Through The Epilogues Project, we hope to provide a platform for refugees to share their post-resettlement experiences in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte has become home to over 17,000 refugees since the mid-1990s.1“Refugee Info.” Refugee Support Services, www.refugeesupportservices.org/refugee-info/.The majority of these refugees come from Burma, Bhutan, the Congo, Eritrea, Myamnar, Syria, and Somalia, among other countries. Many settle in Charlotte, find work, send their children to school, and begin to build community. After five years, all refugees in the U.S. can apply for citizenship.2“Fact Sheet: U.S. Refugee Resettlement.” National Immigration Forum, 25 Jan. 2019, immigrationforum.org/article/fact-sheet-u-s-refugee-resettlement/.
As we focus on the experiences of refugees in Charlotte, we hope to enable refugees to feel heard and supported. We also hope that our non-refugee readers – especially those in Charlotte – will better understand and empathize with their new neighbors and will be more motivated to connect directly or to volunteer with an organization.
In addition to the Epilogues themselves, this website contains information about the variety of organizations and programs available in Charlotte to assist with the resettlement and post-resettlement processes.
