#WorldRefugeeDay

Jesse Hamilton

June 20, 2017

This World Refugee Day, let us rededicate ourselves to our longstanding history of welcoming people from the world over here in New York. For generations “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” have found a home with us. And we have been stronger because of our open-hearted stance. Indeed throughout our history, New York and our entire nation have greatly gained from those who chose to call our shores home. We have welcomed talents the likes of Albert Einstein. At least two Secretaries of State came to our shores as refugees, as did Isabel Allende, Hannah Arendt, Béla Bartók, and Gloria Estefan. Countless millions more have become an integral part of our community, bringing their entrepreneurship, their skills, and their dreams for a better future.