ECAR builds community for refugees

Despite going through changes, it continues to provide support and community.

In 2015, Every Campus a Refuge, an organization that provides assistance to refugees entering the United States, was created. Since then, ECAR has expanded to include chapters throughout the US, including one here at The University of Tulsa.

The TU chapter of ECAR was initially established in 2021 after the Taliban seized power due to former president Joe Biden’s hasty exit from Afghanistan, causing nearly 80,000 Afghans to flee to the US and become refugees. Around 850 of these refugees settled here in Tulsa. Recognizing this refugee crisis as well as the fact that, due to COVID-19, there were many available housing units on campus, members of the TU community stepped up and called for the campus to open its doors to the displaced.

The organization, however, provided more than just housing. It enabled Afghan youth to learn and practice English and allowed TU students to learn Pashto and Dari through weekly conversations with one another. In providing this space, ECAR brought together Afghans and Americans to learn more about each other’s culture. It further enabled Afghans to immerse themselves in and explore Tulsa as those within the organization would visit cultural centers in the city such as the Philbrook Museum. In hosting these events, ECAR helped “the Afghani people, especially college students who were forced to leave their home,” to “transition to American life while creating a community to learn and celebrate their native culture,” according to Vice President Marcus Martinez.

Over the past few years, the organization has changed as it has shifted from weekly conversations and Tulsa-centered events to bi-weekly get-togethers. It has further expanded to help all refugees regardless of national origin and still aims to create a welcoming space for those on campus. Over the past semester, ECAR hosted several events, including a game night, a movie night, and an arts and crafts night. Although these specific events did not directly tie to or promote Afghan culture, they still provided a place for TU students of different cultural backgrounds to connect over food, crafts and games.

In addition to hosting events that provide a space for building connections with others, ECAR hosted a Poetry and Calligraphy night and an Afghan dinner. Both of these events center around ECAR’s initial purpose of connecting TU students to Afghan culture and Afghanis to the TU community. As Afghanistan has historically been a part of the Muslim world, calligraphy in particular grew to be not only a way of writing but a prominent art form as well — a fact that non-Afghanis who participated in the event might not have known. During the Afghan dinner, students tried a variety of food Afghanistan has to offer. This main event attracted a large number of non-Afghani and Afghani students alike, allowing them to eat with one another when they otherwise likely would not have met. In creating this event, ECAR harkened back to its primary purpose once again by connecting these groups of students.

The organization continues to work with local charities “to help all refugees in the Tulsa community adapt and thrive in Oklahoma,” according to Martinez. Furthermore, a course has been developed based on ECAR wherein students assist in refugee resettlement while learning about the causes of refugee crises. In the coming semester, the ECAR organization intends to continue supporting refugees and hosting events similar to those of last semester with their first one being a game night in the Mayo Student Activities Center on Jan. 27 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Post Author: Heba Saleh