DENVER, Colorado — A new coalition of advocates are coming together to serve the immigrant and refugee community to ensure their stories and perspectives are the focus.
Refugees + Immigrants United held their first event this weekend at History Colorado. They're hoping this is just the beginning of elevating immigrants stories while also creating a network and community for people.
"We want to be represented. We want to control our own stories and be able to redirect it in a way that we would like to be represented," said Nga Vương-Sandoval, founder and president.
Vương-Sandoval is originally from Vietnam. Her advocacy has led her to opportunities as a TEDx presenter and a refugee representative at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Switzerland. She has also held other roles with Lutheran Family Services and the Colorado Refugee Speakers Bureau.
"This has been a culmination for so many years of not just my own observation, but also my human rights advocacy that has really demonstrated there is a gap that needs to be done and why those in our community, those with the lived expertise as refugees and immigrants haven’t been included," Vương-Sandoval said.
The organization's volunteer members are all immigrants and refugees themselves - a point Vương-Sandoval says is often not the case even if organizations are designed to serve their very communities.
"The messaging of who we are has not been steered by us, and I feel that not only is that inauthentic, but that can be problematic as well. It’s very damaging to communities that are doing such wonderful things and immense talent that they bring to each community that they contribute to," Vương-Sandoval said.
With giving refugees and immigrants the power to share their own story and control the narrative, Vương-Sandoval hopes will shift the paradigm and perspective from others who don't share in their experiences.
"We often times are reduced to just our traumatic stories and are not seen beyond that and that is really not representative, but can be very damaging as well because that’s one very minor piece and there are so many things that define us," Vương-Sandoval said.
During Sunday's event, the group celebrated culture through different performances. Mexican-born artist El Javi performed music, inspired in part by flamenco music. Cultural performances were performed by the Japanese Arts Network, Mudra Dance Studio and Nguyen Thieu fan dancers.
The people leading the organization are all volunteers, including Ndeye Ndao, who serves as treasurer.
"I am originally from Senegal, West Africa, and I am semi-new to Colorado. I have been here since 2018," Ndao said.
"We are individuals coming from different parts of the world and living in a society in a place where you feel welcome, where you feel like you are integrated makes people and me feel like this is a second home. Because I am away from my home country and this is another place that I can call home because of the support that I receive, my community, whether it is people who I share the same background with or folks who are from other countries who also came in as immigrants."
Colorado Supreme Court Justice Carlos A. Samour delivered the keynote speech. Samour is originally from El Salvador.