Alicia Keys' Powerful New Video Puts The Refugee Crisis Into Perspective

What would it be like if a civil war suddenly consumed the US, displacing millions of Americans and forcing them to flee to neighboring countries? In other words, what would an American refugee look like?

A powerful new video starring Alicia Keys (above) offers a glimpse into this unsettling scenario. It finally places the ongoing global refugee crisis into perspective.

The fact of the matter is, refugees are people, just like us. The only thing is, war has ripped apart their lives. So, they are in desperate need of assistance.

Today is World Refugee Day, which offers an opportunity for all of us to stand in solidarity with refugees worldwide and spread awareness of the struggles they face.

There are currently over 20 million refugees worldwide, and over half of them are children. At present, there are over 65 million people worldwide who have been forced from their homes.

This is the worst refugee crisis of our era. This situation will not go away if we choose to ignore it. But apathy will definitely ensure the world becomes more unstable.

It might be tempting to view this as something that's not our problem, or to contend that it's too dangerous to help these people. But these are impractical arguments that do not align with the facts.

This is a global refugee crisis. So, it impacts all of us, whether we like it or not.

Moreover, 80 percent of the terrorist attacks in the US since 9/11 were carried about by American citizens, not foreigners. Correspondingly, only 10 refugees have been arrested on terrorism charges since 9/11, as compared to 320 American citizens.

Meanwhile, gun violence in the US claims over 10,000 lives per year. This number is far higher than the number of lives claimed by terrorism.

Simply put, there are significantly more reasons to be fearful of your fellow Americans than there are to be afraid of refugees. These people aren't terrorists. In fact, they're running from terror.

We all need to stop and think about how we would feel if war destroyed our homes and left us struggling to acquire life's basic necessities. It's not a situation anyone would ever hope for.