While U.S. presidential candidates spar over refugees and religion, Syrians continue to flee their country by the tens of thousands.
On Wednesday, University of Dayton students and other groups will hold a public forum to talk about the Syrian refugee crisis and what it means locally.
Director of the Human Rights Studies Program at UD, Natalie Florea Hudson, says seniors in her class wanted to organize the forum in response media reports they were seeing.
“So they really wanted to respond to this and do what I think universities are meant to do and raise awareness and educate each other and their peers about the defining global challenge of the decade,” she said.
The U.N. counts almost 60 million refugees and internally displaced people worldwide.
As part of the day-long forum, representatives from Welcome Dayton and Catholic Social Services will host open discussions from 12 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, in UD’s Kennedy Union Torch Lounge.
In September, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and 17 other U.S. mayors sent a letter to the Obama Administration asking for an increase in the number of refugees the U.S. would accept. Congressman Mike Turner responded by calling the mayor’s request “outrageous,” and said it was “beyond her authority.”
