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A Message from our Director
In her autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road, African-American novelist and anthropologist, Zora Neale Hurston wrote, “There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you.” Sharing your story is deeply personal; yet putting your story to words is liberating, and telling it in your own voice is empowering. Each of us has a unique story, and hearing one another’s stories leads to understanding and connection within a community.
This is why I’ll be attending the Colorado Refugee Speakers Bureau 2022 Showcase on June 16th. At this special event we will hear from refugees who have diligently developed their voices to share their own stories. Bearing an untold story, as Ms. Hurston experienced, can indeed produce suffering. But the sharing of one’s story can produce its own difficulty, especially while in the process of finding one’s voice in a second language. The courageous individuals who will speak on June 16th have worked hard to share their voices with you. The showcase promises to be an evening of powerful and inspirational storytelling.
As we recognize World Refugee Day this month, I hope you will join us on June 16th at 6:00pm at the McNichols Civic Center Building. More information about the event is included in this newsletter along with a link for purchasing tickets.
See you there.
Ron Buzard, Managing Director
ECDC African Community Center - Denver
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An evening of storytelling on June 16th
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Each year, the Denver-area resettlement agencies alongside the Colorado Refugee State Program collaborate to host a network-wide event for World Refugee Day. This year, the event will be an evening of storytelling to listen to the stories of the newest cohort of the Colorado Refugee Speakers Bureau. The speakers originate from Iraq, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Azerbaijan, Burma, and Nepal.
ACC is proud to announce that three of our former refugee community members have joined the bureau and will be speaking at this event.
Details: Thursday, June 16th from 6:00-8:30p.m.
McNichols Civic Center Building
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On May 13th, we enjoyed a staff retreat in Golden. Staff enjoyed playing volleyball, hiking, dancing, & relaxing with chair massages. After some of the busiest months ever in ACC's twenty-year history, we wanted to recognize the hard work of staff and set aside time for play!
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ACC Celebrates Pride Month
ACC stands with LGBTQ refugees and asylum-seekers everywhere.
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In January of 2020, Kendra Escobar Perez fled gender-based persecution in her home country of El Salvador. She was granted asylum status in February 2021, allowing her to live and work freely in the U.S. without threat of deportation.
Kendra first met ACC staff members as she was awaiting the judge’s decision on her asylum case. ACC explained the services that would be available to her once her asylum was approved, services like cash assistance programs, employment assistance, case management, and more. When her asylum was finally approved, ACC was the first agency she called.
(continue reading via the blog post below)
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How To Get Involved This Month
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Seeking a host family for an ACC intern
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ACC is seeking a host family from August- December to house a French female in her senior year of college. Anissa will be interning at ACC for the Fall term as an Educational Access intern. We're excited for her to join us! The ideal host family would live relatively close to the ACC office and be interested in cultural exchange with a French speaker.
Interested? Please email ka...@acc-den.org
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Do you have connections with landlords? Introduce us!
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Did you know that ACC secures permanent housing for each and everyone of our refugee families? We are always seeking new connections and relationships to landlords or property managers in the Denver area.
Interested? Reach out to Kristen Blackburn, ACC's Housing Lease Coordinator, at kri...@acc-den.org
Check out our info sheet below to learn more about renting to refugees!
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We're hiring for a brand new position- Accounting Specialist.
Please visit our jobs page to view the full job description & to find details on how to apply.
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Emma Stamper, Integration Coach
Emma was born in Kansas but raised in Amman, Jordan before moving back to the United States in 2018 for college. She is a recent graduate of Colorado Christian University with a Bachelor of Global Studies with a minor in Linguistics. During her time as a college student, she led an after school program where a group of university students went to an elementary school for refugee children in downtown Denver to teach them English and play team sports.
Since she spent the majority of her life living overseas and working in refugee camps, Emma found her passion in working with refugees early on, and she is excited to put those passions to work with ACC. She enjoys trying new foods from all over the world, learning phrases in as many new languages as possible, and learning about the different customs and norms around the world from community members.
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Thank you from all of us at ACC!
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Copyright © 2022 African Community Center, All rights reserved.
Thanks for supporting the African Community Center's mission to help refugees build safe and sustainable lives in Denver!
Our mailing address is:
African Community Center
925 South Niagara Street
Suite 200
Denver, CO 80224
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