I met Lilian on a plane about 26 years ago, as she was coming to the United States from Zimbabwe with a two-year contract to work for a World Bank employee. I was on my way home from a polio immunization trip in Nigeria. I gave her my card in case she ever needed help in the United States, and it turned out she did. The World Bank family who employed her abused her, but she felt compelled to fulfill her contract, fearing that her employer would withhold World Bank funding from her village in Zimbabwe if she left. At the end of two years, I was able to help her leave that situation and brought her to my house. Eventually, she went to live with a cousin in Dallas, got married, and now has two children.

Lilian's immigration status is 'withholding of removal,' which is a very tenuous status. She wants to get on her husband's green card but can't do that without help from an attorney. I have spoken with a kind and knowledgeable attorney, but the legal fees are significant. Lilian and her husband are hardworking, but there is no way they can afford this on their own. The funds raised here will go directly toward legal support, with the hope that Lilian can finally become a permanent resident. This would end her constant fear of being separated from her family and deported to a third country. She cannot return to Zimbabwe because she once worked for the opposition party against Mugabe and suffered severe consequences, including losing two fingers.

Many of us are so angry at what is happening in our country right now, and we don't know what we can do to bring about change. I have been accompanying immigrants to their check-ins and court hearings for just this reason. My feeling is that, if everyone did just one thing, no matter how small it might seem, together we can rebuild a country full of hope and compassion. Perhaps helping Lilian could be your one thing.