In the grand Jeffrey Room of the Mitchell Library where Author Linda Rabben discussed her new book Give Refuge to a Stranger: The Past, Present and Future of Sanctuary, my mind and heart were tentatively filled with hope.
Integration is happening in Glasgow but still room to improve
Within her presentation, she stoked the pride of many Scots – adoptive or native – by saying that Glasgow is ‘the one place where good things are happening and where integration is part of the story.’ However, she sadly acknowledged that it still usually takes three generations to be integrated, but that ‘we should be able to do it faster by now. We should have it down… But it’s very hard to integrate with a society that doesn’t want you.’ And thanks to the tabloid and fear-mongering press, the feeling of being unwanted is still a prevalent one. Even in Glasgow.
But this is where the hope comes in.
Courage to offer refuge, reject falsities and fear
Rabben recounted years and years of grassroots social movements of individuals and groups forming paths of escape and giving refuge to strangers. This is a very important aspect of the theme this week, of courage.
Though often referenced, the courage seen in standing up for what you believe in is seldom taken to heart. But it is something we all must do – have the courage to open our arms to the strangers that sojourn amongst us, and to call out the naysayers and those who profit from fear.
