Refugees in cities around the world are invited to take over restaurants for the day. Chefs open their kitchens to give refugees the opportunity to share cuisine from their home countries, to gain valuable experience in managing a kitchen, and help increase acceptance and understanding of refugees.
Food is a universal way of communicating who we are, where we’ve come from, and what we have to offer those around us. There are few things more central and foundational to our human connectedness than through the act of breaking bread together.
Check out this video, done by TSOS Videographer, Phoebe Wood, and her interview with the Founder of the “Refugee Food Festival” and what the experience was like in a restaurant in Paris.
Official Statement on the Detention of Refugees and Ongoing Community Violence
With another death in Minnesota and continued violence toward individuals and groups standing up for their communities, we acknowledge the profound fear and uncertainty people are feeling--not just locally, but across the country.
On top of this, there are reports that refugees invited and admitted to our country through the U.S. Refugee Admission Program are now being detained, meaning that our new friends and neighbors feel that fear most acutely.
Refugees have already fled violence and persecution once. They came here legally, seeking safety. In moments like these, we reaffirm our commitment to building communities where refugees and immigrants can live without fear. Where they can go to work, send their children to school, and build lives of dignity and belonging.
We call for due process, accountability, and humanity in all immigration enforcement operations. We call upon our leaders to demand the demilitarization of our neighborhoods and cities. And we call on all of us to continue the work of welcoming and protecting those who have been forcibly displaced from their homes.