Quarterly Learning Luncheon with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky
Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) had a great meeting withCongresswoman Jan Schakowsky at our Learning Luncheon on Wednesday, September 8th at 12:00 p.m. CST in a discussion about critical issues affecting refugees. Check back soon to see the video of the meeting.
Reading Refuge Book Club – Roya Hakakian
Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) is excited to welcome Roya Hakakian at our next Reading Refuge Book Club, Wednesday, August 25th at 7:00 pm to discuss her latest book, A Beginners Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious. Read more.
This event is co-sponsored with Congregation Hakafa, who also mentor and sponsor refugee families.
Reading Refuge Book Club – Roya Hakakian
Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) is excited to welcome Roya Hakakian at our next Reading Refuge Book Club, Wednesday, August 25th at 7:00 pm to discuss her latest book, A Beginners Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious.
Roya, a former refugee from Iran, is also the author of Assassins of the Turquoise Palace and Journey from the Land of No, and has published two collections of poetry in Persian. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and on NPR’s All Things Considered. She has collaborated on programming for leading journalism units in network television, including 60 Minutes. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and served on the editorial board of World Affairs. Since 2015, she has taught at THREAD, a writing workshop at Yale, and is a fellow at the Davenport College at Yale. .
This event is co-sponsored with Congregation Hakafa, who also mentor and sponsor refugee families.
REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT NOW!
Fundraising Success!
We thank you for your generous contributions to Haroun, Kaltouma, and their family. We have met the fundraising goal of $6000 for rent support (50% rent for six months).
You did it!
Fundraising Goal Met
Raised: $6,000 (50% rent for 6 months)
This refugee family of seven arrived in the U.S. after five years in a refugee camp in the Central African Republic. Like many refugee families, the COVID pandemic has caused a loss of income for this family. Even though Haroun is working hard, his reduced hours do not generate enough income to support his family. Kartouma attends daily ESL classes and cares for the family. Please read their story in our Spring Quarterly Report.
The family thanks you for assisting them through the challenging months ahead. BPB is very grateful for your continued support of our refugee families and your volunteerism to deliver the support.
One of the most important things you can do to support refugees currently in the U.S. is to provide a bridge to affordable housing. This financial support allows these vulnerable families to build meaningful, safe and stable lives. BPB, with your help, will continue to provide a bridge to affordable housing for future refugee families.
Reading Refuge Book Club
Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) is excited to welcome Deborah Campbell and Ahlam Mahmood at our second ‘Reading Refuge’ Book Club meeting on Wednesday, April 28 from 7 to 8 pm CST. Deborah and Ahlam will lead our discussion about “A Disappearance in Damascus.”
A Disappearance in Damascus won the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize and the Hubert Evans Prize, and was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Screen rights have been optioned by filmmaker Terry George (Hotel Rwanda, In the Name of the Father).
Please RSVP through this link!
www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/book-club-disappearance-in-damascus/
Reading Refuge: A Disappearance in Damascus
Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) is excited to welcome Deborah Campbell and Ahlam Mahmood at our second ‘Reading Refuge’ Book Club meeting on Wednesday, April 28 from 7 to 8 pm CST. Deborah and Ahlam will lead our discussion about “A Disappearance in Damascus.”
A Disappearance in Damascus won the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize and the Hubert Evans Prize, and was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Screen rights have been optioned by filmmaker Terry George (Hotel Rwanda, In the Name of the Father).
Please RSVP through this link!
www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/book-club-disappearance-in-damascus/
Congressman Brad Schneider
Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) had an intellingent and thoughtful conversation about Immigration Policy with Congressman Brad Schneider at our Learning Luncheon on Monday, March 22nd at 12:00 p.m. CST. Here is the video of that meeting in case you missed it.
Congressman Schneider (D) is a fourth-term representative for the 10th District of Illinois. He is a strong voice in immigration rights and works to ensure “protection, humanitarian needs, and compassionate treatment of refugees.”
BPB hosts educational luncheons listening to refugee stories and “knowledge experts” speak on immigration and refugee programs.
Meet Congressman Brad Schneider
Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) is excited to welcome Congressman Brad Schneider at our Learning Luncheon on Monday, March 22nd at 12:00 p.m. CST in a discussion of proposed reforms of U.S. Immigration Policy 2021 and beyond.
Congressman Schneider (D) is a fourth-term representative for the 10th District of Illinois. He has made international affairs a staple of his policies, specifically immigration rights, as evidenced by his membership in the Congressional Refugee Caucus. Together with other members of Congress, he works to ensure “protection, humanitarian needs, and compassionate treatment of refugees”. Other memberships are in the House Committee on Ways and Means, where he focuses on health and Social Security, and the House Committee on Small Business, focusing on economic growth, tax, and capital access.
Within the House of Representatives, he is an official cosponsor of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which if passed would seek to reform the current immigration system, provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, and humanely address the root causes of forced migration. Other recently sponsored bills address campaign finance, ethics in government, federal lobbying transparency, protections for local businesses, Medicare beneficiaries, and domestic terrorism. Congressman Schneider has also repeatedly voted in favor of strengthening and expanding existing voter protections.
BPB hosts educational luncheons listening to refugee stories and “knowledge experts” speak on immigration and refugee programs.
Inaugural Book Club Video
Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) had an excellent inaugural Book Club meeting with Dr. Jessica Goudeau on Wednesday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. CST. Dr. Goudeau led our discussion about her book, After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America, which was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice book. After the Last Border is a story of two refugee families and their hope and resilience as they fight to survive and belong in America. Here is the video of the meeting. Enjoy!
Inaugural Book Club Meeting
Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) is excited to welcome Dr. Jessica Goudeau at our first book club meeting on Wednesday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. CST. Dr. Goudeau will lead our discussion about her book, After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America, which was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice book. Dr. Goudeau h
as written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, among many other places, and is a former columnist for Catapult. She produced projects for Teen Vogue (“Ask a Syrian Girl”) and “A Line Birds Cannot See,” a documentary about a young girl who crossed the border into the U.S. on her own that was distributed by The New Yorker. After the Last Border is a story of two refugee families and their hope and resilience as they fight to survive and belong in America.
Find out more and register here.