Sometimes the best way to find out if you are a welcoming community is to ask your newest guests. And in some cases, the best way to present this data is to invite a group of artists to illustrate your complex and diverse research for mass consumption.
Stephanie Sandberg does just that with her latest ethnographic play, Grains of Hope, opening at the Lab Theatre at Calvin College.
Sandburg, director and communications professor at Calvin College, conducted more than 100 interviews with area refugees who have relocated to Grand Rapids, now the fifth largest U.S. city to be the recipient of the United Nations refugees relocation program. These people are simply seeking asylum from the religious and political violence of their home country.
"This translates into 600-700 people who have been resettled her in our area by the U.S. State Department. This migration is a part of the changing face of this region," says Sandberg. "What I have discovered through my interviews is that these people have left everything and are looking for a place to start a new life, to build a home. Grains of Hope tells their collective story in a style many have come to expect from me and my research."
This play also hopes to shine a light on the need for even greater collaboration, as groups and organizations from neighborhood centers and churches are being solicited to help ease the burden on our new and often vulnerable residents.
It is not hard to sound the alarm bell when, according to Sandberg, the latest rounds of government cuts in funding means that these refugees are arriving here from a war-torn land or trauma, but are expected to be on their feet when funding ends in three months, instead of the pre-cuts timeframe of six months.
In reality, this means that our new neighbors, who arrive here often with one bag of personal belongings, will be expected to set up a home, get a job, and learn English in just three month's time. We all know the statistics indicating foreigners are often the best entrepreneurs, but with this shorter window, the community needs to get creative. Enter Sandberg and her troupe.
Grains of Hope asks that you imagine the lives of these refugees who have often risked everything to be free. The play weaves seven unique stories, much like Sandberg did with her previous works produced at Actors’ Theatre of Grand Rapids, Seven Passages and Lines. These works dealt with the nature of homophobia and racism in our region with stunning clarity and depth.
While it might not seem like a lively night out, this theatrical journey is one of hope. You will be inspired you when you hear their stories.
Sandberg has made it easy for you to see the play, regardless of where you live. The play will travel around our city in a style that mimics the refugee experience of limited means, with set pieces of cardboard and woven cloth, and personal belongings that fit in a small bag. Sandberg will also conduct a talkback session with the audience. Sandberg has graciously offered up this previously unpublished schedule of topics to Rapid Growth:
April 11: Calvin College, church resettlement issues
April 12: Calvin College, Partners for a Racism Free Community -- anti-racism
April 16: Potter's House, education Issues
April 18: Grand Rapids Public Museum, employment and job issues
April 21: South Wyoming United Methodist Church, Thrive -- issues with refugees falling through the cracks
April 26: Godwin Heights High School, Stand Against Racism -- issues of education
April 28: Grand Rapids Internathonal Fellowship, acculturation and English
May 5: Church of the Servant, Healthcare issues
May 8: Wealthy Street Theatre, Bethany Christian Services -- history and future of refugee resettlement
May 9, Wealthy Street Theatre, Mars Hill -- church involvement with refugee resettlement.
This journey will not only give the audience a chance to learn about how we can become better citizens, but how in listening, our world flattens, making way for peace, harmony, understanding and even love, too, to grow.
Admission: Free
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