For More Information, Call:

Tamra Johnson,
Community Relations & Marketing Director
(517) 323-4734 ext. 1202

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 3, 2014

Eliminating Stigma around Refugees in Lansing

and the Ebola Outbreak
St. Vincent Catholic Charities (STVCC) Refugee Resettlement Program is working with the community to
promote inclusion and eliminate stigma resulting from the recent Ebola Outbreak and the resettlement
of refugees from Africa into our community.
Why might Ebola stigma happen in our community?
A lack of knowledge about how Ebola is spread.
A need to blame someone for Ebola.
Gossip that spreads rumors, myths, and fears about Ebola.
Fear about disease and death
History has seen many instances of societies excluding, blaming, or devaluing those feared to have a
disease. (Examples include the HIV, SARS, and influenza pandemics of the past where fear led to stigma
and discrimination.)
Examples of stigma taking place in our community:
Making negative comments on social media about groups of people and Ebola.
Isolating individuals of African descent from community events and/or participating in name calling
and teasing of African refugees due to their country of origin.
Profiling by hospitals and emergency health clinics, including taking measures that are more than what
are necessary to protect health.
Messaging from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Migration and Refugee Services/
Processing Operations states that An outbreak of Ebola is currently underway in West Africa, most
significantly impacting Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. As of today, there are no cases of Ebola that
have been associated with US bound refugees. The majority of U.S. bound African refugees are traveling
from Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Egypt, none of which has had any reported cases of the
virus.
St. Vincent Catholic Charities helps to resettle approximately 650-700 refugees into the Lansing
community each year with the help of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. STVCC has not
resettled refugees from countries affected by the Ebola outbreak, nor does it plan to do so in the future.

Everyone needs to educate themselves about how Ebola is really transmitted in order understand their
risk, to protect themselves, and to avoid unfairly targeting their neighbors. Now, more than ever, we
need information, rational thinking and compassion say Judi Harris, Director of the Refugee
Resettlement Program at St. Vincent Catholic Charities. The staff and volunteers at STVCC would like to
work with community partners to eliminate the stigma related to African refugees in our community.
We encourage others to join us by:

Speaking out against negative behaviors, including negative social media statements about
groups of people, or exclusion of people who pose no risk from regular activities.
Being cautious about the images that are shared. Make sure they do not reinforce stereotypes.
Engage with stigmatized groups in person and through media channels including news media
and social media.

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