June 23, 2022 - Message from Malaak Malikyar Sills, RIT Board Chair:
This month, we commemorate Juneteenth, Pride, and World Refugee Day. These events highlight the strife and fundamental dignity of humanity.
The United Nations Refugee Agency has shared that over 100 million people are forcibly displaced right now. This devastating record is driven by the invasion of Ukraine and other displacement crises, such as those in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Guatemala.
Refugees are more than numbers. They are people seeking safety for themselves and their loved ones.
If you are reading this, it is because you have chosen to care and be moved to action. To volunteer. To give. To advocate. We thank YOU.
With your support, RIT provides welcome, education, hope, and relief. We came together in Oakland last week, to commemorate World Refugee Day with our East Bay Refugee & Immigrant Forum partners. It was a soulful family-friendly event with food, kids’ activities and traditional dances. It reminded me that even in dark and turbulent times, we have the power to bring each other warmth and joy.
Check out the event pictures below:
Pictured: RIT Board Chair, Malaak Malikyar Sills (second from left) with colleagues
Pictured: Afghan dance performance
In Solidarity,
Malaak Malikyar Sills
Refugee & Immigrant Transitions, Board Chair
Refugee & Immigrant Advocate