World Refugee Day is next week, Tuesday, June 20. In recognition of the millions of human beings who have had to flee their homelands due to war and oppression, Lutheran Social Services will host an event at their downtown Sioux Falls office Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
My friend Clara Hart, a refugee herself and a proud American, says the World Refugee Day Sioux Falls event will include a simulated refugee camp through which former refugees will guide visitors to give them a brief taste of the refugee experience. No word on whether the tour will also include simulated xenophobes demonizing participants with conspiracy theories and uninformed generalizations about their religion.
Excellent. A proper city needs certain things. Diversity in restaurants, a worthy theatre and music scene, great parks and a diverse culture. Refugees are a gift to South Dakota. It’s sad they had to go through such pain and had such limited options about where to relocate but sometimes when your choices are severely limited, the one choice you do have highly benefits the culture you end up living within.