Every World Refugee Day brings me back to a memory I have never been able to forget.
As a teenager fleeing civil war in Sierra Leone, I lost my father and my seven-year-old sister during the conflict. Like millions of refugees around the world, I did not leave my home because I wanted to. I left because survival demanded it. What followed were more than ten years in a refugee camp, years filled with uncertainty, loss, and the constant question of what the future might hold.
Today, as Founder and Executive Director of the Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants, I carry those experiences with me every day.
This year’s World Refugee Day feels different.
Around the world, refugee families are facing growing uncertainty. Many who were waiting for protection remain stranded. Families seeking reunification face new barriers. Refugees who have already rebuilt their lives are worried about their legal status and whether the promises made to them will be honored. Here in Louisiana, we see the emotional toll this takes on families and especially on young people who are trying to focus on school, friendships, and their future while worrying about the safety of their loved ones.
And yet, amid these challenges, I remain hopeful.
I remain hopeful because I have seen what happens when communities choose compassion over fear.
I have seen an Afghan mother who arrived alone and pregnant reunite with her husband and children after years of separation. I have seen refugee youth who once struggled with trauma become leaders, advocates, and role models for the next generation. I have seen communities open their hearts and create spaces where families can begin again.
This year, that hope took on a new form as LORI opened Louisiana’s first immigrant-led community center—a dream born from the belief that refugees and immigrants deserve a place to gather, learn, heal, build power, and belong.
The lesson I have learned through my own journey is simple: refugees do not need pity. They need opportunity. They need safety. They need communities willing to welcome them and institutions willing to invest in their potential.
As we reflect on this year’s World Refugee Day, I ask all of us to remember that refugees are not defined by what they have lost. They are defined by their courage to begin again.
Let us stand with those still searching for safety. Let us support families waiting to be reunited. Let us invest in the next generation of refugee leaders. And let us build communities rooted in dignity, belonging, and shared humanity.
Because when refugees are given the opportunity to thrive, entire communities thrive with them.
To everyone who stood with refugees this World Refugee Day—thank you.
“The work continues.”
Dauda Sesay
Founder & Executive Director,
Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants
