A public dialogue on the National Mall with leaders and organizers focusing on the interconnected stories of diverse diasporic refugee and immigrant communities, alongside a mapping workshop to trace participants’ own roots and routes.

Featured guest speakers include: 

• Arash Azizzada – Afghans For A Better Tomorrow (AFBT)

• Meena Javid – Cultural Organizer and Volunteer on behalf of Afghan refugee family resettlement

• Helal Massomi – Afghan Policy Advisor for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services

• Lee Pao Xiong – Founding Director of the Center for Hmong Studies and Professor of Hmong Studies and American Government/Political Science at Concordia University

• Valerie Plesch – Independent first-generation American-Vietnamese-Argentine photojournalist, documentary photographer, and writer

• Maryam Yousufi, Journalist and former Voice of America (VOA) in Afghanistan

Panel Discussion | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Ideal for audiences 14 and up.

Mapping Workshop | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM All-ages, family-friendly.

Event is open to the public, advanced registration is encouraged to receive updates. Additional information for participants will be made available closer to the date.

This event is part of the Beyond Granite: Pulling Together exhibition on the National Mall from August 18 - September 18, 2023.

Learn More About Pulling Together