Roger Schoch
Meeting at Quintana's a week ago was a great experience. I had no idea there was a speakeasy upstairs from a salon and more importantly, I had never heard stories of being a Chilean political refugee. As children and adults, Chileans who were political outcasts were put in concentration camps and kept away from society. These same people, who are family members of all ages, were shipped to other countries such as East and West Germany, the US, Canada, and Australia. Being sent away from your country and having your family separated for your political beliefs was honorable and astounding to learn about.
I thought this politcal refuge issue is similar to the Syrian Refugee issue currently happening. Hearing the stories on Monday made me feel more sympathetic towards refugees that exist today. The argument exists of protecting our country versus allowing human beings to live in peace because they cannot do so in Syria. There is a great fear of allowing potential terrorists into our boarders and making ourselves susceptible to future attacks. Learning about the experience of being a refugee from Chile in the 1970s under somewhat similar circumstances, I think it's important to give people the chance to have a new future and help those in clear need.
http://activehistory.ca/2015/10/17300/