Press Releases

City Council President Kevin Kelley is marking World Refugee Day, Monday, June 20, by recalling Cleveland’s history of immigration which has made the city the melting pot it is today.
 
“Many of us are the children or grandchildren of immigrants who struggled to find new lives in far-away lands,” said Council President Kelley. “Thousands of them came here with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. And they still come today. Still struggling.”
 
City Council and Mayor Frank G. Jackson’s administration have been working with humanitarian groups to ease the struggles of those hoping to settle and work in Cleveland.
 
City Hall, through its web sites and departments, has made city services more accessible to those who speak little or no English. The City is working with refugee service groups and Global Cleveland, a non-profit organization working to attract immigrants and foreign companies to Cleveland.
 
In recent years, hundreds of refugees have arrived in Cleveland, mostly from Bhutan, Ukraine, Burma and Somalia.
 
A 2012 study shows that refugees who come here typically find employment within five months of their arrivals. The study also shows that first-generation refugee children born here are high achievers in both education and employment.

“On World Refugee Day we honor both our past and our future,” said Council President Kelley. “On this day, let us pay tribute to the spirit and courage of refugees all over the world. And let us recognize the contributions they are making to our community.”
 
On Saturday, June 18, everyone is invited to a World Refugee Day Picnic from 1 pm to 4 pm at Edgewater Park’s Kite Field. There will be games and food. Organizers are asking people to bring a dish.