New name, same mission! LIRS is now Global Refuge. Learn more.

Stand with refugees.

This giving season, double your impact for refugee and immigrant families with a 2X matched donation up to $50,000.

The browser you are using is not supported. Please consider using a modern browser.

Skip Navigation
Donate
Start of main content.

News

Global Refuge Commemorates MLK Day 2022 with UN Ambassador, Senator

Global Refuge logo

Global Refuge Staff

January 18, 2022

Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.

Martin Luther King, Jr.  

On Monday, January 18, Global Refuge celebrated the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service with a special visit from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield and U.S. Senator Mark Warner.

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield and Senator Warner joined staff and members of the Afghan community at Global Refuge’s new Northern Virginia office, which was established in late 2021 to serve newly arrived Afghans in the region. There, they assisted in collecting and sorting donations while learning more about the challenges faced by our new Afghan neighbors.

The Ambassador, who had previously worked on Afghan refugee issues and assistance in the mid-1990s during the first Taliban insurgence, extended her thanks to those who had served alongside the United States in Afghanistan. In a brief address to those gathered in service, she also expressed her gratitude to Global Refuge and our Alexandria staff for their hard work—particularly those who are themselves recently arrived Afghans.

“Today, we're here to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and perform acts of service in Reverend King's name,” she said. “If you’ve read his essay on being a good neighbor, you would agree with me that the work being done through Operation Allies Welcome and at this resettlement site is particularly an apt way to live up to the legacy that he has left us. I know there are staff here who recently arrived. You've been through a lot, and yet you're here: continuing to serve, continuing to give, and continuing to be part of our community.”

Senator Warner, too, shared messages of welcome and thanks before inviting Pastor Sarah Scherschligt of Peace Lutheran Church, the congregation hosting the Global Refuge office on its premises, to say a few words.

“Our fates are tied up in each other,” she said. “As we welcome you and you welcome us, as we develop this relationship together, what we're doing is healing both of our lives and healing our world together.”

At Global Refuge, we are committed to continuing that healing work of welcome on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and every day. Since this summer, we have resettled approximately 1,800 newly arrived Afghans in Northern Virginia alongside our local partner, Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, and we expect to resettle several hundred more Afghans in the region as the remaining evacuees depart military bases for their new communities.

“What this mission ultimately comes down to is our shared humanity,” said Global Refuge President and CEO Krish O’Mara Vignarajah. “We share the same hopes and dreams. No matter where we come from, we all want to feel safe, for our children to have an education and an opportunity at a better life…Many of us see our own stories reflected in theirs. We are them, and they are us.”

“I’m struck by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King all those years ago,” she added. “He said, ‘We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.’ And that’s at the heart of the work here – as we come together in pursuit of equality and justice for all, in pursuit of and service to humankind, we all stand to benefit.”

To learn more about how you can help support our newly arrived Afghan neighbors in Northern Virginia and beyond, please visit lirs.org/helpnow or check out our Amazon wish list

The Latest

  • News

    November 26, 2024

    Jesus Was a Refugee: An Advent Calendar Devotional

    We invite you to download our Advent Story Calendar. Each day of Advent, as you reflect on the Holy Family's journey as a displaced people at the vulnerable time of childbirth, experience stories of immigrants, former refugees, and supporters in their own words as together, we build a more welcoming world.  

    Read More
  • Press Release · Refugee Resettlement

    November 6, 2024

    Global Refuge Reaffirms Commitment to Refugees and Immigrants as Nation Prepares for New Administration

    In the wake of the 2024 presidential election, Global Refuge remains steadfast in its mission to serve vulnerable immigrant and refugee communities across the United States.

    Read More
  • News

    October 31, 2024

    What’s America’s superpower? Immigration, says Global Refuge’s Krish O’Mara Vignarajah

    Global Refuge President & CEO Krish O’Mara Vignarajah recently took the stage at TEDxApex Women in Apex, North Carolina to make the case that the United States owes its preeminence on the global stage to one key asset: immigration.  

    Read More
  • Advocacy · Immigration and Asylum

    October 23, 2024

    What is the CHNV Parole Program?

    The Biden administration opened a new program allowing certain nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to apply for entry to  the U.S. for a temporary stay of up to two years.

    Read More
  • Advocacy

    October 17, 2024

    Six Migration and Climate Displacement Takeaways from Climate Week NYC

    The Global Refuge Advocacy team attended the 2024 Climate Week NYC—a massive gathering of practitioners from public policy, philanthropy, the private sector, science, and other disciplines focused on the climate crisis.

    Read More

Share