Local nonprofit Gallatin Refugee Connections is pairing up with community partners to host three open-to-the-public events during March 2018. Each event presents the tribulations experienced by various communities abroad, as well as celebrates the rich cultures and histories of these communities, including their presence in Bozeman and Montana!

Event 1

New Neighbors Project: Celebrate the Perseverance and Rich Culture of Montana’s Refugees through Film and Music

A Community Event at Bozeman’s Rialto Theater!

Who better to tell the story of America in 2018 than those who seek to live the American dream? What better antidote might there be to divisive politics and “alternative facts” stoking anti-immigrant hostility than visual documentation and music from displaced peoples

productively embracing their fresh start, building memories, enriching our communities and culture, and renewing the foundational American narrative?

Our media landscape is rife with accounts about and on behalf of refugees, but there are few opportunities for self-representation and community dialogue. Enter the New Neighbor’s Project, a community film and media project out of Missoula, Montana whose films Never Give Up While You Are Still Alive, Kuwezesha Wanakate, and Renga For The West are hitting the road in March with a screening at the Rialto Theatre in Bozeman on March 17th.

On this St. Patrick's Day, join our friends from Missoula - recently arrived refugees from Africa, to reflect on what immigrants mean to our country and how they've woven traditions into the fabric of our diverse society. These brave individuals will share their stories with us of what assimilation has been like for them into our dear home state. After a series of short films followed by a Q&A with the refugee filmmakers, steady yourself for the wonderfully worldly sounds from Joel Makeci, a true and mysterious musical gift from way across the waters, now at home in Missoula.

This St. Patrick's Day let us celebrate what makes this country unique by welcoming new voices, styles, and music into our lives. Come meet our new neighbors.

Doors at 6:30PM. Show at 7:30PM.
This event is all ages. Tickets are available online at rialtobozeman.com or at Cactus Records, 29 W. Main St., Bozeman, MT. Tickets are $10 (plus service fee).

Event 2

Fork & Spoon Homestyle Kitchen Joins Community Partners to Host Pay-What-You-Can Colombian Meal and Presentation

Featuring Guest Chef Claudia Krevat of Claudia’s Mesa, BoZambique and
Photographer Steve Cagan

Colombian culture makes its way to Bozeman! Fork & Spoon Homestyle Kitchen, Gallatin Refugee Connections, and the Public History Workshop of MSU’s Department of History & Philosophy are pairing up to host an evening of food, photography and music to explore and honor Colombian culture - both here in Bozeman and deep in the Amazonian rainforest.

The event will feature Bozeman-based guests, including chef Claudia Krevat of Claudia’s Mesa who will prepare an authentic Colombian meal, local music group BoZambique who will play world infused, Latin American rhythm and blues, and photographer Steve Cagan will share his photos and stories of the rich and challenged history of the human and environmental cultures of Colombia’s El Choco rainforest region. Steve’s discussion will focus on the consequences of violence perpetuated by civil conflict and economic projects in the region, especially mechanized gold mining, resulting in physical damage and cultural displacement.

LOCATION: Fork & Spoon Homestyle Kitchen | 302 N. 7th Ave | Bozeman, MT 59715 DATE: Tuesday, March 20, 2018
TIME: Dinner available from 5-7 PM. Presentation begins at 7:15 PM.
COST: The photography show, discussion and music are free, and the dinner is pay what you can, with a suggested price of $8.

WHO: The event is open to the public. We encourage all in our community to join, including families.

This event is made possible by Steve Cagan Photography; Public History Workshop, MSU Dept. of History & Philosophy; MSU College of Letters and Science; Humanities Montana; Fork & Spoon Homestyle Kitchen.

Event 3

“Who is a Refugee?” Photography Exhibit Opening Reception and Refugees & Displacement Panel Discussion

Join the Public History Workshop of MSU’s Department of History & Philosophy on Wednesday, March 21 for the opening reception of “Who is a Refugee?,” a documentary photography exhibit exploring the idea of population displacement in Latin America. The Exhibit and Reception will be held in the Exit Gallery, located in MSU’s Strand Union Building. The Reception will be followed by a panel discussion titled “Refugees & Displacement,” which will reflect on the historical and contemporary phenomena of the global refugee crisis. Panelists include Shahid Haque, a Helena-based attorney who specializes in immigration and refugee law and policy, Bozeman's Dr. Katie Woods, who recently returned from working with the Rohingya in Bangladesh, and documentary photographer Steve Cagan.

This event is free and open to the public. The Opening Reception will be held from 4:30-6:30 PM in the Exit Gallery, located in MSU’s Strand Union Building. The Panel Discussion will be held from 7:30-8:30 PM in the Procrastinator Theater, also located in MSU’s Strand Union Building.

The exhibit will be on display from March 20 through April 6, 2018. This event is made possible by the Public History Workshop, MSU Dept. of History & Philosophy; MSU College of Letters and Science; Humanities Montana; Gallatin Refugee Connections.

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GALLATIN REFUGEE CONNECTIONS is a group of local Bozeman residents committed to creating and sustaining a welcoming environment for refugees. These events aim to fulfill GRC’s mission by lifting up the tribulations of communities abroad and celebrating the presence of these rich cultures here in Bozeman.

For more information contact us at gallatinrefugees@gmail.com or visit us at facebook.com/gallatinrefugeeconnections .