FREE
Milwaukee City Hall, 200 East Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202
World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honor refugees around the globe. It celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. On June 22, join the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families – Bureau of Refugee Programs and Lynden's HOME program to celebrate World Refugee Day, and our refugee communities, through art, food, poetry, and performance, in Milwaukee's beautiful City Hall. The theme for World Refugee Day 2026, selected by Lynden's HOME Refugee Steering Committee, is We Belong/You Belong: Joy and Unity Against the Odds.
The co-masters of ceremonies are Paul Vang (Hmong) and Zarifa Saadat (Hazara/Afghan). The day's program begins with a poetry reading by Wisconsin Poet Laureate Shelly Conley. Paul F. Trebian, President & CEO, International Institute of Wisconsin, follows with welcoming remarks and a land acknowledgement. Mayor Cavalier Johnson will present the City of Milwaukee Mayor's Declaration for Milwaukee's World Refugee Day. Speakers include Bojana Zorić Martinez, Director, Bureau of Refugee Programs and Wisconsin State Refugee Coordinator, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families; Jeff Pertl, Secretary, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, City of Milwaukee Alderperson Alex Brower; and representatives from refugee serving organizations including Sheila Badwan, Board Chair, Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance, Former-Executive Director, Hanan Relief Group, introducing Dr Hashim Zaibak, Board Member, Hanan Relief Group; Omar Mohamed, Refugee Resettlement Program Manager, Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and upper Michigan Inc (LSSWI); and Lul Abukar, Executive Director, Somali Resource Center of Milwaukee.
Halyna Salapata, President and Board Member, Wisconsin for Ukrainians, will introduce a violin performance by Tatiana Migliaccio; Dr. Chris Her-Xiong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Hmong American Peace Academy, will introduce participants in our Youth Writing Competition, Shana Xiong (Hmong) and Royina Karimi (Afghan).
Pulaski High School Principal Jason O'Brien, with Manee Jadolon, Social Worker/Organizing Staff, will introduce the school's Lao and Hmong dance performance groups. Principal Jose Trejo will introduce South Division's Karen dance performance group.
Our annual exhibition of work by local refugee children and youth will be on display in the City Hall Rotunda, June 17-30. Special thanks to the students, educators, and support staff at Clement J. Zablocki School, Hmong American Peace Academy (HAPA), the International Newcomer Center (INC) at Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language (MACL), Pulaski High School, and Milwaukee High School of the Arts. Additional work by participants in the Lynden Sculpture Garden's BE THE CHANGE art-based refugee leadership program for young women and girls (2025/2026 cohort), cofacilitated by Maryam Durani and Kim Khaira and working with artist Laura Farahzad Mayer, and participants in Personal Visual Storytelling — Migration, Memory, and Me, a Lynden photography workshop with artist Asher Imtiaz.
Join the BE THE CHANGE participants at their art activity table.
Food trucks in attendance (parked on Market Street) include Isa's Ice Cream (Mexican) and Birrieria La Tia Juana (Mexican). Vegetarian food items are available.
SUPPORT HOME WORLD REFUGEE DAY
To sponsor 2026 HOME World Refugee Day events, please click here.
To make an individual donation to support our HOME refugee programs, click here.
To volunteer, click here.
About HOME
HOME is the theme of our work with refugee community leaders, community members, Call & Response artists, and allies. The HOME Refugee Steering Committee is building a space of leading, coming together, and celebrating refugees. For all HOME 2026 programming, click here.
World Refugee Day 2026 celebrations continue with two additional HOME "days" at Lynden featuring music, dance, food, poetry, and craft. For all HOME 2026 programming, click here.
HOME 2026 is sponsored in part by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Refugee Programs.
