Last week, SPM writer, Lynh Bui brought in a copy of the most recent National Geographic. On the cover was the typical photo (a couple of zebras), but in the corner was a caption for a story about modern day slaves. I flipped through the article and couldn't believe it: There are approximately 27 million slaves in the world today.
A few days later there was a special on PBS about refugees - people who have lived through persecution in their own countries and try to flee. But as National Geographic said in its article, many become slaves of those they thought were helping them get into another country.
What was interesting about these stories was their timing. While Lynh has been working for the past month on the centerpiece for this week, "Refugee Living," for the past month, these other media outlets have been looking at the issue of the struggles of refugees... and the issue surfaced in our society at the same time.
"So many people are lost and scared, and these ASU students have come together to help them find their way."
While many people associate slavery or refugees with history or with Africa, this show and these articles have proven differently. A man from Mexico was enslaved in Florida, and a woman trying to get to Italy was sent to Afghanistan with her slave owner by mistake. In Lynh's story you see families from the Middle East, Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as Africa.
When I saw and read about these people, just fighting to stay alive and more fighting for the freedom of themselves and their families, I wondered what could be done about the issue. And that is where Lynh's story differs from the others I had seen. While she delves into the pain many people endured to get into America, she also shows people how they can help. A group of ASU students has gotten together and is making a difference not so much in these people's journeys to the country, but their lives after they get here. So many people are lost and scared, and these ASU students have come together to help them find their way.
Although ASU has a reputation for being an apathetic party school, many don't see the small groups on campus that do make a difference in many people's lives. Let's just hope that more groups and more students get together for as great a cause as this. Maybe we can make America a more welcoming place while making ASU a more empathetic campus.
Reach the editor at emily.murphy@asu.edu.
