Philosophy, Politics and Economics program to hold forum on inclusion

The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) program will host a forum exploring ways to create more inclusive communities for refugees and immigrants on Dec. 6 at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

“Welcoming New Arrivals to Western New York” is co-sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation, Justice for Migrant Families WNY and Journey’s End Refugee Services.

“The main goal of this forum is to promote engagement within our communities,” says David Gray, associate teaching professor of philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences, and one of the forum’s co-organizers. “We want to identify possible actions that we can take, both as individuals and as a group, to provide a support system that addresses existing gaps and barriers to inclusion.

“We want to work toward creating an inclusive community capable of welcoming new arrivals, particularly immigrants and refugees.”

More than 10% of Buffalo’s population was born outside of the United States, nearly half of whom arrived here in the past 15 years. Some came to work or study, others to join family members, and still others to flee violence, war or persecution. In 2023 alone, 1,312 refugees arrived in Erie County, primarily from Afghanistan, Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Syria.

New arrivals face many challenges, from language barriers to earlier trauma. At the same time, they help to revitalize neighborhoods, foster economic growth and deepen the area’s cultural diversity.

The forum will bring together scholars, leaders of civic organizations, immigrants and others from the Buffalo community.

“These different stakeholders can contribute a range of perspectives on inclusion and therefore expand our understanding of what it takes to build an inclusive community,” says Alexandra Oprea, assistant professor of philosophy and the forum’s other co-organizer.

Inclusion, as Oprea explains, is about more than legal permission to travel to the U.S. or the right to stay here once someone arrives.

“Inclusion can involve acceptance, belonging, equality, rights, freedom, resources, responsibility, relationships and community,” she says. “It can mean different things to different people.”

“Welcoming New Arrivals” is among the many projects being developed from PPE’s $2.5 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation that aims to provide liberalism — the political philosophy focused on individual rights, equity, freedom and consent of the governed — with a more secure foundation that reveals how diversity, disagreement and dynamism contribute to its success. The project team includes co-PIs in the Department of Philosophy — Ryan Muldoon, professor; Justin Bruner, associate professor; and Alexander Schaefer, assistant professor — as well as Jacob Neiheisel, associate professor in the department of political science.

“There is no better way to understand dynamism and resilience than to see how a community takes up new residents, especially those that come from far away with very different social norms,” Oprea says.

The forum also contains a research component, with participants completing surveys both before and after the event. Organizers hope to learn more about how inclusive communities have been built in Buffalo, which can help them extend what they discover to new contexts.