- Monday, April 10, 2017
- 12:00 PM–1:30 PM
- Chapel Sanctuary
Panel discussion: Dana Doll (Community development worker), Kate Kooyman (Immigration organizer, CRCNA), Shadia Mbabazi (Refugee community worker), and Liz Balck Monsma (Immigration attorney)
A panel of local experts will report on the current situation and point out opportunities for those who want to get involved.
About the panelists
Dana Doll is the founder of a non-profit in Grand Rapids called Treetops Collective, doing community & economic development with refugee women and girls. Her passion for refugees started as a teen, when her family gained three Sudanese refugee siblings. She has worked in community development in East Africa and Australia, entrepreneurship in Northern Uganda, and refugee resettlement in West Michigan.
Shadia Mbabazi has a degree in Human and Social Development from the University of South Africa and firsthand experience of the challenges of resettling as a refugee in West Michigan, as she came through the refugee resettlement system from Rwanda. She works in the refugee community both with an educational organization and a translation service.
Liz Balck Monsma founded Monsma Law Office, a private immigration law practice that focuses on family and humanitarian immigration cases. She was formerly the Legal Services Director at Justice for Our Neighbors, a non-profit immigration legal services organization.
Kate Kooyman is an immigration organizer for the Christian Reformed Church. She is a graduate of Western Theological Seminary and a Calvin College alum, and hopes to empower the church to live into its call to be advocates for justice.
About the Just Citizenship series
This series has been organized by the Dean for Research and Scholarship under the Provost's Faith and Citizenship Initiative.
What does it mean for Christians to think deeply and act justly in this time of political uncertainty? Just Citizenship is a weekly series of interdisciplinary lectures and panel discussions addressing current issues and asking how Christians can work for renewal in society. Join us in the Chapel each Monday at 3:30 during the spring semester; all of these events are free and open to the public. Find out more about the series and related events.
The Just Citizenship series has been approved for State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECH) in the state of Michigan. For every forum you attend, you can earn one clock hour of SCECH credit for certificate renewal. For more information and a SCECH application form, please visit our homepage for the series.
