Twin Cities to celebrate World Refugee Day on June 20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, June 12, 2009

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Minneapolis, Minn. – The Twin Cities is home to some of the largest refugee groups in the country and worldwide, including the largest Somali community in the United States and one of the largest Hmong communities on the planet. In total, more than 90,000 refugees have been resettled in Minnesota since 1979, and many more have moved to Minnesota from other states to reunite with family members and friends, find jobs and join communities with roots in the state. In celebration of these diverse groups and the journeys they have made, representatives from 17 local refugee-serving agencies will host Twin Cities World Refugee Day on Saturday, June 20.

The event will be held on June 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis. It is free and open to the public. From 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., guests can learn more about refugees through educational exhibits and receive information from 60 refugee service providers at the immigrant resource fair. Diverse refugee performers, including an Oromo choir, Somali poets, a Tibetan musician and dance groups from West Africa and Southeast Asia, will take the stage between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The main program will begin at 3:00 p.m. and will feature speakers from six predominant Twin Cities refugee communities interspersed with cultural dance performances followed by a concert with headliner Marimba Africa. Children’s activities and multicultural food and craft vendors will also be open throughout the day.

This is the third annual large-scale World Refugee Day event in the Twin Cities. Last year’s event drew over 1,500 participants from a diverse array of both refugee and non-refugee communities.

About World Refugee Day
In 2000, as an expression of solidarity with Africa, the United Nations General Assembly established June 20 as World Refugee Day to coincide with Africa Refugee Day. Since 2001, people all over the world have celebrated World Refugee Day with events that honor the world’s 11.4 million refugees and raise awareness about their continued plight.

For more information, contact:
Alexis Walstad
612-879-5263 (daytime)
952-237-3403 (evening)
[email protected]

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