As Ukraine struggles, we cannot turn away

What’s happening in Ukraine right now implicates everything we value as a community. We owe it to them to take the time to understand what’s happening, even in a place halfway around the world.

I have regularly lifted up the concerns of the oppressed here at home and in places around the world. I have pushed for an expansion of our country’s refugee program and worked with stakeholders, like World Relief Memphis and the American Red Cross of the Midsouth.

I believe this approach is consistent with the very DNA of communities throughout our state. Once upon a time, the refugees fleeing oppression were African American escaped slaves.

During the Civil War, enslaved Black people from all over the Deep South escaped to places like Memphis and Nashville, shortly after those cities were liberated from the Confederacy early in the war.

What’s happening in Ukraine right now implicates everything we value as a community. We have seen the disturbing images. Every day on our television screens, we see human suffering, death, and dislocation. This is hard to watch, but we cannot turn away.

We need to have a local conversation about what’s happening at home and around the world.

Ukraine war affects us all

Olena Petrova, who is from Ukraine, moved to the United States in 1996 and to Memphis in 1999.

Petrova waited for days to hear from loved ones who were trying to reach the Polish border because of this conflict.

Another Tennessean, Kalyna Hanover, lived and worked in Ukraine for several years. Now she is paralyzed with fear, as she worries for family and friends who have left their daily routines behind to make Molotov cocktails and prepare to defend their homes.

Since this assault began, thousands

of Ukrainians have been killed, and millions have become refugees. We owe it to them to take the time to understand what’s happening, even in a place halfway around the world.

Very recently, our First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, was in Shelby County. She visited with young Ukrainian cancer patients and their families at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Nothing is more frightening for a parent than learning your child has a lifethreatening illness. Because of the Russian invasion, these families were forced to travel more than 5,500 miles from home to receive treatment in safety.

Supporting Ukraine

There are things we can do for those who have been forced to flee and the

ones who stayed to fight.

First, we can demand that our leaders expand, for the mostly women and children who have left, their ability to find safety here in the United States. That includes expanding resettlement and residency protections for Ukrainians who are already here and cannot go home.

Ukraine is the size of Texas, our second-largest state. Millions of families are already uprooted because of this crisis. Resettlement will be the last resort if it continues, and these families are unable to return to their homes.

Led by our faith community, Memphis and Nashville have a long history of welcoming refugees. We were a safe haven during World War II, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Rwandan genocide, and the Syrian refugee crisis. Most recently, Afghan refugees have found homes here.

Second, for those who have stayed to fight, we can demand that our national security leaders expand supports to the Ukrainians who bravely battle against tyranny.

Ukraine is a democratic nation with a duly elected president and parliament, chosen by the people of that country. Right now, they are waging war for us all, as they fight for our shared democratic principles. We can and we should help them in every way that we can.

Third, we should support agencies, like the Red Cross and World Relief, as they assist with this massive effort. We must encourage our places of worship to do the same and to work hard within our own spheres of influence to both raise awareness and provide tangible assistance.

We cannot surrender. We all benefit from strong democracies around the world and the freedoms that come with those democracies. These benefits come with obligations.

Please use your influence to help support the cause for freedom and help protect those who are now fleeing for their lives.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris is a fifth-generation Memphian, a graduate of Overton High School, Morehouse College, and the Yale Law School.

CHRISTINE TANNOUS/THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL Ukrainian immigrant Olena Petrova hugs Shelby County resident Kalyna Hanover following a public awareness event to discuss the conflict in Ukraine held by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris on March 1 at the Vasco A. Smith Jr. County Administration Building in Memphis.