15 Sep Welcoming Week 2020
Welcoming Week (September 12-20) is a national celebration that brings together immigrants, refugees, and long-time residents to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places in achieving collective prosperity.
In honor of Welcoming Week, we take a look back at this year’s World Refugee Day celebration that highlighted Houston’s welcoming spirit and showcased the amazing stories and contributions of the refugee community in our city.
During our month-long World Refugee Day virtual celebration, we recognized the refugee experience and told the stories of refugees who call Houston their home. Each week, a different experience was highlighted through a unique theme. From showcasing refugee-owned restaurants, understanding the refugee journey through education and art,
The virtual events engaged people in 95 countries around the world. Each day brought new and exciting perspectives of the refugee day community, with thousands of users continuously tuning in. The following themes were pieced together during the month of June to create a comprehensive picture of this valuable community of Houston.
Showcasing Refugee-Owned Restaurants
Houston has various restaurants with food from across the world because of its diverse immigrant community. The first week of World Refugee Day Houston highlighted the unique cuisine that refugee chefs and refugee-owned restaurants bring to our society. This week’s features included a Syrian refugee mother-daughter duo who host cooking classes throughout the city, fresh produce sold by the refugee farmers of Plant it Forward Farms, and several restaurant spotlights.
Understanding the Refugee Journey through Education & Art
The second week of World Refugee Day Houston celebrated how education and art create a pathway to understanding the refugee journey. On June 10, World Refugee Day Houston hosted a History and Social Justice Instagram Live with the Holocaust Museum Houston Boniuk Center. This kick-off event shed light on the connections between past human rights violations and current events, and how individuals can promote human rights here in Houston. Several books written by refugee and immigrant authors, and books that highlighted the refugee and immigrant experience, were also shared widely. Additionally, performances dedicated to uplifting refugee voices were shared by the Houston Grand Opera, artisan stories were circulated, and a video titled Refugees Are Us revealed the misconceptions and stereotypes that refugees face.
Highlighting Refugee Stories & Contributions
Considering the highest refugee resettlement rate is in Houston, the number of refugee stories across the city are endless. Our third weekly theme highlighted testimonies of entrepreneurs, class of 2020 graduates, refugees working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, athletes, women and small business owners. One spotlight included one of our own clients Felix, a refugee from Cameroon who was forced to flee his home due to the persecution he faced for being part of the LGBTQ community. Felix is working and studying to become a nurse so he can give back to the community. Another feature highglighted the Amaanah Lions, which is a Houston soccer team that helps refugees adapt to their environment through soccer. Coach Amine with players Michael Hmun, Eh K Ya and Gunkan Neopaney shared how the soccer league supports players as they build friendships, integrate into a new city, find their place in a new home and essentially operates as a unifier that brings people together.
Advocacy – Taking Action to Support Refugees
The final week of World Refugee Day Houston culminated with direct steps to support refugees. It consisted of various live appearances and webinars with organizations and partners, such as Rep. Sylvia Garcia. A virtual celebration launched on the morning of June 20, consisting of live-streamed fireside chats with refugees and experts on resettlement and family-friendly downloadable activities. Finally, Texas Day of Action encouraged Texans to stand in solidarity with refugees and alongside refugee agencies. Community members were encouraged to call members of Congress to co-sponsor a bipartisan resolution to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980. To learn more ways to take action, visit www.rcusa.org.
See the featured stories, images, and videos online on Facebook and Instagram.
To learn how you can participate in Welcoming Week, visit www.welcomingamerica.org.