Film on refugees to be shown at SUNY Oneonta

The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
·2 min read

Oct. 20—SUNY Oneonta will host the documentary "Utica: The Last Refuge" from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the Craven Lounge in the college's Morris Conference Center. Organized in collaboration with Hartwick College and the Otsego Refugee Resettlement Coalition, the screening is free and open to the community. Parking is available in front of the Morris Conference Center.

College President Alberto J.F. Cardelle and Deborah Marcus from the Otsego Refugee Resettlement Coalition will introduce the film, according to a media release from SUNY Oneonta.

Set in Utica, the documentary tells the story of a Sudanese family of four who arrives at the Syracuse Airport after spending six years in a refugee camp in Ethiopia. With help from Utica's Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, the family works to build a new life.

"Parallel to the family's story is the story of the City of Utica, whose recent economic upturn has been intertwined with its efforts to welcome and support refugees amidst an unprecedented upheaval in U.S. policies," the release said. With fewer than one percent of the world's refugees resettling each year, the film asks: "Why can't we as a planet do better with this vulnerable population?"

According to event co-organizer Brett Heindl, associate professor of political science at SUNY Oneonta, the goals of this screening are:

—to put a human face on the historic levels of refugees and displacement in today's world;

—to help connect SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College students to an emerging issue within the region; and

—to help build awareness of the Otsego Refugee Resettlement Coalition's work.

The event is co-sponsored by SUNY Oneonta's Office of the President, the PLACES Institute, the School of Sciences, the School of Liberal Arts and Business, and the departments of Political Science and Sociology in collaboration with Hartwick College, the city of Oneonta, Oneonta Public Transit and the Otsego Refugee Resettlement Coalition, a group of nonprofit organizations, businesses, educational institutions, faith communities, and individuals working together to create a place for refugees to call home in Otsego County, the release said.

Oneonta Public Transit has modified its bus route for Wednesday evening to make the event more accessible to Hartwick College students, SUNY Oneonta students who live off campus, and city residents, the release said. OPT will stop at all Hartwick bus stops beginning at 5:10 p.m. and add pickups at the bus shelter outside SUNY Oneonta's Morris Conference Center at 8:45 p.m.