Highlights

A Muslim. A former Refugee. And a Proud American.

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Kenan Trebincevic

Author of The Bosnia List

With the current debate about Syrian refugees raging, it’s more important than ever to take a step back and realize we all share a common thread—our humanity. Our speaker Kenan Trebincevic tells a deeply personal story about the journey his family took to reach America and how this same journey has shaped his identity.

Kenan Trebincevic is a Muslim refugee and author of The Bosnia List: A Memoir of War, Exile, and Return. He was born in 1980 in the town of Brcko to a Bosnian Muslim family who was exiled in the Balkan War. He was granted asylum in the United States in 1993, and by the grace, kindness, and generosity of many friends, neighbors, and strangers, he was able to survive and thrive. In his recent piece in Esquire, he writes:

“We were blessed to be sponsored by the generous churches and synagogues of the Connecticut Interfaith Council. A Westport Methodist minister shared his home with us for four months and helped my parents find jobs. A nearby orthodontist fixed my teeth for free. When my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, a Jewish surgeon operated on her without sending a bill for the operation, chemotherapy, and radiation. At school, I was unable to speak English. The principal introduced me to the seventh grade class. Miguel, a Spanish Catholic boy, offered me the seat next to him and became my best friend, eventually teaching me about baseball, football, and hockey… An Israeli bus driver noticed I had a 45-minute walk in the cold, kept me on his bus last, then secretly drove me right to my house.”

Despite different faiths, ethnicities, and countries of origin, the patchwork of America rallied around Kenan Trebincevic and his family when he most needed it. In his uplifting and very personal lectures, he delves deep into his own story and how it relates to us all.

Please contact us about booking Kenan Trebincevic to speak at your next event.