‘A celebration of life’: Spokane to celebrate World Refugee Day as war on immigration rages

Refugee and Immigrant Connections of Spokane is hosting its 10th annual World Refugee Day Saturday to celebrate members of the community who have left their countries to create a new home for themselves in the states.

Kathryn Garras, the executive director of RICS, said the World Refugee Day celebration at the Pergola Event Center recognizes anyone who “identifies with the refugee experience” and isn’t dependent on legal status within the U.S.

“If you feel like you identify with having to have fled your homeland for reason of violence, persecution or any other reason, you’re whom we’re celebrating,” Garras said.

Garras explained that she feels like the word “refugee” often has a negative context. The discussion of refugees in the media has generally been a poor one, Garras said.

“This is a chance for us to really celebrate the resilience and everything that these people bring to our community that make us stronger,” Garras said. “It’s about the multiculturalism we bring and the beauty in that.”

Luisa Orellana-Westbrook, an English as a Second Language teacher at Spokane Community College, has been involved with World Refugee Day for the past 10 years. Orellana-Westbrook explained that the celebration is close to her heart for a variety of reasons. She came to the U.S. from El Salvador.

“I was a refugee,” Orellana-Westbrook said. “My family came here undocumented. I know how that community feels, coming from a war zone and losing loved ones and the process of getting settled in a land that’s not yours.”

Having taught English to many students who came to the U.S. with stories similar to her own, Orellana-Westbrook said she has always encouraged those in her classes to attend World Refugee Day.

“I wanted them to go so they could experience a day with everyone just like them, just like us,” Orellana-Westbrook said.

When the event first began in 2015, Orellana-Westbrook said it was mostly refugees and their families in attendance. But by the third or fourth year, the showing began to extend beyond the refugee community and into the greater Spokane population.

“It’s become a celebration of life,” Orellana-Westbrook said. “The life of those of us who made it through. We’re thankful for the community that has supported us through the years.”

The celebration is taking place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will include several speakers, cultural performances, a multicultural culinary experience by Feast World Kitchen, a cultural marketplace with vendors and a community agency fair with a variety of resources available for attendees.

One of the favorite events at World Refugee Day is the Citizenship Ceremony, a chance for members of the refugee community to receive legal U.S. citizenship. Also present at the ceremony is the League of Women Voters, which helps the new U.S. citizens to register to vote right away.

“The Citizenship Ceremony is really special,” Garras said. “I get goosebumps every year. I think that with everything going on this year, it’s going to level up with how special it is.”

Garras said that RICS and the board members of World Refugee Day had several discussions and put out a variety of informal surveys with their participant network to determine how people were feeling about maintaining this event as it’s happened in years past.

With the pressing appearance of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in communities throughout the nation amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, RICS wanted to ensure that all those who have known and loved this event historically were still feeling confident in their protection.

“We want to make sure that people can come and have a truly enjoyable event, and it doesn’t turn into a really negative experience for anybody who attends,” Garras said.

RICS has the support of several community partners in the planning and operations of World Refugee Day, including the International Rescue Committee, Lutheran Community Services Northwest, World Relief, Spokane Community College, Manzanita House, ASAP Translations, Global Neighborhood and Thrive International.

For more information on the event, visit www.ricspokane.org/world-refugee-day.html.