Clarkston was identified as an ideal location for displaced refugees of many backgrounds.
This community has welcomed over 40,000 refugees in the almost three decades of the program. The goal is to allow displaced people to stabilize their lives and become gainfully employed before moving on integrating as a member of the larger society.
Clarkston, GA is a city of approximately 13,000 people and only 1.1 square miles in size. It is often referred to as “the most diverse square mile in America” or “The Ellis Island of the South”. In the 1990s a Refugee Resettlement Program was established for people fleeing genocide or war. These are people who in some cases had been tortured and imprisoned for their beliefs and skin color or had family members killed for the same.
TAKE A stroll through town with its variety of churches, mosques, cafes, shops, and people- the diversity becomes evident.
Our team used Clarkston as an opportunity to gather knowledge and perspective from so many people of diverse backgrounds and walks in life. The stories we heard from these people were at times horrific and at other times amazingly triumphant through adversity. We met laborers, physicians, and even a Prince from the Congo. With over sixty languages being spoken within a square mile, Clarkston is truly a special community.