Monday is World Refugee Day, and a local celebration will honor refugees and people that work with them.
According to the local chapter of the International Rescue Committee, Wichita is home to more than 800 refugees from at least 12 countries. The group will mark the day with a photography exhibit which shows some of the people in the community who work to make refugees feel welcome here.
Earlier this year, Gov. Sam Brownback said he was withdrawing the state from the federal refugee resettlement program, citing security concerns for Kansans. According to the Refugee Processing Center, more than 450 refugees arrived in Kansas between October 2015 and May 2016—many of them from Burma and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
World Refugee Day has been marked since the UN signed a resolution in 2000. The celebration takes place from 3 to 8 p.m on Monday at the WSU Shift space, 416 S Commerce #102.
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