Episode 19: "Immigration"
IMMIGRATION: A Courageous Conversation with Rev. Dr. Blake Hart
In this episode, David interviews Rev. Dr. Blake Hart, founder and director of Carolina Immigrant Alliance in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Having lived as an immigrant in South America, he has a passion for creating welcoming spaces for immigrants and non-immigrants alike. Blake holds a Doctorate in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, CA. Blake is an ordained minister, and he is also accredited by the US Department of Justice to provide immigration legal representation.
As Rhonda mentions in the opening of the pod, the interview with Blake was recorded before the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and the need to find safe homes for thousands of Afghan refugees who supported the American efforts in the region. In the days before the pod went live, a surge of Haitian immigrants/refugees made their way to Del Rio, Texas - some 15,000 people making a temporary camp beneath a bridge near the Rio Grande River.
To learn more about the specific definition of “refugee,” as well as to see stories about Afghan and other refugees, see the website for the UNHCR (the United Nations refugee agency).