Where Is Home? Exploring Identity & Belonging with Dr. Diya Abdo

Is home the place we are born, or the refuge we find? Can it be both? In this episode of Immigrant Conversations, we explore the meaning of "home" and discuss the challenges faced by refugees, including misconceptions about their experiences. Dr. Diya Abdo, a second-generation Palestinian refugee, shares her powerful story of migration and how she transformed her personal journey into advocacy for displaced communities. Key Topics in This Episode: >Dr. Abdo’s Migration Journey as a second-generation Palestinian refugee born in Jordan and her eventual move to the U.S. as a graduate student. >The displacement of her parents from Palestine, their struggles as refugees in Jordan, and how their story shaped Dr. Abdo’s perspective on migration. >The evolving concept of home—what does it truly mean to belong? The challenges faced by refugees today, including the impact of global crises on refugee resettlement and integration. >The mission of Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR)—Dr. Abdo’s nonprofit that helps college campuses host refugee families, fostering cultural integration and community support. >How storytelling and advocacy can help reshape perceptions of refugees and empower displaced communities. Bio: Dr. Diya Abdo is the Lincoln Financial Professor of English at Guilford College and the founding Director of Every Campus A Refuge. A second-generation Palestinian refugee born and raised in Jordan, Dr. Abdo’s teaching, research, and scholarship focus on Arab women writers and Arab and Islamic feminisms as well as refugee and immigrant issues. Her book AMERICAN REFUGE: True Stories of the Refugee Experience, was selected by the North Carolina Humanities as a North Carolina 2024 Reads Book and by Alamance Public Libraries as the Alamance Reads Book 2024. In 2015, inspired by Pope Francis' call on every European parish to host one refugee family, Dr. Abdo founded Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR), which advocates for housing refugee families on college and university campus grounds and supporting them in their resettlement. The flagship chapter at Guilford College is now one of many ECAR campuses across the nation which have collectively hosted over 600 refugees and supported their inclusion in local communities. Dr. Abdo designed the minor Forced Migration and Resettlement Studies at Guilford College where students learn about refugee issues and receive credit for hosting refugees on campus and supporting them in their resettlement. Dr. Abdo is the recipient of the Emerson Collective Fellowship (2024), the J.M. Kaplan Fund’s Innovation Prize (2021), Campus Compact’s Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award (2019), Gulf South Summit’s Outstanding Service-Learning Collaboration in Higher Education Award (2017), and The Washington Center’s Civic Engagement in Higher Education Award (2017). Dr. Abdo sits on the Boards of Refugee Council USA and The Community Sponsorship Hub. Email Dr.Abdo: [email protected] Learn more about Every Campus is a Refuge: www.everycampusarefuge.net