June is Immigrant Heritage Month. Throughout the month, we’ll be celebrating both our diversity and our shared American heritage by telling the stories of individuals that, together, comprise a uniquely American narrative.
This is a guest post from intern Allie Christianson.
With June coming to a close, Immigrant Heritage Month has brought many stories and celebrations of our neighbors, including the recent celebration of World Refugee Day at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. The event was full of not only kind and talented people and beautiful works of art in the galleries and booths, but also with the laughter and friendship among them. It was inspiring to hear speakers share their stories at the speaker series and heartwarming to see the warm welcome from everyone around.
At our welcoming booth, community members signed a canvas with words of welcome and appreciation for all of our neighbors and thought of ways that they would welcome someone new into their neighborhood. Kids drew pictures and wrote how they would welcome someone new at their school and how they would want someone to make friends with them. We had heartfelt messages on the canvas and wonderful conversations with folks who shared their stories with us.
While I was at the welcoming booth for the majority of the event, I was able to go to the speaker series and hear Feroz speak about his experience as a refugee and the situation in Afghanistan. In his speech, I was struck by two prominent experiences as a refugee, first as a child and then as a father.
He opened my eyes to the feelings and awareness that had been so different in each. Feroz brought a gritty sense of humanity to a subject that is often stripped of the real experiences that refugees have. His experiences detailed a life that we often do not associate with refugees but one that I think we should: before coming to the U.S., he and his wife led successful careers and were happy in Afghanistan.
Hearing stories from refugees like Feroz brings a light to the issue and reveals the human experiences behind it. Sharing these experiences is necessary to build understanding that will help foster more welcoming and inclusive communities.
World Refugee Day provided a space for the Omaha community to come together and celebrate refugees’ unique contributions to our shared history and culture and a space to forge a brighter, more welcoming and inclusive Nebraska. I look forward to next year’s World Refugee Day and to continue hearing more stories of those who truly make Nebraska home.