A Project to Empower Refugee Communities

Research projects at the Henry J. Leir Institute for Migration and Human Security employ dynamic methodologies and partner with researchers around the world. A recent Refugees in Towns (RIT) report looked closer to home, seeking to understand social barriers to resettlement for Afghan and East African migrants in Boston.

Founded in 2016 by Professor Karen Jacobsen, RIT has published over 50 case reports written by refugees about their experiences. These accounts help understand the experience of refugees and other migrants, but Jacobsen also wants the refugee researchers to benefit from the collaboration. 

“We ask refugees to write their own research report and tell their own story — and we support them,” said Jacobsen. “So much research about refugees starts with a western, usually white, researcher based in a wealthy European or North American country, who then travels to the host country to do research. We want to turn this relationship around."

Refugees and host community members write the reports, based on their own experience and understanding, and RIT offers support through funding and guidance.

For Sarah Rose Morehouse F22 and Briana McGowan F25, working with RIT has provided them with insight on research and working with refugee communities. 

Insight from the Town That Loves Refugees

Morehouse’s interest in working with refugee communities developed close to home: she grew up in Utica, New York, which inspired her to learn more. 

“Utica is called the ‘town that loves refugees,” said Morehouse. “With one in five people in Utica being refugees, they have become an integral part of the community, shaping the city’s identity in undeniable ways.

As a MALD student, Morehouse studied Gender and Intersectional Analysis and Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs.

“Coming to Fletcher, I was curious about how the host population’s perspective of refugee integration can impact a city in a really positive manner, like we have seen in Utica,” said Morehouse. “I also wanted to understand the struggles of integration that come from the refugee side, seeing what my friends and their families have gone through.”

RIT provided her with an opportunity to learn more and uplift these narratives. Since graduating in 2022, Morehouse returned to Utica, where she serves as director of programs for Midtown Utica Community Center (MUCC).

“At MUCC, I have the privilege of working with diverse refugee and migrant populations from Burma, Somalia, Nepal, Sudan, Bosnia, Ukraine, Palestine, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Brazil,” she said.

“Fletcher equipped me with an interdisciplinary and intersectional lens, helping me understand how factors like country of origin, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, and sexuality shape the needs of the populations we serve. This disaggregated approach has helped design and implement effective, targeted interventions,” she added. 

Her experience with research and program evaluation at RIT helps her assess and improve the impact of MUCC’s initiatives. RIT’s collaborative nature also helped her appreciate the complexities of cross-cultural communication. 

“Working directly with the community at MUCC has been incredibly rewarding,” said Morehouse. “It allows me to see the immediate impact of our programs and deeply connect with the people we serve. Weekends and evenings are often filled with birthday parties, cultural celebrations, and dinners, and my nine-month-old daughter now has many ‘aunts and uncles’ in our extended community.” 

Centering Migrant Voices

Like Morehouse, McGowan came to Fletcher with a personal interest in understanding refugees’ and migrants’ experiences and promoting community connections. 

“From a young age, I had close family friends who were undocumented immigrants,” said McGowan. “Seeing their struggles inspired me to get involved in the migration space as a career.”

McGowan has worked for a number of migration nonprofits in various capacities. She has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and spent her summer at the Massachusetts  Attorney General’s office strengthening the office’s language access efforts. As a MALD student, McGowan studies International Legal Studies and is designing her own field of study on internal migration and refugees. Her interest in RIT predates her time at Fletcher, however; McGowan first became interested in RIT as an undergraduate at Tufts University.

“I always knew about RIT and thought it was such a great project,” said McGowan. “I reached out to Dr. Jacobsen and asked to be involved, and she took me on.”

McGowan began supporting RIT with the latest case report on resettlement in Boston, and the experience helped clarify her outlook as she envisions a career in the nexus of migration and international law. 

“When it comes to academia, I sometimes feel there is a disconnect between the discussions surrounding migration in the classroom, migration research, and the actual experiences and realities of migrants, which I’ve come to better understand through my direct services work,” said McGowan.

“The RIT project has helped me understand not just the importance and value of centering migrant voices in research, but also how to actually go about uplifting such voices in an academic research setting,” she added. 

Authenticity in the Field

Both Morehouse and McGowan see that RIT’s methodology is aligned with its mission, all to a powerful effect. 

“Rather than relying solely on outside researchers like us, the project engages refugees and the local hosts as active participants in the research process,” said Morehouse.

“It empowers those with lived experience to share their narratives and ensures that their perspectives are authentically represented in the fields.”

Read more about Fletcher’s Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs field of study.