Words of Welcome at Boise's World Refugee Day celebration

​As the Treasure Valley community came together on June 19th to celebrate World Refugee Day Boise, we were honored to hear from Eliza Shabire, who shared her story of resettlement, and Boise City Council President Pro Tem Meredith Stead, who read the city's World Refugee Day 2025 proclamation.

We also heard reflections from Tara Wolfson, director of the Idaho Office for Refugees, who shared:

​I want to thank the City of Boise for their proclamation. We know that welcoming folks through the refugee program is the smart choice, the right choice, and it is who we are as Idahoans

And I also want to thank you, Eliza, for sharing with us today. We are so glad to have you as a neighbor, friend, and member of the Treasure Valley community. Boise would not be the same without you and others who came through the refugee program to make Idaho their home.

I also want to acknowledge that today is Juneteeth, which this year happens to coincide with our World Refugee Day celebration. We are grateful to those who came before us and fought for freedom and justice in our country. Without the emancipation of slavery, the Black Civil Rights movement, and other struggles for freedom throughout the 20th century, we would not have a refugee program today. The international system for refuge and asylum was built on top of these movements for freedom and provides opportunity for the hundreds of families resettled in Idaho annually.

We realize today that the freedoms that we have won over generations are not free and are not guaranteed. We must continue to fight for the right of free movement, for our mutual safety, for everyone in our community.

We realize this work has never been easy and in recent months it has gotten even harder, but today we celebrate the enormous contributions that former refugees have brought to our state and all the amazing people I work with who help make that possible.

I think the organizations and people here today deserve a big round of applause, including Agency for New Americans, International Rescue Committee in Boise, Ukraine Welcome Center, USCRI in Twin Falls, Glocal Community Partners, Tanta, INC., One Refugee, City of Boise, American Red Cross, Boise Bicycle Project, Idaho Museum of International Diaspora, and everyone who has volunteered to welcome newcomers to our community - or are a newcomer yourself. 

Thank you for being part of America’s vision to create freedom and justice for all. 

Pictured above from left: 1) Tara Wolfson, director of the Idaho Office for Refugees, and Safiya Abdi, a farmer with Global Gardens. 2) Eliza Shabire at World Refugee Day Boise 2023. 3) Boise City Council President Pro Tem Meredith Stead holds up the city's World Refugee Day proclamation with Dave Morris, resettlement services manager at the Idaho Office for Refugees.