MCS students call representatives to encourage the resettlement of Syrian refugees in New York

"The activism topic for the Fifth Floor this year is tackling Islamophobia and supporting Syrian refugees’ resettlement in America. To help, I decided to call the office of the New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo. My call was very interesting. I dialed the number and called Cuomo’s office and a woman picked up the phone. She asked me why I was calling, and I told her that I was calling to encourage the resettlement of Syrian refugees in New York. She asked me to hold on for a second. She then asked me, “Okay, you’re opposing the resettlement of refugees?” I corrected her and told her that I was supporting the resettling of refugees in New York and hung up the phone. After the call, it occurred to me why the woman had asked if I opposed resettlement of refugees. It was because she had received so many other calls that opposed Syrian refugee resettlement. At this point it became clear to me how large of a crowd we were fighting against, and how important our activism would be." - Alec