Rosie Hunter is a social work professor at the University of Utah and has worked with refugees and immigrants in Utah for over 15 years.
“So during that time I met many individuals who I met as 10 year olds or 12 year olds or 15 year olds youth who are now graduating from the University of Utah with bachelor’s and master’s degrees,” Hunter said.
Hunter will be moderating an event on Thursday at the University of Utah that will discuss the issues surrounding refugees and immigration, including ways to help young immigrants adjust to a new community.
“There’s been a lot of information in the news about individuals seeking refuge around the world,” Hunter said.
Hunter also said because Salt Lake City is one of the more sought after cities to live in for refugees, there is a unique opportunity to discuss the greater issues at play around the world and locally.
“So having that bigger picture helps us to understand why this is occurring and so once we understand that, we can also perhaps understand our role in it,” Hunter said. “We can understand policies that affect it.”
There will be a photography exhibit showing refugee mothers with their U.S. born children.
“The photography exhibit is something that really begins to put a face to individuals who are new arriving to Utah,” Hunter said. “We sometimes hear the word immigrant or refugee and it’s something that often distances us from people. It’s a label. It’s something creates an otherness, even when we don’t intend it.”