More than 10,000 refugees call the Lansing area home. Theirs are stories of families who have fled violence and persecution in their home countries to become an integral part of the Lansing region – buying homes, starting businesses, sending their children to local schools, and adding to the diverse quilt that makes us a unique, welcoming community.

All employees, students and community members are welcome to celebrate these stories from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, in the Gannon Building, room 2214. This Global Fest event will use the theme “Global Interdependence During Global Crisis” to educate our community about the struggles faced by refugees across the world.

The event will kick off at 11 a.m. with presentations by three speakers:

• Felipe Lopez Sustaita of LCC, who will talk about the immigrant experience
• Diane Petersen of LCC, who will talk about global food insecurity
• Erika Brown-Binion of Lansing’s Refugee Development Center who will talk about the Refuge Lansing exhibit

After the presentations, attendees are invited to explore the Refuge Lansing exhibit, a storytelling project celebrating decades of refugee resettlement in mid-Michigan. You can learn more about the project and read the stories of local refugees on the Refugee Development Center’s webpage.