The Center for Refugee, Migrant and Displacement Studies will host an official launch event, followed by a reception, on Friday, April 8 from 4-6 p.m. 

The launch will include a poetry reading by Somali-British poet Warsan Shire, along with music by Itraab, among other festivities. The first 100 attendees will receive a copy of Shire's latest collection of poems, “Bless The Daughter Raised By A Voice In Her Head.” The co-founders of Elimisha Kakuma will be in attendance, as will founder of Kanere News, Qaabata Boru. 

The event will be held on the Upper Quad. Register for remote or in-person attendance here. 

The center will also launch a crowdfunding project on March 28. Proceeds will fund internships for students working with refugees and migrants.

While the center was founded in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented an earlier launch celebration. The event is an opportunity to share what students, faculty, staff and community members are doing to research the intersections of displacement and address the complex concerns of mobility, relocation, and displacement. 

Through humanistic and interdisciplinary research, the center provides evidence-based data to inform decision-making for sustainable and equitable solutions to forced relocation and large-scale population movement.

The event is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.