Photo by Monstera Production
Refugee Voices Matter in the City of Brotherly Love
“I am not just a number. I am a story and I want you to hear it.”- Anika, refugee from Dominica
When we talk about refugees, we often talk about numbers. How many crossed the border? How many were granted asylum? How many are “still waiting.” But behind each number is a name. And behind each name, a life filled with resilience, trauma, hope, and the longing to be seen as human.
This article is a call to listen. Because refugee voices matter not just in statistics or headlines, but in our neighborhoods, our policies, our classrooms, our future.
Names That Deserve to Be Spoken
For too long, African and Caribbean refugees have been left out of mainstream refugee conversations. Their stories are often drowned out by global headlines or misrepresented in soundbites. “People hear ‘refugee’ and think of Syria or Ukraine,” says Malik, a Gambian community organizer. “But they forget about u, the ones from Africa, from the Caribbean, from places without media coverage.” In Philadelphia, hundreds of African and Caribbean refugees live, work, raise children, and build new lives but their journeys remain largely undocumented.
It’s time we say their names and honor the legacies they are trying to build.
Why Their Stories Matter
Stories humanize. Stories connect. Stories shift perception. When we hear Lorna from St. Lucia talk about losing her son during political unrest, or Abdoulaye from Guinea share how he went from prison cell to youth mentor in West Philly, or Sade from Nigeria describe her healing journey after surviving gender-based violence; we begin to understand. We begin to care. We begin to act.
The Danger of a Single Narrative
When the only stories about refugees are those of victimhood, dependency, or crime, it shapes public opinion and policy in damaging ways. “People think we came here to be taken care of,” says Binta, a Liberian refugee and entrepreneur. “But most of us came here to rebuild for ourselves and our children.” Reducing refugee identities to labels erases the diversity of who they are. They are scholars. Business owners. Artists. Health workers. Faith leaders. Survivors.
The media must do more to reflect this reality and so must we.
A City Built on Many Voices
Philadelphia’s story has always been one of layered voices of newcomers and dreamers, of struggle and reinvention. Refugee voices are not outside of this story. They are at the heart of it. “When you listen to us,” says Josephine, a Haitian activist, “you realize that we’re not asking for charity. We’re asking to be heard.”
Let’s Make Room for Their Voices
- Host listening circles in your community
- Support refugee-led nonprofits in Philly
- Add diverse refugee voices to your media or campaigns
- Nominate African and Caribbean refugees for leadership roles
- Follow, fund, and feature refugee storytellers
“When we say their names, we make space for truth.
When we hear their stories, we build a city that remembers.”
Refugee voices matter. Let’s listen and amplify them together.
