RALEIGH, N.C. — A community is coming together to recognize the contributions of refugees who resettle in North Carolina. Off the heels of World Refugee Day last week, the City of Durham will have a celebration to honor refugees on June 29.

What You Need To Know

  •  Annual Durham Refugee Day will be hosted on June 29 at 3 p.m.

  •  The event will happen at Durham Central Park

  •  Durham is home to over 45,000 people who come from other countries

  • The event is a time to celebrate refugees and immigrants who resettled in North Carolina

Durham is home to over 45,000 people who come from other countries, and we are told the number has been growing every year. As a city, it tries to support refugee and immigrant communities. Having the event on Saturday is just one of the many ways the City of Durham shows these communities they are welcome.

Mezhgan Zahir, a refugee who moved to Durham in May of last year, feels that since moving here, she’s been welcomed with open arms.

“I feel very happy because I love Durham. Durham is my community. People living in Durham they are very kind, they are so supportive,” Zahir said.

Zahir left her home in Afghanistan because she wanted a brighter future and a safer life.

“I grew up in a war country and explored a strange culture to being as a doctor as a girl, as a female is very difficult. Everybody wants to have a son; nobody wants to have a girl or daughter,” Zahir said. “Like me, a lot of females, a lot of women, they are facing a lot of challenges in Afghanistan and also in their country; and in this situation in 2024 everything is banned for females in Afghanistan, their school, university, the job is not allowed for females, they face a lot of problems.”

Relocating to Durham meant Zahir had to leave family and a job in the cardiac surgery department.

“I can’t work in my field here. I started working in groceries as a cashier for $12 per hour,” Zahir said. “It was really tough for me as a doctor to work in groceries, but I have to do for my self-sufficient because I accept all the challenges because I believe in myself, I want to be again in the cardiac surgery department in the U.S.”

While Zahir said she hasn’t faced many challenges since relocating, she knows others have.

“Like culture shock adjustment because the culture is really different from another country. All the countries have their culture, there’s very big challenges, another challenge is language barrier is very challenging for those people that can’t talk in English,” Zahir said. “It’s very difficult to adjust their life here to communicate during the interview for a job, to communicate with the doctor, to communicate in the groceries, it is very difficult. Health care is very challenging for all the people.”

Durham city and county, along with organizations like World Relief and Church World Service, are helping refugees and immigrants build their lives in the United States.

“The foreign-born population in Durham, in general, is around 46,000 folks, which is like 14.4% of the 325,000 residents in Durham,” Durham City and County Immigrants and Refugee Coordinator, KoKou Nayo said.

Nayo says that number has not dwindled.

“It’s going up, it’s growing every year,” Nayo said. “This is also due to the conflict around the world, and that pool of people being displaced is growing every year. Therefore, that also affects the number of people that we resettle, the U.S. I would say.”

Nayo said in Durham, the community has opened their hearts to refugees and immigrants; the government has helped to provide resources, and the businesses provide jobs for them. He said having Durham Refugee Day and the Durham Refugee Proclamation is a testimony to how much the city council and the board of commissioners want to provide opportunities and make Durham a more inclusive and welcoming community.

Adam Clark, the executive director of World Relief Durham, a faith-based national resettlement agency, said on Saturday folks can expect refugee vendors selling the clothes they make or the food they cook. There will also be dancing, crafts and games.

Clark said the event is a time to celebrate refugees and their contributions.

“There’s always a lot of misconceptions, and we are actually really proud that Durham Refugee Day started as a way to send clear information to the community about who refugees are and that we welcome them as a whole community,” Clark said. “I think the biggest goal for us is to just make sure that refugees feel the love and know that this community will welcome them, will continue to welcome them.”

The event will take place at 3 p.m. at Durham Central Park.