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Stephanie Poget and Chloe Cross

Dr. Auchter
Global Humanitarianism
19 April 2016

Syrian Refugee Crisis Awareness Campaign

What started out as peaceful protests for democracy and greater freedom in Syria has
quickly spiraled into a full blown civil war that is not likely to be resolved anytime soon
(Gilsinan). An article from The Atlantic describes the war being as partly a civil war of
government against people; partly a religious war pitting Assads minority Alawite sect, aligned
with Shiite fighters from Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, against Sunni rebel groups; and
increasingly a proxy war featuring Russia and Iran against the United States and its allies
(Gilsinan). As a result of the war thousands of people are dying or being forced to leave their
homes due to unnecessary violence and attacks--including documented attacks using chemical
weapons--and more than 40% of children are unable to go to school (Whats Happening in
Syria?).

There are 4,288,910 registered Syrian refugees and 6,563,462 internally displaced
persons (Humanitarian Snapshot). This means that as of November 30, 2015, 10,852,372 Syrians
were forced to leave their homes because they no longer felt safe. In just 2015 alone, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights documented 55,219 deaths in Syria making it the third deadliest
year since the conflict began in 2011. During this time, the United States only accepted 1,682
Syrian refugees as documented by the U.S. Department of State. Since the beginning of the war
in March of 2011, the Syrian Center for Policy Research released in February that there have
been 470,000 deaths as a result of the war.
These numbers show us as that with our role as an American, a Tennessean, and a human
being, we should be doing so much more to help with the Syrian Refugee Crisis. However, for
some reason, the majority are ignoring these cries for help and only listening to the threat of
terrorism. We have become so numb to the needs of the Middle Eastern countries such as Syria
because of the terrorist attacks that flood the news. What we need to realize is that the Syrians
are being forced from their homes and running from the very people we are afraid of too. They
are suffering from a 9/11 situation every day. The terrorism threats we receive in the West are
carried out in their country also. Syrians are not leaving because they want to; they are left with
no other choice if they want to protect themselves and their families from this endlessly
occurring violence.
Instead of opening our arms to these fleeing Syrians, we, as a state, are closing our doors.
Tennessee the Volunteer State is no longer wanting anything to do with Syrian refugees.
Tennessee is currently in the process of suing the federal government on Tenth Amendment
grounds. When The Tennessean asked the executive director of ACLU-TN, Hedy Weinberg her
opinion, she gave the statement This resolution is a thinly veiled attempt to halt refugee

resettlement in Tennessee, she said. Closing our doors in the faces of families fleeing violence
and terror undercuts who we are as Tennesseans. However, her opinion is not found all over
Tennessee, and this is where the problem lies. For example, when Breitbart News asked Steve
Gawrys his views on this bill, and his replies were much different. He stated It is ridiculous that
legislation with overwhelming support and which is vital to help protect our communities from a
large resettlement of people into our state that terror groups have already claimed to have
infiltrated is being delayed by career politicians like Charles Sargent. He also went on to
compare refugees to a bowl of M&Ms that had five or six poisoned candies in the mix as a way
to demonstrate that Tennessee should not be allowing refugees from terror hotspots (Leahy).
This is where our awareness campaign comes in. Through this campaign for the Syrian
Refugee Crisis, we hope to raise awareness of the actual conditions these refugees and internally
displaced persons are living with along with and the reasons they have fled their homes. It is our
goal to change the stereotypes the Syrians are living with and allow Americans, especially those
of our home state, to see it is wrong and immoral to be closing our doors to refugees. We want to
raise awareness that we should all be welcoming more and doing more to help these people.
Our campaign is going to put a special focus on the people in Tennessee who have an
anti-refugee view similar to Steve Gawrys and those whom often do not have all of the
information. To combat this, we will provide information about the conflict, the conditions of the
refugee camps, and the admittance of refugees into our country with the goal of helping them
understand the reasons a Syrian refugee would want to come here. We will also provide the
simple fact that 2,234 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the United States since October 1,
2010 (the beginning of fiscal year 2011), and only after the most extensive level of security
screening of any category of traveler to the United States. None have been arrested or removed

on terrorism charges (Myths and Facts: Resettling Syrian Refugees). This shows that the
United States ensures the refugees are only coming here to attempt to begin a normal life again,
not cause harm or blow something up.

And for the people who are anti-refugee because they believe their tax dollars are not
being put to good use, we can provide this information: a 2013 report by the fiscal review
committee found that refugees and their families have contributed more than $1.4 billion to the
state, compared to only $753 million spent investing in their integration and success (Senate
Vote Puts Tennessee on the Wrong Side of History). This is evidence that refugees do not suck
our state dry, but they do add to our workforce while growing our tax base and strengthening the
economy just by ending up in our state.
To kindle a flame of compassion in the audience, we will describe and present through
pictures some of the conditions the refugees are currently living in. One story that particularly
stuck out to us was from the refugee camps was one from Nada Sidani, a Canadian nurse. She
gave an interview to The Huffington Post and revealed some of the atrocities she witnessed in
the camps. She described how at the vaccination clinic she was working in, mothers would bring
their babies in wrapped in plastic because that was the only way they could keep their children

safe from the water seeping through their tents. To make matters worse, these families are living
in temperatures of four to five degrees Celsius (Lum). Sidani says the only way she can explain
these conditions is as utterly inhumane. Possibly the worst part is that these are the conditions
of the refugee camps. According to PBS, most of the refugee camps have been filled to capacity
leaving hundreds of Syrians to live in makeshift shelters with even worse conditions than found
in the camps. These refugees often have no access to shelter, water, or food for their families
with very few ways to gain a steady income (Inside the harsh living conditions for Syrian
refugees in Turkey).
Our awareness campaign will use a PowerPoint presentation and a documentary to
educate Tennesseans on what is going on with the Syrian Refugee Crisis, and how our state is
reacting to the problem. We hope that through presenting the facts of the crisis and our situation
with refugees here in Tennessee that the information will open the audiences eyes to the reality
the refugees are facing and create a deep sense of compassion and responsibility to the innocent
Syrians. Our goal is that after all of the information is presented, the audience will want to write
a letter to our representative, JoAnne Favors to vote no to SJR0467 or send a message through
tnimmagrant.org. We will provide the audience with Favors district address so she knows that
we as students of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga believe we should still be
volunteering to help those in need and welcoming refugees who are fleeing conflict.
Though this campaign, we hope to see everyone submit a letter through tnimmigrant.org
and also plan to write a letter to JoAnne favors. Many other Tennesseans are not comfortable
with our state refusing refugees and have also demonstrated so. For example, after the senate
vote, TIRRC members sent hundreds of emails to Governor Haslam causing him to criticize the
resolution (Senate Vote Puts Tennessee on the Wrong Side of History). We hope to have a

similar effect and ensure JoAnne Favors knows how we want her to vote as it goes to the House
of Representatives. It is very feasible, that through this campaign, we can join the fight to make
Tennessee the volunteer state once again and have our officials vote no to the bill.

Works Cited
Barrnard, Anne. Death Toll from War in Syria Now 470000, Group Finds. The New York
Times. The New York Times Company, 11 February 2016. Web. 9 April 2016.
Death toll in Syria tops 55,000 in 2015. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, 1 January 2016. Web. 12 April 2016.
Ebert, Joel. Senate Passes Resolution to Sue Federal Government over Refugees. The
Tennessean. USA Today, 22 February 2016. Web. 10 April 2016.
FY15 Refugee Admissions Statistics. U.S. Department of State. Bureau of Public Affairs, 31
December 2015. Web. 10 April 2016.Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Gilsinan, Kathy. The Confused Persons Guide to the Syrian Civil War. The Atlantic. The
Atlantic Monthly Group, 29 October 2015. Web. 11 April 2016.
Humanitarian Snapshot. Syrian Arab Republic: Humanitarian Snapshot. OCHA, 2 December
2015. PDF file.
Inside the harsh living conditions for Syrian refugees in Turkey. PBS Newshour. PBS, 17
January 2016. Web. 13 April 2016.
Leahy, Michael. Tennessee Legislators Push Plan to Block Refugee Resettlement in State.
Breitbart. Breitbart News, 31 March 2016. Web. 10 April 2016.
Lum, Zi-Ann. Syrian Refugees Living In Camps Are In 'Utterly Inhumane' Situation, Says
Toronto Nurse. The Huffington Post Canada. TheHuffingtonPost.com Inc., 26
November 2016. Web. 14 April 2016.

Myths and Facts: Resettling Syrian Refugees. U.S. Department of State. Bureau of Public
Affairs, 25 November 2015. Web. 10 April 2016.
Senate Vote Puts Tennessee on the Wrong Side of History. Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee
Rights Coalition. TIRRC, n.d. Web. 10 April 2016.
Syrian Civil War Death Toll Climbs Over 320,000 Casualties; Observatory Group Slams
International Communitys Silence as Encouraging Bloodshed. Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 1 January 2016. Web. 16 June
2015.
Whats Happening in Syria? Newsround. BBC, 15 March 2016. Web. 13 April 2016.