Meet Matt, a Heart of Welcome honoree
Born and raised in “America’s refugee capital” of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, it’s no wonder Matt Johnson’s experiences led him to work in refugee services.
Matt initially had his sights set on a job in higher education, starting as an adjunct professor of philosophy and film studies at Millersville University in 2014. Several impactful moments, however, sent him down a different path.
While working at Millersville, Matt began volunteering for Church World Services (CWS) Lancaster. With the global faith-based organization’s roots tracing back to World War II, CWS Lancaster has empowered and supported refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers in central Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years. Matt’s desire for deeper community engagement combined with the area’s rich refugee history shined a spotlight on welcoming in each role he has held since then.
In early 2017, thousands of people showed up in downtown Lancaster to protest the “Muslim Ban,” a policy that was introduced during President Trump’s first term in office, which restricted travel and immigration to the U.S. from several Muslim-majority countries. Matt, who was running for Lancaster City Council at the time, was so inspired by the response that he invited Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai to visit Lancaster. He figured the chances were slim—but a month and a half later, he got a yes.
“The next three months of my life were the most intense event planning ever, because she was the most threatened person on the planet at the time. You have to do it in secret, because you can't publicize that she's out and about,” he said.
That powerful experience thrust Matt in a new direction. “Volunteering with CWS, and then Malala's visit really made me realize this is what I needed to do.”
Later, as chief of staff for the mayor’s office, Matt launched a detailed application to certify Lancaster as a Welcoming City. Then, six years ago, a community organizer position opened at CWS. Matt figured he’d try the role for a year, but he quickly determined that his circuitous path had led him to the perfect place.
“I’ve roped pretty much everyone I know into this work,” he said.
While at CWS, Matt connected with family, friends, and the greater community to coordinate home setups for newly arrived refugees, create co-sponsorship opportunities to reunite families, and launch donation drives. He connected with many area businesses that hosted fundraising events or provided volunteers for CWS. He worked with area colleges on a refugee youth journalism project, empowering young refugee students to write about topics that mattered to them.
Mack Slaughter, Resettlement Operations Coordinator at No One Left Behind, recognized Matt’s advocacy efforts by nominating him for The Heart of Welcome honor last October. “He has worked tirelessly to help get the word out and place stories in local media,” Mack said. “And he has hosted fundraisers to support SIV families in Lancaster.”
And Matt is particularly proud of partnering with Millersville University, his alma mater, to become Lancaster’s first Every Campus a Refuge chapter in 2019.
It's always really important for people to know that being a refugee is something that happens to you... It's not who you are, it's not what your country is. We could all be refugees.
Throughout these experiences, Matt has seen the fierce determination and resilience that newcomers have to achieve many of the same goals and dreams as Americans.
“They want to live meaningful lives in safety, seek education and life experiences, make a difference in the world, and see the next generation thrive,” he shared. “I see my community helping by lessening the normal curve of success. That could be helping with job or college applications, finding educational opportunities or, my favorite, just including newcomers into the fabric of the community.”
That care and compassion shown to newcomers is regularly paid back to the community that welcomed them. Matt’s favorite example happened a few Christmases ago when a group of former refugee Nepali pastors planned a giveaway for Lancaster’s unhoused population. The downtown event featured music, food, and more than 100 sleeping bags and cold weather kits provided to local residents in need.
“One pastor said, ‘Lancaster welcomed us when we were homeless. The least we could do is provide for those who are homeless here.’”
One of Matt’s latest initiatives pulls his political connections into his experience at CWS. This past fall, he worked with Pennsylvania Reps. Ismail Smith-Wade-El and Joe Hohenstein on legislation to develop an Office of New Pennsylvanians that would attract, support, and retain immigrants to the state.
This proposed office would help provide common forms, requirements, license transfers, and more for a smoother transition to living and working in Pennsylvania.
“Everybody knows that it can be a bureaucratic mess to try to move to a new place,” he said. “People don't realize that if you're trying to decide between a place to move and one state doesn’t try to help you through that process, and another one does—that's a huge thing.”
Whether through education, area politics, local advocacy, or even participating with new friends from nearly every continent on his local soccer team, Matt—and his community—put welcoming first.
“Lancaster lives and breathes welcome, and I'm lucky to live here.”
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