Commemoration of Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, meet four Black refugee and asylee leaders who are a part of the Refugee Storytellers Collective: Rosine Yani, Edafe Okporo, Dagemawit Kebede, and Dauda Sesay.
Rosine Yani
Rosine Yani is a poet, surgical technologist and refugee activist from Kentucky. She’s also a member of Les Femmes De Valeur Lexington offering support to the immigrant community.
Edafe Okporo
Edafe Okporo is an author, global gay rights activist, and founder of Refuge America, an organization with a vision to “strengthen as a place of welcome for LGBTQ displaced people.”
His book ASYLUM comes out in June 2022.
Dagemawit Kebede
Dagemawit Kebede is a derivative asylee working as Refugee Congress' Communications and Advocacy Associate, outreach assistant for the Refugee Advocacy Lab, and core member of We Are All America’s Executive Committee for the Opportunity for all Table.
Dauda Sesay
Dauda Sesay is Vice-Chair of the Refugee Congress Board of Directors and a founding member and President of the Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants (LORI).
The Refugee Storytellers Collective is a group of individuals across the United States who are experts in their lived experiences. By sharing their stories and perspectives, they can speak to the challenges refugees and asylum seekers face and the contributions they make to our society.
The Collective builds community through storytelling. It aims to strengthen support for refugee resettlement and asylum and immigration protections and provide education and advocacy opportunities.
The members of the Refugee Storytellers Collective are available for media interviews, talks, workshops, panels, and more.
