1. Liban Mohmed, originally from Somalia, watches the events of the first Refugee and Immigrant Legislative Day

2. According to the Refugee Women's Alliance, Washington ranks in the top 10 of states with the
most immigrants and the most refugees. About 12 percent of the state's residents were born
abroad.
"We are sending a strong message that we want to have more say in our lives, that we are
deserving and entitled to equal access to opportunities, that we are more than the color of our
skin, our country of origin or a number in the census data," said alliance Executive Director
Someireh Amirfaiz.
.

3. Participants in the first Refugee and Immigrant Day congregate in the rotunda before rallying on the Capitol's steps
in Olympia on Tuesday
Shamso Yusif, right, leads marchers on the Capitol steps. Yusif, a caseworker for the Refugee Women's Alliance,
helped organize the effort. "I'm very happy with the way it turned out."

4. Newcomers from Russia perform dances as immigrants and refugees from many nations made their presence
known Tuesday at the Capitol.
Sahra Farah, president of Somali Community Services of Seattle, prepares to organize people in the Capitol
rotunda on a day when hundreds showed up to lobby for services and celebrate the contributions of foreign-born
Americans.

5. Kenya native Hussein Mberwa, 18, right, holds a sign as he and friend Mohamed Mberwa, 22, listen to a speaker
on the Capitol steps in Olympia, where some 800 immigrants and refugees gathered Tuesday to publicize and rally
for their interests.