JOUR 3190 // Event Story

RefUGA brings “face to the issue” of Immigration with “The Good Lie”

In late January, President Trump enacted an immigration ban that sent shockwaves throughout the nation, striking fear and confusion through the hearts of many. RefUGA, pairing with the University of Georgia African Student Union and The Enough Project, is working to help students understand the plight of refugees and put a “face to the issue,” said Kavi Pandian, an executive member of RefUGA.

One way in which the groups are doing this is through events such as the screening of “The Good Lie” held on Monday, Feb. 13, in the Miller Learning Center. The three groups joined forces to host the event, providing a plethora of snack foods before the screening and curating a discussion afterwards to help attendees make sense of the film.

The movie, released in 2014, chronicles the story of a group of Sudanese refugees from childhood to immigration to the United States. The refugees undergo many hardships from facing the death of friends and family to learning how to survive despite the threat of dehydration and starvation.

The film drew a strong reaction from the audience of about twenty students, though the numbers fluctuated. Upon witnessing the struggles of the refugees, many in the audience became serious and quite a few shed a tear.

“For a brief moment I considered leaving, but then I stayed and I’m really glad that I stayed,” said Jaime Conlan, a freshman entertainment and media studies major. She persisted through the movie, reminding herself, “Don’t close your eyes, don’t turn away. Whatever’s happening in life, see it, experience it. That’s the way to overcome it or deal with it.”

The strong emotions of the audience were reflected in the discussion, which originally began as way for the hosts to gauge the success of the event. Quickly, however, it grew into an informational session when audience members began asking action questions such as “What can we do to help?” among others. The members of RefUGA were prepared with answers, from statistics concerning the current state of refugees in the United States to instructions regarding contacting local officials.

“The discussion was definitely where I heard some interesting facts,” said Conlan of the discourse. “[RefUGA is] doing something about it. They’re sending out updates about how to get involved, how to even spend like 5 minutes of your day working towards bettering our world.”

She also added that she has joined the group’s email list, and intends to get further involved.

This education, and the empathy that accompanied it, was the main goal of the event.

“They go through so much hardship, but its also just very powerful to see the ways they thrive regardless,” said Pandian. “It takes them from just being like an issue, or soundbyte you hear in the news, to being real people who really care and want to just build better lives for themselves.”

Inspiring students to help in this journey was the successful goal of the event.