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Safe Space Radio

The show about subjects we'd struggle with less if we could talk about them more.

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asylum seekers

Leaving Iraq with Sara

February 8, 2016 by ssradmin

Sara is an Iraqi citizen who fled to the U.S. after her brother’s work for the American forces in Baghdad put her family in danger. She talks about the opaque process of applying to leave, and her complicated feelings when she learned that she would be allowed to pack only two bags.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions Tagged With: asylum seekers, Immigration & Refugees, Iraq, refugee, refugees and asylum seekers

Arriving in High School with Eman

January 11, 2016 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features high school senior Eman, who moved to the U.S. in 2015. She talks about leaving her friends and family behind in Sudan and again in Egypt, where she lived for five years. Eman remembers being at the mercy of resettlement organizations, and being elected as class president only …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, resettlement

Fleeing Persecution with Taysier

January 4, 2016 by ssradmin

Taysier moved to Maine from Sudan in 2015 with three of her children. Because of her volunteer work with humanitarian aid agencies in Darfur, Taysier was detained by the Sudanese government, who accused her of spying. In this episode, she tells her story of her escape, and talks about her life since moving to America, …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, Darfur, Immigration & Refugees, muslim, persecution, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers

Somali Community in Maine with Catherine Bestemen

December 22, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Catherine Bestemen, Francis F. and Ruth K. Bartlett Professor of Anthropology at Colby College. She is the author of Unraveling Somalia: Race, Class, and the Legacy of Slavery and has worked closely with the Somali community in Portland, Maine. She discusses the extraordinary resilience of this community, the impact …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers

The Roots of Crisis with Catherine Bestemen

December 14, 2015 by ssradmin

This is the second episode of Safe Space Radio to feature Catherine Bestemen, Francis F. and Ruth K. Bartlett Professor of Anthropology at Colby College and the author of Unraveling Somalia: Race, Class, and the Legacy of Slavery. Catherine has spent her career studying society in both Somalia and Maine, where many Somali refugees have …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, civil war, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers

Navigating the Asylum Process with Phil Mantis

December 7, 2015 by ssradmin

Lawyer Phil Mantis works for the Immigrant Legal Assistance Program, or ILAP, in Portland, Maine. ILAP provides free legal help to people seeking asylum in the United States. Phil explains the difference between a refugee and an asylee, describes the most common reasons asylum cases are denied, and explains how ILAP helps asylees apply successfully.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, Immigration & Refugees, Legal System, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers

The Challenge of Seeking Asylum with Alice B

November 30, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Alice B, an asylum-seeker from Burundi who now lives in Portland, Maine. She talks about her work to support and empower women who have faced cultural silencing and endured trauma in both Burundi and the U.S. Alice and Anne explore ways that refugees might be connected with therapists …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health, Sexuality, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, Immigration & Refugees, Legal System, mental health, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, Sexual assault, Therapy, Trauma

Leaving Syria with Anna

November 23, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Anna, who escaped Syria while 8 months pregnant in 2013 and now lives in Maine. She talks about trading the daily threat of bombings and kidnappings for a life of uncertainty as she and her husband applied and waited for asylum—and how the experience changed her understanding of …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum, asylum seekers, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, Trauma

Escaping from Violence

November 16, 2015 by ssradmin

This is a particularly intense interview about one woman’s narrow escape from Burundi, after she and her mother gave medical aid to an injured protester. She describes their arrest and interrogation prior to coming to the United States, and what it is like to be here, having never planned to leave her life and dreams …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health, Sexuality, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, escape, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, Sexual assault, Trauma

Somali Women in Maine with Fatuma Hussein

November 9, 2015 by ssradmin

Safe Space Radio talks with Fatuma Hussein of United Somali Women of Maine. She describes the challenges of resettlement for refugees fleeing war in their native countries, which she experienced herself as a teenager. She addresses the presumption that refugees have a negative impact on the state’s economy and culture, and explains her vision for …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, community, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, resettlement

Somalis in the Maine Workforce with Hussein Ahmed

February 18, 2013 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Hussein Ahmed, a business owner in Lewiston, Maine. He describes his journey from Somalia, the ten years he spent in refugee camps in Kenya, and the challenges of finding work in the U.S. due to language barriers, cultural uncertainties and religious stereotypes. Hussein is optimistic that with modifications …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: asylum seekers, community, Immigration & Refugees, lewiston, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, somalia, work, workplace

High School Friendships with Maria Padian

February 13, 2013 by ssradmin

Maria Padian is author of Out of Nowhere, about friendships between Somali and Franco-Catholic high school students in Maine. Maria talks about her own experience with four immigrant grandparents, and how different it is to come here as an immigrant, eager to build a new life, than to come as a refugee, having had to …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict Tagged With: asylum seekers, difficult conversations, education, Friendship, immigrant, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, School, somalia, students, teenagers

Talking about Difference with Mohammed Dini

February 6, 2013 by ssradmin

Mohammed Dini is Executive Director of the African Diaspora Institute, founder of Portland Forward, and former candidate for state representative. Mohammed talks about his experience moving to Maine at age 13 and learning to identify himself as a Mainer. He also explores the Somali concept of furfurnaan, which means openness, inviting an open-hearted dialogue about …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, difficult conversation, immigrant, Immigration & Refugees, politics, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, somalia

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Generously supported by:

  • The Annie E. Casey Foundation
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  • The Sam L. Cohen Foundation

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