Global Café: Building Rohingya Community in Chicago

14 East Jackson Boulevard,Chicago IL 60604

22 May, 2023

Description

The Rohingya people are a predominately Islamic ethnic minority community who have lived in Rakhine State in western Myanmar (formerly Burma) and some neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, India and Thailand for thousands of years. They are now considered by the United Nations as “the most persecuted people in the world”. In recent years, they have been subjected to violence, torture, and mass displacement by the Myanmar military and Buddhist extremists. As a result, many Rohingya have fled Myanmar and sought refuge in other countries such as Bangladesh and the United States, often facing difficult conditions and inadequate assistance. They are currently the largest group of refugees who are being resettled into the United States. Chicago is host to a large number of Rohingya. Unfortunately, the situation remains challenging and complex with ongoing violence and political tensions in Myanmar and limited and strained resources in asylum countries. This Global Café will explore the experiences of a Rohingya refugee coming from a refugee camp in Bangladesh and the work of the Chicago Rohingya Cultural Center and its efforts to help the Rohingya refugees resettle in Chicago.