. Before the talk, BIPP also sponsored a winter clothes collection for the NYC migrants.
Students learned that endangered lives, political threats and climate crises are all valid reasons for people to flee their countries in search of greener pastures. It is only just for them to be welcomed and accommodated in the countries where they seek asylum, as staying in their country would warrant death, danger, female genital mutilation and being stripped of all rights. The US government makes the visa application process incredibly complicated and inaccessible. Due to this, many migrants are influenced to become asylum seekers and risk their lives traveling through countries below the southern border for weeks on end.
Students met individuals who had fled their home country in pursuit of a better life yet continued to experience hardships once they reached New York. When they sat with the migrants at the Afrikana headquarters, students expressed that their eyes carried their stories; they all spoke their own languages, but they could be understood just by looking at them.
Based upon stories and experiences that were shared, the New York migrants’ journey to the US is more terrible than what is being termed a crisis in New York. Migrants in New York live very impoverished lives. When sent to the New York Bronx area, these individuals hardly receive food and shelter, causing them to seek refuge at the nearby mosques, churches and non-governmental organizations.
Meeting migrants seeking asylum was an eye-opening moment for students, as the migrants they met desperately wanted to be understood more than they wanted to be heard. BIPP was able to give 12 students this opportunity to meet and interact with migrants through the Afrikana organization. Their goals are to continue fostering an environment for healthy dialogue regarding contemporary public policy with similar events and experiences in the future.
The BIPP Pizza and Policy events highlight topics regarding current public policy by informing and facilitating conversation. Students can stay updated with BIPP events through Instagram @bupublicpolicy and attend the Pizza and Policy events on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
