Refugee Congress Celebrates and Honors Hispanic Heritage Month

Refugee Congress Celebrates and Honors Hispanic Heritage Month

For Immediate Release: October 15, 2021

WASHINGTON--As this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month draws to a close, Refugee Congress is proud to celebrate and honor the culture, history and achievements of Latinos in the United States.

There is a rich and diverse Latino population in the U.S., including people who have been in this country for generations, people who arrived recently, people who fled violence and persecution, people who sought better opportunities and people with many generations of roots in land that later became the U.S.  There are more than 62 million Latinos living in the U.S., making up more than 18 percent of the U.S. population, and Latinos contribute significantly to the U.S. economy, culture and history. 

During this month, Refugee Congress also recognizes and reaffirms our commitment to addressing the ways in which Latinos are impacted by systemic racism in the U.S. We are committed to welcoming refugees and asylum seekers from Latin America and addressing the long history of this country’s inequity, injustice and deportation of Latinos, including U.S. citizens, and the deep racism faced by Afro-Latino communities in the U.S.

Refugee Congress Honorary Delegate Carmen Kcomt said:

"Emigrar no es un delito

Emigrar es un derecho, un derecho humano básico

recibamos a esos seres con las vidas destrozadas por la violencia

tratandolos con dignidad y respeto.” *

Refugee Congress members stand together with the Hispanic community to celebrate and honor the role of Latinos in the U.S.

In recognition of the ways in which we build community, support one another and benefit from the diversity of this nation, Refugee Congress Delegate Lubab Al-Quraishi said, “I am Latina, I am African American, I am from the Middle East, I am white. We are all the United States of America.”

Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 to October 15. It began in 1968 and was enacted into law in 1988. This timeframe was chose because many Latin American countries celebrate the anniversary of their independence during this period.

* Translation: “To migrate is not a sin. Migration is a right, a basic human right. We receive our fellow human beings, whose lives have been destroyed by violence. And treat them with dignity and respect.”

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Refugee Congress is a nonpartisan advocacy organization built and led by former refugees, asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants to promote the well-being, integration and dignity of all vulnerable migrants. With delegates across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we use our voices and experiences to inform and influence decision-makers on critical domestic and international issues that affect our communities.

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