#115 Refugees Are Just Like You: Ahmed Badr

Far too often refugees are thought of as "the other"-- a mass of people who are victims of war, persecution or natural disasters. President Trump has added to the problem, making negative, harsh comments about immigrants.This episode with 19 year-old Iraqi-American refugee Ahmed Badr, looks at how to fix the way we view refugees and migrants. We look at their personal stories and what they bring to enrich the lives of the communities where they now live.Through writing about his own life, Ahmed, now a student at Wesleyan University, realized that his blog helped others see him in a more personal light. Today, he is empowering others to do the same. His art and poetry site, Narratio, is a growing platform where young people from around the world use creative expression to share their unique experiences. Ahmed is also the host of "Together", a soon-to-be released podcast about refugees and migrants."I've learned other people tell their story versus just telling my own," says Ahmed. "A global citizen is someone who is willing to entertain the other side, no matter how much the other side hurts us to listen to or witness."Ahmed was 7 when his family's home in Baghdad was bombed during the violent aftermath of the invasion of Iraq. The family was uninjured and moved to Syria. In 2008, they came as refugees to the U.S. through a resettlement program run by IOM -- the U.N. migration agency.

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