Recap: FORCED DISPLACEMENT – THE VIEW FROM 10,000 FEET – New Neighbors Series

January 11, 2023

In 2022, Central Wisconsin welcomed more than 175 refugees from countries like Afghanistan, Congo, Syria and Burundi. In addition, an unknown number of immigrants arrived here seeking asylum from places such as Nicaragua and Venezuela.

The New Neighbors Series, featuring  public events, will examine the histories and political situations in the homelands of our new neighbors. We’ll also find out about their journeys to our area and learn what our communities can do to ease their transitions.

This series is a collaboration between the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service, Wisconsin Humanities, Ethiopian Community Development Council, and Wisconsin Public Radio.

For the first event in the New Neighbors Series, we were joined by Dr. Neamat Nojumi and Bojana Zorić Martinez. View the recording of the event below.

Dr. Neamat Nojumi – Dr. Nojumi served as a military commander and senior political officer for the Freedom Fighter Forces against the Soviet military invasion of Afghanistan. He went on to serve as a Senior Social Scientist and Senior Advisor to the U.S. government.

Bojana Zorić Martinez – Refugee Resettlement Coordinator for the state of Wisconsin and a former refugee herself, Zorić Martinez has been involved the resettlement of refugees in the state since 2017.

Youtube Recording:

Additional videos:

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