up close with refugee one

visiting the sewing studio

On April 15 (easy for Hannah to remember), we visited one of the classes Refugee One’s Sewing Studio. Refugee One offers beginner and advanced classes. On the day we visited, the normal teacher was out, but another newly arrived refugee who was a tailor in Syria easily subbed in, and one of the sewing students translated for him. Because of the lower number of admitted refugees in the last few years, the classes are now open to other immigrants as well. Once the students graduate from the advanced program, they receive an industrial sewing machine so they can complete projects at home. We had assumed that most of the people going through the class would be looking for full time work in the sewing industry, but it turns out that many of them prefer the flexibility of piece work. Refugee One actively seeks out customer contracts to refer to their students - you can read more about the customer experience using the button below.

For Hannah, the sounds of the machines speeding up and slowing down immediately brought back memories of Grandma Einspahr saying “as you sew, so shall you rip.” It brought Bhupen back to his first months in the US as he was going through hospitality training and learning how to navigate daily life tasks like using the CTA and going shopping. We spoke with two of the students who originally came from Jordan. They had already completed the advanced class, but they keep coming back to hone their skills and make new friends. As two self-proclaimed social butterflies, we could both relate to that!

five weddings with refugee one

In July, Refugee One invited us to a wedding - actually five weddings! Along with Refugee One employees and other supporters, we witnessed the wedding of five Rohingya couples who were not allowed to be married in Myanmar because of their religion and/or ethnicity. We were familiar with the community from Bhupen’s brother's work at the Rohingya Cultural Center. You can learn more by clicking the button below. The ceremonies were identical and quick, but there was so much celebration for each couple. In the midst of wedding planning, it was a great reminder that all of the details are just icing on the cake - it’s been a gift just to find each other, love each other openly, and have our commitment legally recognized.

There was a great WGN feature on the wedding, and if you look closely you can see us in the background of the NBC video (and you can hear the judge’s great Chicago accent). Both reports capture the excitement of the day but also drive home the reality of refugee resettlement in the US. Our country has the capacity and the nonprofit network to make more stories like ours and these five couples possible. But instead of using our resources to provide more opportunities, President Trump has signed executive orders every year he’s been in office to reduce the cap on refugee admissions, now at their lowest point since the enactment of the Refugee Act of 1980. Worse yet, the US has failed to meet even this historically low ceiling because of increased red tape in an already stringent resettlement process.

We truly appreciate the love and support we’ve received from our friends and family across the political spectrum. We earnestly hope that your love for us will help you see the connection between our country’s policies and the impact on the real lives of refugees and asylum seekers like the Acharyas.