The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Immigrants and Refugees in Louisiana and Mississippi

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the extreme vulnerabilities of poor and marginalized people, including immigrants and refugees. The webinar features immigrant community leaders and service providers who discuss the economic, educational, health, and safety consequences of the pandemic for vulnerable immigrants and newly resettled refugees in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Central Mississippi. Speakers include:

• Daniela Alulema, Director of Programs, Center for Migration Studies
• MariLo Martinez-Rivera, Executive Director, Mujeres Luchadoras
• Kimberly Mukerjee, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Director of Immigrant and Refugee Health, Section of Community Pediatrics and Immigrant Health, Tulane University School of Medicine
• Julie Norman, LMSW, Bilingual Counselor, Trauma Recovery Services, New Orleans Family Justice Center
• Dauda Sesay, Executive Director, Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants, and Member of Board of Directors, Refugee Congress for the Southern U.S.
• Monica Soto, English Language Tutor for the Forest Mississippi Municipal School District and Outreach Worker for El Pueblo
• Sue Weishar, Ph.D., Policy and Research Fellow, Jesuit Social Research Institute/Loyola University New Orleans (Moderator)

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The event was sponsored by CMS, the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University, and the Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law.

Due to health and travel concerns related to COVID-19, CMS and its partners canceled the 2020 Whole of Community Conference that was planned for May 21-23. This year’s conference theme was “Building Just and Inclusive Communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama: 15 Years After Katrina.”  This is the second of two webinars that CMS will host in its stead to allow participants to explore the challenges facing diverse immigrant and refugee communities in this region, including the new obstacles presented by COVID-19.