“Refugees, Empathy, and Human Rights” is a poignant traveling photography exhibition and community conversation series about refugees in America by documentary artist James A. Bowey. It provides a new perspective on the often hidden lives and compelling experiences of refugees in our communities. The number of globally displaced people has risen dramatically in recent years and is expected to continue to rise in response to ongoing conflicts, poverty, and climate change. International and national events have prompted debates in communities across the country about our duty to refugees, our American roots, and national identity. The traveling exhibition consists of contemporary color portraits accompanied by first-person poetic stories that create an empathic experience of the plight and resilience of refugees working to make a new home in this country. 

James A. Bowey, MFA, is a documentary artist whose work explores issues of human rights and social connection. He has spent his career covering a wide range of global and national stories from the war in Bosnia to Hurricane Katrina. His photography and writing have been featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, the Associated Press, as well as in numerous exhibitions. Building on his career as an international photojournalist, editor and professor of art and media, Bowey creates what he calls “interactivations” that combine documentary storytelling, visual art and live programs in an art form that promotes empathy and bridges social divisions. His current projects about refugees and race in America are being presented in venues around the country.

The “Refugees, Empathy, and Human Rights” exhibition will be on display on the 5th floor of Heritage Hall (in the hallway leading to the dean's suite) from February 2 - March 1, 2024. People can view the exhibition on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

This event is co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the departments of Philosophy, Anthropology, Art and Art History, History, Political Science and Public Administration, Social Work, World Languages and Literatures, as well as the UAB Institute for Human Rights and the Sparkman Center for Global Health.