Today, June 20th, is World Refugee Day. Almost 80 million people—roughly 1% of the world’s population—are forcibly displaced from their homes by war, persecution, or gross violation of human rights. That’s almost twice as many as just a decade ago, yet the United States is welcoming fewer neighbors than ever before in our history of refugee resettlement. Statistics are from UNHCR and Migration Policy Institute; photos and infographics below are by Tom Albinson/International Association for Refugees. Please visit https://www.iafr.org for more info, photos, videos (like the one above), and tools.
Typically I would spend this day with refugee friends at an international potluck party sponsored by the local refugee resettlement agency. The party would include food, kids’ activities, gifts, and music. This year World Refugee Day celebrations and observations have gone online due to the coronavirus. You can find artist showcases, refugee-made film, panel discussions, and a conversation with Ai Weiwei and other artists online.
Some of my favorite ways for you to support refugees include contacting your government representatives and asking them to support the resettlement of at least 100,000 refugees/year in the U.S. Many experts believe we could resettle 200,000 refugees every year. Give generously to any or all of these organizations:
• International Association for Refugees https://www.iafr.org
• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services https://www.lirs.org
• World Relief https://worldrelief.org
stand4welcome 