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Happy World Refugee Day!
Please join us in celebrating refugees' resilience and strength and urging our Members of Congress to do everything they can to protect the U.S. refugee resettlement program. We have a number of events and actions planned for today.
Press Conference at 11am:
A press conference will take place this morning at 11am at the House Triangle with with Congressman Lieu, Congresswoman Jayapal, alongside refugee leaders, faith leaders from Quaker, Jewish, and Muslim traditions, and Minnesota State Representative Ilhan Omar. The media advisory is copied below my signature.
Tweetstorm at 11am: Members of Congress & CWS will be launching a tweet storm during the press conference from 11am-12pm. Sample social media posts and graphics are linked and copied below my signature.
National Call-in Week:
W
e are in the middle of the National Call-in Week from June 18th-June 22nd to pressure Congress to do everything it can to see US resettle at least 45,000 refugees this year and commit to resettling at least 75,000 next year. The action alert & outreach email is copied below my email at the very bottom.
Congressional Outreach:
Please help us invite MOCs to share their support for refugees on the House/Senate floor, via social media, and in public statements. I am attaching talking points MOCs can use, and here are sample WRD tweets.
Field Activities
Resources
- RCUSA Toolkit (here)
- Interfaith Toolkit (here)
- Refugee Leader Toolkit (here)
- Welcoming Refugees Event Toolkit (here)
Thank you for your work!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 18, 2018
MEDIA ADVISORY:
ILHAN OMAR, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, REFUGEES, AND FAITH LEADERS
SPEAK ON WORLD REFUGEE DAY
Press conference will highlight historically low refugee arrivals in the U.S.
Washington, D.C. -
In commemoration of World Refugee Day, Minnesota State Rep Ilhan Omar and Members of Congress will join refugees and faith leaders on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, June 20th. Speakers will highlight the stark decline in refugee arrivals in Fiscal Year 2018 and the need for the U.S. to uphold its commitment to welcoming and protecting the vulnerable.
Who & What:
Ilhan Omar, Members of Congress, Refugees, faith leaders
Speakers:
Diane Randall, Executive Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quakers)
Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA-33)
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07)
State Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN)
Uyen Nguyen, Refugee from Vietnam
Deborah Jane, Refugee from Uganda
Imam Talib Sharif, Masjid Muhammad, The Nation's Mosque
Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation
Where & When:
House Triangle, 11 AM EST on Wednesday, June 20th, 2018
Visuals
: Photo display of resettled refugees, signs saying "refugees welcome",
About the refugees speaking at the press conference:
Deborah Jane
is a former Ugandan refugee who was resettled in Columbus, Ohio. After surviving an acid attack for her work to counter domestic violence in 2014, Deborah left everything behind, including her children and bakery, and fled to Kenya. She was approved for resettlement in 2016, and today she works as a cake decorator and home caregiver for disabled clients.
Uyen Nguyen
came to the U.S. as a refugee from Vietnam when she was 11 years old. Today, she is a Founding Board Chair for Emerge Washington, an organization that recruit and train women to run for public office; a Board member for PIVOT, a progressive Vietnamese American organization; and WACAP, an organization that finds family for every child. She is a Sister for the Planet Ambassador for Oxfam and also owns Nue, a restaurant specializing in international street food, in Seattle.
Refugee Council USA (RCUSA), a coalition of 25 U.S.-based non-governmental organizations, is dedicated to refugee protection, welcome, and excellence in the U.S. refugee resettlement program. RCUSA.org
###
WORLD REFUGEE DAY TWEETSTORM
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
11:00AM - 12:00PM ET
HASHTAGS:
#WorldRefugeeDay
#WorldRefugeeDay2018
#WRD2018
#RefugeesWelcome
#WithRefugees
GRAPHICS:
Social media graphics can be viewed and downloaded here
SAMPLE TWEETS:
- On #WorldRefugeeDay, I'm proud to support @RepTedLieu and @RosLehtinen's bill, H.Res 395, to reaffirm U.S. commitment to protect refugees. #RefugeesWelcome
- The U.S. must reaffirm our leadership in promoting the safety, health, and well-being of refugees. Proud to join @RepTedLieu and @RosLehtinen in support of H.Res.395 on #WRD2018!
- Refugees make our nation stronger. That's why I'm proud to cosponsor @RepTedLieu & @RosLehtinen's bill, H.Res. 395, on #WorldRefugeeDay.
- Today on #WRD2018, I am proud to stand #WithRefugees and support @RepTedLieu & @RosLehtinen's bill, H.Res. 395, to reaffirm U.S. commitment to protect #refugees.
- According to #UNHCR @Refugees, 68.5 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide at the end of 2017. That's why I stand #WithRefugees.
- #UNHCR @Refugees estimates 1 person is displaced every 2 seconds. That's why I support @RepTedLieu and @RosLehtinen's #WRD2018 resolution, H.Res. 395.
- On #WorldRefugeeDay2018, Congress must send a strong message that the U.S. will not abandon our world's most vulnerable. #RefugeesWelcome
- The UN Refugee Agency estimates that half the world's refugees are children - a reminder of how much work there still is to do. I join my colleagues in recognizing the importance of today as #WorldRefugeeDay.
- A strong nation builds bridges, not walls. Proud to support @RepTedLieu @RosLehtinen bill to reaffirm U.S. leadership in refugee crises #WRD2018
- Last year, the international community recorded 68.5 million displaced people, refugees, and asylum seekers fleeing violence and persecution in every region of the world. On #WorldRefugeeDay, I join my colleagues to affirm our nation's commitment to protect refugees.
- Today, Congress should send a strong message that the U.S - a country whose story has been written by those fleeing oppression and hardship - will not abandon the world's most vulnerable populations. I'm proud to join my colleagues in recognizing today as #WorldRefugeeDay.
Dear Friend,
Today is World Refugee Day! As we celebrate refugees' resilience and strength, let us call on our elected leaders to do the same and protect the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Join the World Refugee Day National Call-in Week from June 18th - June 22nd to call your Members of Congress and see that they decry record-low refugee arrivals and call for robust refugee resettlement in the United States.
Tell Congress to Welcome Refugees: Click Here or Call 1-866-961-4293*
*Please call three times to be connected with your Representative and both of your Senators.
Sample Script
: "I'm your constituent from [CITY/TOWN], and I urge you to support the U.S. refugee resettlement program. I strongly oppose President Trump's continued Muslim and refugee bans, as well as the all-time low cap on refugee admissions. I urge you to do everything in your power to see that the administration resettle at least the 45,000 refugees they have set as the cap for 2018 and see the administration commit to resettling at least 75,000 for 2019. Resettlement is a core American legacy that allows the world's most vulnerable refugees to rebuild their lives in safety and dignity. My community welcomes refugees, and I urge you to reflect the best of our nation's values by supporting the refugee resettlement program."
Here are the top five ways faith communities can take action:
- Join the June 18th-June 22nd National Call-In Week: Click here to call your 2 Senators and 1 Representative from June 18th-June 22nd and urge them to do everything in their power to see the administration resettle at least 45,000 refugees in 2018 and commit to resettling at least 75,000 refugees next year. A sample call script is available here.
- Host Prophetic Witness or Refugees Welcome Event: Check out the map of 2018 Refugees Welcome & World Refugee Day events happening across the country and register your own! The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) has a tool for people sign up to host/attend local events in their area celebrating welcoming refugees. This tool is designed to help support planning an event, advertising, and encouraging local press turnout. Click here to learn more about how to use interfaith vigils, press conferences, actions, and foot washing ceremonies, and other events to escalate pressure on our national, state, and local leaders.
- Dedicate a Worship Service: We invite all congregations around the country to celebrate your community's welcome for refugees around World Refugee Day. There are many ways to devote a worship service. For examples, please click here. You can find more planning resources for your celebration here. For more Welcome Sunday resources, please click here.
- Local or State Resolutions and/or Governor Proclamation: Urge your state and local leaders, including your Governor, state lawmakers, and local officials to adopt World Refugee Day resolutions or proclamations affirming refugee resettlement and calling on the administration to extend hospitality to refugees and all newcomers. Click here for or sample resolution language, sample letters, and other resources for your state and local advocacy. For more information on how to visit your state and local elected leaders, please click here.
- Amplify with Local and Social Media: Show your support for refugee resettlement by writing for a local or national publication. Writing an opinion editorial (op-ed) or letter to the editor (LTE) is the perfect way to share your perspective. Check out the RCUSA World Refugee Day Toolkit for a sample WRD op-ed. Click here for a sample WRD LTE. You can also share your message on social media! Sample tweets are available here and here. Sample graphics are available here.
With global need at its highest, the administration has reversed our nation's history as a world leader in refugee protection and resettlement, setting an all-time low refugee admissions goal for fiscal year 2018 at 45,000. What's worse, the administration is only on track to resettle 20,000 refugees this year, not even meeting their own goal. This amounts to tens of thousands of families who remain separated from one another. Take action today!
For more resources, check out our Interfaith Toolkit for World Refugee Day: bit.ly/FaithWRD2018. You can also check out the Welcoming Refugees Event Toolkit, here. Click here for how refugee communitiescan take action.
For advocacy and refugee resettlement questions, contact:
R
ev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Director, Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries,
[email protected],
202-957-7826.
and select "Refugee & Immigration Ministries."
Thanks for raising your voice and values of faith to support immigrants and refugees, and for answering the call to "open your mouths to defend the rights...of the needy." (Proverbs 31:8)
5 Thomas Circle NW, Washington, DC 20005
(2nd floor, National City Christian Church)
RIM is a ministry of Disciples Home Missions
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