This week we’re talking to Jefferson Mok who serves as the Chair on the City’s Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. The Commission started in March 2018 and was created to elevate voices from the immigrant and refugee community in Tacoma. Jefferson shares the focus of the Commission, why it’s important in our current political and societal climate and some of the additional barriers faced by the immigrant and refugee community.
In this episode:
Focus on Tacoma – Tacoma is one of the most diverse areas in the country. With its location close to the coast and an airport, as well as the Northwest Detention Center, there are many immigrant communities within the city. Tacoma also has an ugly history with immigrants, specifically with the Chinese immigrants who were unjustly expelled from the city in 1885. This shameful history has been potential encouragement for the city to put additional resources into recognizing the immigrant and refugee communities that live in Tacoma today.
Continued trauma – As Jefferson mentions, many refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam were given sanctuary in the U.S. after the Vietnam War. This sanctuary was not necessarily established in law and with the current administration, we are seeing the very real possibility of these communities facing deportation, adding to generational trauma to these families that have already survived and escaped after the war.
Limiting resources – As this administration continues to expand on the communities they are threatening, the Commission is focusing on what they can do for these communities in Tacoma. Jefferson shares how the Commission might address that and the barriers that exist as immigrant and refugee communities continue to be fearful of government or organizational assistance.
Left to right: Jessica, Claire, Jefferson and Laine.
A special thank you to this episode’s sponsor – Channing Baby & Co.!
