Maggie Flanagan | Sports Editor | mflanagan6@mail.smcvt.edu
Mohammad Norman Rasooli outside the St. Michael’s College Chapel.
Children dart around on bicycles in the townhouse neighborhood at St. Michael’s College as the Rasooli family welcomes me into their home.
This year, St. Michael’s College hosts six refugee families in the 100 townhouses. The families come from Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan, and South Sudan.
Former Afghan judge, Anisa Rasooli, lives in one of the townhouses with her two nieces, Waslat Rasoli and Manizha Rasoli, and nephew Mohammad Noman Rasooli.
Waslat and Manizha Rasoli have been in Vermont for less than six weeks. They are both students at St. Michael’s College, previously studying at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul.
Mohammad Noman Rasooli graduated from the Afghan Swiss Medical University in 2020 and now works at The United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). The USCRI is the organization that connects St. Michael’s College to refugee families in need of housing resettlement.
“Vermont now hosts more than 600 Afghans. Many say this is the largest population of Afghans in the country per capita,” said Molly Gray, the executive director of the Vermont Afghan Alliance.
“Right now, the greatest challenge of my job is securing housing for refugees,” Mohammad Noman Rasooli said. “We are exactly located in the housing crisis in Vermont, it is very difficult for us to find housing for them.”
“The main goal of USCRI is to ensure that every refugee family has the support that they need to become self-sufficient and fully integrate into their new community,” Mohammad Noman Rasooli said.
But recent false statements are making this difficult for some refugee communities.
Refugee children’s bikes sit outside their homes in the 100s townhouses.
“The Trump-Vance campaign’s inaccurate and harmful rhetoric about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio coupled with ongoing racist statements regarding refugees and immigrants, and campaign pledges of ending refugee resettlement have immigrants everywhere fearing for their safety and deeply concerned for their future,” said Gray.
“Members of the Afghan community have come to me terrified they’ll be removed from the U.S. or their families might never be evacuated from Afghanistan if Trump is elected,” Gray said.
“Community support is at the heart of success for refugee resettlement,” Mohammad Noman Rasooli said.
“The role that places like St. Michael’s College plays is invaluable, believe me. St. Michael’s is a prime example of how a community can play a pivotal role in the lives of refugee families,”Mohammad Noman Rasooli said. Beyond just providing a place to live, the college fosters an environment where the families feel welcome, supported, and integrated into the community.”
“We are very happy. Because the Vermont people are very good people, very kind people. And also they don’t have any racism by us. We are very comfortable here, especially when we came here to this campus,” Anisa Rasooli said.
“As Vermont continues to welcome Afghan families and individuals who supported U.S. military and diplomatic missions, thoughtful and informed media coverage is important in growing public awareness and helping communities welcome these “new Vermonters” with open arms, compassion for lived experience, and culturally appropriate support,” Gray said.
Vermont Executive Director Molly Gray, Staff and Members of the Afghan Community come together to mark the 3-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and to call for family reunification.
Adrie Kusserow, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at St. Michael’s College said there should be more avenues to increase student involvement with the refugee families on campus.
“I think there should be an entire MOVE program built around the refugees living on our campus,” Kusserow said. “And, I think there should be more faculty and classes at Saint Mike’s that incorporate the refugees on campus into their curriculum.”
“We’re a nation of immigrants, this is our strength. Here in Vermont, we’ll continue welcoming refugees and immigrants,” Gray said.
James Baker, the assistant director of special events and conferences is now managing the refugee housing at St. Michael’s College. The program is in its second year.
“They’re a part of our campus. I think a wave and a smile goes a long way. Doing the St. Michael’s thing of making everyone feel welcome is very important,” Baker said.