Immigration and Refugee Matters

Professor Diya Abdo, a Palestinian woman whose grandmother once sought refuge in Jordan, saw the need for a more inclusive approach to help refugees arriving in America. In 2015, she started the Every Campus a Refuge program, which has since spread to six other universities in the US, providing free housing to refugees on campus, language tutoring, assistance with job searches, and an army of volunteers, many of whom are students in Guilford's ECAR minor. Photo taken April 5, 2018.

*All events are FREE, but we do ask that you please register so that we can monitor attendance and venue capacity.*

As the world continues to displace people in astonishing numbers, Abdo and Haqq bring the personal stories of individual lives effected by the continuing inhumane actions and responses to human suffering. With DIYA ABDO and ELISHEBA HAQQ. Hosted by DR. JOHN COX. 

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DIYA ABDO is the first daughter and granddaughter of Palestinian refugees born in their country of displacement, Jordan. A graduate of Yarmouk University, she earned master’s and doctorate degrees from Drew University. She is a full professor in the English department of Guilford College, where she founded the first chapter of Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR), which aims to host global refugees. Diya is the recipient of several national community engagement awards, including the 2021 J.M.K. Innovation Prize for her work with ECAR. She lives in Greensboro, NC, with her partner, daughters, and cats.

ELISHEBA HAQQ was born in Chandigarh, India, but was brought up in Minnesota, USA. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University and currently teaches writing at Rutgers University. Her work has appeared in A Letter for my Mother, Gateways, She.knows.com, and NJ Monthly. An RN by profession, she has also been published in Creative Nursing and Journal of Nursing Education and Practice.

DR. JOHN COX is a professor of Global Studies and History at UNC Charlotte, where he directs the university’s genocide & human rights studies center. He has lectured and published widely on racism, genocide, human rights, and resistance.