For Jenny Yang, the political debate over immigration and refugees isn’t new. She’s been with World Relief, a humanitarian organization that focuses on these things, for more than twelve years. Over that time, her calling has evolved and been given a more and more urgent purpose, eventually leading her to the role of vice president of advocacy and policy. Now, she’s fighting against a current of renewed anti-immigrant sentiment that threatens the core of what World Relief is about.

Still, in a time when political discussions about immigrants and refugees can come across as theoretical, Jenny Yang hopes to make the political, personal. In fact, her personal relationships have deepened her understanding of the issues at hand and given her a vision for political debate that centers human beings.

This week on The Calling, she talks to host of The Calling, Richard Clark about how her relationships affected her politics, why her opinions on immigration are often written off, and what she would say to a young, eager college student who’s anxious to save the world.

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The Calling is produced by Richard Clark and Morgan Lee and edited by Jonathan Clauson.

Theme music by Lee Rosevere, used under Creative Commons 4.0.