[Live Blogging] Coming Together: A Conversation about Syrian Refugees

[JaxNole]

Full house, standing room. Tremendous energy.

Thank you, Sabeen Perwaiz, Dr. Ahmed, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta, and Riverside Presbyterian Church.

[Cheshire Cat]

So glad you are there to do this.  I wanted to make the meeting but could not get there.  Looking forward to the blogging. 

[JaxNole]

Syrian refugees represent *1-2 percent* of the refugee population. The existing screening requirements have additional, stringent requirements.

Less than ONE-HALF of ONE PERCENT who petition will be accepted for additional processing and other background checks for credibility, criminality, and reason for petitioning.

Anecdotal accounts liken the interviews to interrogations.

[Cheshire Cat]

Is Mayor Lenny Curry there or anyone from his office?

[JaxNole]

"3 million Syrian refugees. Zero acts of terrorism."

[JaxNole]

Is Mayor Lenny Curry there or anyone from his office?

Not that I've noticed, but I'm sitting up front.

Panel introduced.

"Muslims and Arabs are the most dehumanized in America," according to [unintelligble] study.

Clarification of conversation's purpose: Presenting each panelist's stories to determine if parts of their stories are similar to ours and to understand their journeys.

[JaxNole]

Panelist questions:

What did it take for you and your family to come to the United States to build new lives here?
What was surprising about your experiences once you settled in America?

[JaxNole]

Next questions:

The American Dream: What does it mean to you, how has it changed over time, and how do we relate to people who are different than us? Census projections indicate we will become a minority-majority nation.