LEWISTON — The Great Falls Forum on Friday, Nov. 22, will feature Cheryl Hamilton, associate director for external relations at RefugePoint, on “From L/A to Africa: Exploring Refugee Resettlement in Reverse.”
The lecture will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library.
Hamilton’s career in the refugee resettlement field began in her hometown of Lewiston-Auburn where she was hired to help manage the unexpected in-migration of 2,500 Somali refugees.
Later, she traveled throughout the United States leading workshops on refugee integration and employment as national coordinator for RefugeeWorks, a program of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service in Maryland.
In 2008, Cheryl also began touring the United States with her one-woman, one-act play, “Checkered Floors.” She wrote it based on her experience working in Lewiston-Auburn during the height of the Somali migration. The story combined issues of sexual violence, refugee protection and American immigration.
Since September 2011, Hamilton has been managing communications for RefugePoint, an international nongovernmental organization that finds solutions for the world’s most vulnerable refugees. This new role has provided her with a broader perspective on refugee resettlement, through her interaction with global refugee leaders and travels to refugee camps and urban refugee neighborhoods in Africa.
In her talk, Hamilton will present her thoughts on international crises, showing how they are more connected than people may immediately recognize. She will also reflect on her work locally, nationally and internationally and look ahead at the future of refugee protection.
Admission is free to all Forum events and no reservations are required. Attendees may bring a brown-bag lunch. Coffee, tea and bottled water will be available.
The Great Falls Forum is co-sponsored by Bates College, Lewiston Public Library and the Sun Journal.
The library is at 200 Lisbon St. at the corner of Pine Street.
More information on Thursday’s lecture or other upcoming events in the Great Falls Forum series is available by contacting the Lewiston Public Library at 513-3135 or www.LPLonline.org.
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