A recent post from photo blog Humans of New York has actually changed the lives of its subjects. The series depicted a family of refugees from Syria preparing to be resettled in America after their home was destroyed in a missile attack during the country’s civil war. After going viral on Facebook—even drawing comments from President Obama—the images caught the attention of actor Edward Norton.
He was so moved by the photos that he launched a CrowdRise campaign to bring in money to support the family. So far, it’s brought in nearly $400,000. On the campaign page, Norton wrote,
If we don’t welcome people like this into our communities and empower his dream of making an impact with his life, then we’re not the country we tell ourselves we are. Let’s reject the ‘anti-human’ voices that tell us to fear refugees and show this man and his family what Americans are really made of. Let’s show that a country built by the energy and dreams of immigrants still believes in brave people who come here with hope for better life.
The family’s story, which they told to Humans of New York, is a harrowing one. The father is a scientist who is now battling cancer. Seven members of his family were killed in a missile attack, but he and his son and daughter were able to escape to Turkey. However, while there, he has been prohibited from working. They will be resettled in Michigan soon.
