Speaker: Luma Mufleh
TED2017
Date: April 2017
Location: Vancouver, BC
Description from TED website:
“We have seen advances in every aspect of our lives — except our humanity,” says Luma Mufleh, a Jordanian immigrant and Muslim of Syrian descent who founded the first accredited school for refugees in the United States. Mufleh shares stories of hope and resilience, explaining how she’s helping young people from war-torn countries navigate the difficult process of building new homes. Get inspired to make a personal difference in the lives of refugees with this powerful talk.
My Review / Notes / Thoughts
I’ve been working with some faculty recently who have been developing courses on Social Justice, so watching this video really struck a chord with me…talk about timing!
When we think and talk about social justice, we have a tendency to just think about ourselves, our community, our state, or our nation. The recent issues in America are definitely problems… but they aren’t the only problems in the world… and not even the direst problems. When we have refugees needing assistance, whole communities suffering from famine, countries plagued by genocide, and the like occurring around the world… our problems look small by comparison. First-world problems, right?
Mufleh is correct when she says that “we have seen advances in every aspect of our lives — except our humanity” she has an extremely valid point. Fighting amongst ourselves will not improve our level of humanity. We need to come together and fix our own nation so that we can help the rest of the world. Otherwise, it will be the blind leading the blind.
I know my view may be biased, but that is how I see it. I also see this video as an excellent way of sparking discussion in the classroom. While I can see this in the social justice classroom, I can also see it being used with political science, criminal justice, social work, and even psychology. What other fields of study could you see using this talk to spark engagement in students?
Until next time … live long life-learner!