Panelists and Films to Focus on Syrian Refugee Tragedy Feb. 6

“Syria: The Never Ending Refugee Tragedy,” a panel discussion and film presentation, will take place at Muskegon Community College’s Sturrus Technology Center, 388 W. Clay, on Thursday, Feb. 6,  from 6-8 p.m.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by Holocaust and Genocide Studies – Muskegon and the MCC Center for Experiential Learning.

“Far from the daily lives of most Americans and out of the news circles, thousands of refugees are navigating across dangerous seas to escape oppression and hostilities in Syria and Afghanistan,” explains MCC faculty member George Maniates, who co-directs the college’s Center for Experiential Learning. “Braving untold elements, most of these refugees end up in refugee camps in Lesbos, Greece – far from an ideal situation.”

Maniates will be joined by two other MCC Social Sciences Department instructors – Nicholas Budimir and Evin Rodkey – for a panel discussion of the origins and implications of this tragedy.

In addition, two award-winning short films, “4.1 Miles” and “The White Helmets,” will be shown.  (Note: The films feature riveting scenes of human suffering and might not be suitable for young children).

·“4.1 Miles,” a film that won the 2016 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject, follows a Hellenic Coast Guard captain on the Greek island of Lesbos charged with the task of saving thousands of migrants crossing the Aegean Sea during the European migrant crisis.

·“The White Helmets,” a British short documentary film that won the 2016 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject, follows the daily operations of a group of volunteer rescue workers of the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets.

For more information on the event, contact the MCC Social Sciences Department at (231) 777-0380.