In June, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the United Nations and a member of President Biden's cabinet, paid a special visit to Beautiful Day. What an honor it was to welcome her! We gave her a tour of our community garden, kitchen, packing and shipping operations. The trainees enjoyed showing her what they do. In the kitchen, they even invited her to help them stir and pack hummus, bringing lots of joy and laughter to everyone involved. Who could refuse a tub of hummus packaged by the Ambassador to the UN?
Throughout the visit and during the final gathering, our trainees and refugee staff had the chance to share their personal stories. People told her about leaving their home countries and about the challenges of adjusting to life in the US. They asked her to continue advocating for refugees at the United Nations, especially those with family members back home who were waiting, sometimes years, for permission to come here. One staff member talked about his harrowing journey from Iraq to Rhode Island 15 years ago, where he became one of Beautiful Day's first trainees. His daughter just got accepted to MIT, a moving testament to his determination to build a great life here for himself and his family.
Welcoming our first presidential cabinet member was an extraordinary experience that left us honored and deeply inspired by her career-long commitment to refugees. Our trainees were encouraged by her interest in their work and eagerness to hear about their lives.
