PhillyCAM: Interview with Lilah Thompson

Lilah Thompson

"Care and welcoming people with dignity is the antidote to any kind of genuinely harmful political stunt."

PhillyCAM interviews NSC's Lilah Thompson.

Her interview begins at about 9 minutes in, and in it, she provides a clear overview for what has been happening with buses of migrants arriving in Philadelphia.

She explains what PAIFUP, NSC, OIA, and other community and immigrant groups have been doing together to welcome those arriving with dignity. As she says of the effort to welcome newly arriving neighbors: "We want to set people up for success." 

She also points out that welcome means doing the work before and long after the arrivals of immigrants makes headline news. What this means is providing "sustained care for all who need it." As she says in the interview, "We want folks to have access to a community that will accept them and see them for who they are, which is human beings just looking for a place to be safe."

Critically, this is a holistic effort, one that requires community and collaboration.