Thomas Getman Puts Faith Into Action, Helping Those In Need Around The World

Thomas Getman has spent his entire life working tirelessly to provide aid and relief for those in need, both domestically and internationally. As the son of a Quaker humanist, he grew up being instilled with the values that he has carried with him during a career dedicated to service. This week he has spoken in classes at Ole Miss about the threats that he feels face the nation and the world.
Getman has led faith-based groups, served as the director of World Vision (a group designed to encourage the government to provide aid for the needy overseas) while being guided by his faith.
“My dad was the Salvation Army commissioner in our town. “One day, my high school football coach talked to me about faith and commitment to the divine order of things,” Getman said. “I began to explore Christianity more deeply, and it’s very clear that we’re supposed to care for the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized.”
While he moved around a bit, Getman ensured he would become a change agent in each community in which he resided. In both Boston and Philadelphia, Getman worked with high school students and inner-city residents to help provide them with a quality education that they had once been denied.
Getman eventually moved to Washington D.C. and became the Congressional legislative director for Senator Mark Hatfield. There he drafted legislation that led to international change and relief for many under the threat of Idi Amin’s leadership in Uganda. His position in the Senate led to a life-changing meeting.
“I led the campaign to put sanctions on Idi Amin, which led to the anti-apartheid legislation in South Africa because Desmond Tutu walked in and asked for a briefing on African issues,” Getman said. “Ever since he walked into our office, my life was changed. Hearing how he put his life on the line day after day to help people.”
Getman’s involvement with World Vision took him to the Middle East as he attempted to build positive relationships between Israel and Palestine. He was able to find success in a program entitled “Grieving Parents.” It brings together parents who have lost children in terrorist attacks.
“Parents from both sides who lost children in terror attacks grew close to one another for not only comfort, but they spoke out against the idiocy of violence,” Getman said.
The debate will rage on about the refugee crisis facing the world today, but Getman keeps politics aside as he continues his effort to create opportunities for those who are in search of aid. When prompted about the “light on the hill” that is the United States, Getman spoke of how that may be changing.
“Those of us who have been to the Middle East know and love Syrian people. They’re wonderful people who want to provide for their families. They are people just like us and millions of them have been displaced, so how do we help these people? We turn them away at the airport… that will just make more people mad,” Getman said. “The light on the hill is dimming, people overseas are losing respect for the U.S. because of our lack of attention to the needs of the marginalized, the orphans and the strangers.”
While Getman was able to work with the Clinton and Bush administrations to steer members of the government to send aid to those in need, he doesn’t plan to reach out to the politicians in Washington. Instead, he looks to a book entitled “Thank You For Being Late” by Tom Friedman, which speaks of where he believes true governing originates.
“Governing doesn’t come from presidents, prime ministers, senators or members of parliament,” Getman said. “Real government comes from families, communities, core groups and Good Neighbor programs (a program which houses refugees).
“Those kind of acts start to filter up. People must band together to take care of one another. I’m going to beat down the doors of the white house; I’m going to keep fanning the flames in my community and loving the people that we’re given from other places.”
He has practiced what he preaches, over the last 2 months Getman and his wife have opened their home to three different afghan families who he believes are “bright and vibrant people who will make great contributes to our society.”
Getman knows that true change will come as long as both sides can have an open discussion, and concerned citizens voice their opinions in the appropriate ways.
He said, “When anarchist-type people weigh in, they burn cars, smash cars. It undermines the efforts to solve problems, but when millions of people march respectfully as we saw with the women’s march, then thoughtful people get the difference.”
With many throughout the nation on edge about the threat of foreign terrorism, Getman weighed in on the war being waged around the world. He is worried that there is a war we may not be fighting hard enough.
“One of my concerns is that there are two wars going on. The war against terror that seems to have captivated everybody,” Getman said. “Then there’s the much larger war against hunger. We’ve had 190,000 people killed in terror attacks around the world since 9/11, which is a tragedy. But at the same time we have 40,000 people a day die from hunger and water-related illnesses.
“There’s enough food to feed everyone in the world; we just don’t pay attention to it. We may be fighting the wrong war.”
Citing facts from the EPA, Getman fears that more than 14 million houses will be without water by 2020 if something doesn’t change.
“There’s 144,000 water purification plants throughout the US, and they are old. They are not cleaning the water anymore,” he said. “The pipes are rusty and broken. People are getting sick from the lead because these pipes are part of the old infrastructure.
“Section 8 housing is particularly bad, and poor children are forced to drink bad water.”
The poorest people are traditionally the most neglected by politically motivated decisions, Getman said, whether it’s because of re-election concerns, funding issues or any other issues that may arise. He warns against making decisions for those reasons and, instead, using the power to help the most people possible.
“You have to set your priorities from the lowest common denominator, not from on-high. Often the decisions made at the highest level are affected by politics that they don’t really hear the poorest of the poor,” Getman said. “One of the reasons we had the outcome we did in this last election is because only 60 percent of the electorate voted. We’ve become one of the lowest voting democracies in the world.”
Getman now travels throughout the nation to speak to students about the need for action to help people around the world. In his travels, he’s seen people willing to help others, and he urges more to get involved.
“I hope to inspire young people, especially in journalism, to take on the role of advocacy for those who are really suffering, and to raise up issues like the water and the hunger issues,” Getman said. “There have been very poignant, multi-layered questions from Ole Miss students about how they can get involved. That’s very exciting. If just a few people take fire, that’s worth a trip. You never know where the seeds you sew, come to fruition.”
During a trip through parts of the Mississippi Delta, Getman saw many people with great needs. When he returned to Oxford, he reflected on his trip and realized that something has to change.
“After pondering what I saw in the devastated towns, with the empty main streets and vacant factories I came to a realization. We are at a pivot point in our society about how to deal with the undercurrent of issues that improvised people deal with in places where thriving communities once existed,” Getman said.
“If we spent less on fighting terrorism, we could redirect those funds to our infrastructure, and we’d be a lot better off.”
When he’s not speaking to students, Getman also coordinates efforts in both the U.S. and South Africa at the Liliesleaf Farm to bring together members of government, liberation fighters and citizens to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself. This is done through countless individuals drawing on their memories to recreate the most factual recounting of what took place in some of the world’s most difficult times.
“We do these in Washington as well as South Africa. My dream is to one day do the same in the Middle East,” Getman said. “History is so palpable that it’s instructive to future generations.
While there are threats that must be dealt with, Getman believes that people have the power to bring about true change just as he saw in South Africa during one of the darkest periods in history.
“We live with great hope because we’ve seen the miracles before. We thought there would never be liberation in South Africa, but then leaders gathered, and after 21 meetings, Nelson Mandela was released, and the rest is history.” Getman said. “If people set their shoulders to the wheel I know, assuredly, there will be bright spots that will encourage people in the world like Mandela did. The power of one and the power of community will always be there.”
Getman’s faith has driven him to make a difference, and he believes that action in the name of helping others is the most important part of any faith.
“Faith in action is critical if one understands that faith is not just to save ourselves. It’s unbiblical to have a faith that stops with our own salvation,” Getman said. “Faith is only real if it’s fleshed out in the hardest situations, when people mobilize to show what faith is about, not just to talk about it.”

Steven Gagliano is a writer for HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at steven.gagliano@hottytoddy.com. 
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