Oklahoma, as you might've heard, is welcoming more Afghan refugees than any state in the US other than California and Texas. How many of these refugees will be settling in the Tulsa area in the coming weeks and months? And what's being done to welcome these new neighbors of ours? What is being done to help them find homes or jobs, to help them enroll in school or locate health care, to show them how to obtain a driver's license or speak English? How are various groups and individuals throughout the Tulsa area working to ease their transition? We review these questions with Aliye Shimi, executive director of Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, or TMM, a nonprofit that bridges gaps and builds relationships among the various faith-based and compassionate organizations in our community. TMM is working with Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma, Congregation B'nai Emunah, All Souls Unitarian Church, The University of Tulsa, and other outlets to coordinate volunteers, ensure services, and distribute donations on behalf of our incoming fellow citizens from Afghanistan. (You can learn more about these efforts -- and about how to get involved -- at the TMM website.)
What's being done throughout Tulsa to welcome, assist, and befriend our incoming Afghan neighbors
