On Tuesday, June 19th Wichita Mayor, Jeff Longwell proclaimed June 20th, 2018 as “World Refugee Day” in the City of Wichita. The mayor encouraged all citizens to recognize the contribution of New Americans to the City’s culture and economic well-being.

The proclamation was supported by city council members, also recognizes the contributions of the International Rescue Committee’s Wichita office. “The IRC-Wichita plays an important role in integrating these New Americans into our community,” the proclamation declares, and goes on to detail the case management, employment, adult education and immigration services provided by the IRC in Wichita.

The proclamation notes that the Wichita community has a long history of welcoming refugees, whether from Southeast Asia in the 1980s, or today’s refugees from wars in the Middle East, Africa and other global flashpoints.

The proclamation was accepted by IRC’s Executive Director, Michele Green.