What It Means to Welcome: Refugee Perspectives on the Way Forward

Welcoming Week is an opportunity for organizations and communities across the country to bring together neighbors of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places in achieving collective prosperity.

Refugee Congress, Refugee Council USA, and the Refugee Advocacy Lab held a webinar on September 16, 2022, to discuss perspectives on what it means to be a welcoming and inclusive community, and to explore new ways to welcome refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. What can inclusion look like for those who have sought refuge in the United States? How can our communities demonstrate that our new neighbors are seen and foster belonging? A roundtable of community leaders with lived forced displacement experiences shared their perspectives, highlighted new research and practices, and shared how they found belonging in their new homes.

Moderator:
Drocella Mugorewera, Board Member and Honorary Delegate from Tennessee for Refugee Congress
Panelists:
Olivé Bukuru, refugee organizer with the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Taif Jany, Director of Policy and Practice for RCUSA
Emma Yaaka, Illinois delegate for Refugee Congress and Case Manager at Heartland Alliance