D&I Workshop: The Climate Crisis in Migration of Refugees and Asylum Seekers

The presentation will look at the effects the climate crisis has had on refugees seeking asylum. What a climate refugee is, why their numbers are increasing and how we can do our part to aid these refugees and create a climate that they do not need to flee from.

The workshop is part of the D&I Education and Roundtable Discussion Series and is held by the inaugural team of Diversity Fellows with Dr. Michael Roman, one of the co-leaders of the Peace Corps Action Team and an advocate on behalf of Kiribati. 

Dr. Roman is a former Kiribati Peace Corps Volunteer, Fulbright Fellow, co-creator of the social media platform Humans of Kiribati, and co-creator of upcoming publications American Asylee and When There was No Money received his Ph.D. from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh in 2014. His dissertation topic was turned into a 2018 Sundance selection Anote’s Ark, by Matthieu Rytz. His most recent film collaboration One Word highlights the Marshall Islanders’ fight for climate justice and survival. Collaborating with governments, international media, non-profit organizations, and citizens from around the world, he has spent the last 21 years raising global consciousness of the climate crisis from the frontlines. He presently works at the University of Cincinnati.

The purpose of this series is to facilitate brave spaces for discussion and create places where people can learn from one another. The workshop format was changed from two sessions of one hour each held on two consecutive Sundays to one session held once a month on a Friday night. 

Important links

The dramatic increase in public beliefs and worries about climate change (Presentation for the Climate Displaced Persons Act)
TedTalk: Humanizing Climate Change
Film Screening: One Word, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. EST