New Americans Celebration

The seventh annual New Americans Celebration held their annual day of education and outreach for refugees and immigrants, on Thursday, February 13th. Hosted by the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies, NAC celebrated new Americans, particularly those now living in Georgia. Supporters met on Atlanta’s State Capitol to engage with legislators and share why refugees and immigrants should continue to be welcomed in Georgia.

The coalition of 21 refugee and immigrant-serving organizations, including Inspiritus, sought to highlight the contributions made by refugees in the state. Currently, the federal government is appealing a judge’s decision to block the Trump administration from enforcing an executive order that allows state and local governments to turn away refugees.

Over 350 advocates braved the rain to let their representatives know that #GALovesRefugees Many speakers spoke on behalf of GA’s refugee community. One of those speakers was Mohammed Karim, a client in our Refugee Youth Career Pathways program. Mohammed had recently become a citizen, and he represented the refugee community during the New Americans Celebration press conference.

Inspiritus resettled Mohammed’s family over five years ago. Mohammed received a scholarship through Inspiritus and is currently a student at Georgia State University studying criminal justice to one day become a police officer or join the U.S. Military. We’re very proud of Mohammed, and you can watch some of the press coverage below:

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/community-members-march-to-georgia-state-capitol-to-show-support-to-refugees-and-immigrants/85-e84a8ef5-981b-4f9b-b3e0-4f034e205f86

#GALovesRefugees and #GALovesImmigrants!