Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants - CERI

10/19/2026

A space for stories, memories, and connection.
Community Impact Fund Contra Costa is collaborating with Nepali Community Support Group to create a welcoming space where our elderly community members can connect, share, and support one another.
Today, we took a trip down memory lane by talking about childhood and the songs we grew up listening to. From laughter to emotional moments, our group session was filled with beautiful memories, learning, and connection.
We are so grateful to create this space for our elders and look forward to continuing these gatherings every third Sunday, starting October 18.
Video/Edit: Priyanka Khadka
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10/17/2026

CERI is excited to invite you to our upcoming Stories of Home event on October 31st, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at 369 Chesley Ave, Richmond, CA 94801.

Join us for a meaningful gathering as we listen to inspiring stories from our community advocates, hear reflections and updates from our leaders, and experience the beautiful tradition of an Eritrean coffee ceremony. It will be a wonderful opportunity to connect, share experiences, and celebrate the diverse voices, cultures, and stories that bring our community together.

Everyone is welcome, and this is a family-friendly event. We would love to see you there!

Enjoy a traditional Eritrean coffee ceremony!

Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP and let us know if you’ll be joining us.

RSVP here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwqEVI0frD3gG3aCOS06wRqfY2d35PBSwxamXXbUrHJTjUBw/viewform

We look forward to sharing this special afternoon with you!

10/17/2026

CERI was proud to host a lovely and relaxing self-care gathering titled “Softening into Fall”. During this time we carved out a sacred space to simply pause, let go, rest, and receive. Together, we crafted custom herbal blends designed to cultivate and support daily self-care rituals.

Simply being in the presence of plants brings a grounding, calming energy to both body and spirit. Their beauty, aroma, and innate healing qualities naturally invite rest, relaxation, and release.

It was a beautiful, nourishing experience centered around release, care, and self-love. Thank you so much to everyone who paused their busy days to tend to themselves and receive this medicine. We all deserve that moments of peace.
🌱🌸🌿🌼☘️🪻
Georgia Young

10/17/2026

10/16/2026

A little glimpse of Sunday October 11 2026
• We came together to celebrate
Dashain, embracing Nepali culture through traditional food, beautiful outfits, music, dancing, singing, and putting tika together.
A beautiful day filled with culture,
connection, and community!
festival
Video/Edit : Priyanka Khadka

10/16/2026

CERI invites our Nepali community to join our monthly support group for seniors/elders from Contra Costa County, every third Sunday of the month from 1:30-3:30.

We will continue to do more needs assessment and determine how we can meet the needs of the elders. We will also be offering a self-defense class in January, which will happen on Fridays. This monthly group begins October 18th and will continue until June 2027.

This group is designed for folks who speak the Nepali language. Please share with anyone who you think might be interested.

Join us for our monthly community gathering!
• Arts and creative activities
• Mutual support, friendship, and a sense of belonging
• Health and wellness programs
• Self-defense classes
Every third Sunday of the month
1:30-3:30 PM
October - June 2027

10/15/2026

We Are Blessed
We are blessed. It feels so important to keep reminding ourselves of this truth at this time. That’s why these past few weeks have felt so special. We created spaces for giving and receiving blessings, for remembering the wisdom of our ancestors, and for grounding into our power as community even in the face of so much hardship. That’s what refugees and immigrants do, right? We stay blessed.

On October 2nd, we hosted our 5th Annual Pchum Ben Ceremony. Pchum Ben is one of the most important Cambodian traditions of the year. It is a time when Khmer families come together to remember and honor ancestors and loved ones who have passed away. People make offerings, share food, pray, and gather as a community to show gratitude and respect to those who came before. Being able to celebrate Pchum Ben together, especially in a community that has experienced so much loss, displacement, and separation, makes this gathering even more meaningful.

We enjoyed this celebration in the Presidio in San Francisco and then on October 9th brought the celebration back home to CERI’s office, where we held a specific Blessing Ceremony for our most impacted community members with active removal orders. We partnered with New Light Wellness, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, Asian Prisoner Support Committee, and Empowering Marginalized Asian Communities to create a space for healing, support, and spiritual grounding.

Then on October 11th we hosted our 4th Annual Dashain and Deepawali Celebration, which are among the most cherished times for Nepali and South Asian communities. The community came together for a special day filled with Tika blessings, joy, connection, and cultural pride to uplift hope, light, and colors of love and community.

During the same time, our very own Ariam Araya, CERI Community Care Coordinator, received the 2026 Alameda County Arts Leadership Award from the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. We are so proud of Ariam and her positive impact on community arts locally.

We feel so grateful for these past weeks of blessings and know that it’s the every day actions that make it all possible.

10/13/2026

JOIN US ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18th for WE REMEMBER, WE RESIST!!
Tsuru for Solidarity and fellow community organizations will be gathering on Sunday, October 18, for a Liberation Obon and Solidarity Pilgrimage honoring Asian communities targeted by ICE.
WHAT: Liberation Obon & Solidarity
Pilgrimage-altar building, Buddhist ceremony, walking meditation, music, and bon odori (obon dance)

DATE: Sunday, Oct 18 from 1-5pm
WHO: Open to all!
RSVP: (https://www.jotform.com/
262666033514152)tinyurl.com/obon-10-18

Grounded in Buddhist teachings on interbeing and interdependence, we will co-create a space to honor our ancestors and grieve the lives lost to the unjust and inhumane immigration system, paying special tribute to the stories of Asian ancestors. Through altar building, Buddhist ceremony, walking meditation, and bon odori dancing, we will remember and console the spirits of all those who have been killed by ICE this year.

Our neighbors, friends, and communities face increasing arrests and deportations (https:// stopaapihate.org/2026/09/15/a-pi-ice-data-fact-sheet/), with California seeing the highest rates of Asian arrests in the US. The conditions of ICE enforcement and detention are inhumane and deadly; since 2025, 80 people, including 14 people from Asian communities, have died at the hands of ICE.

We must keep showing up. Interdependence means that we are not free, until we are all free.
As we move toward the November elections, building our capacity for mass nonviolent resistance will be essential to upholding our democracy and keeping our communities safe.
Let's rise together to meet this moment with fierce compassion and solidarity.
SCHEDULE/LOCATIONS:
1-1:30pm: Procession through Japantown, starting at KOHO (1675 Post St)
1:30-2:15pm: Altar building @ Kinmon Gakuen (2031 Bush St)
2:15-3:30pm: Walking Pilgrimage from Kinmon Gakuen to ICE Office (~2 mil e walk)
3:30-4:30pm:
Service, Vigil, Bon Odori, & Cultural Offerings outside ICE Office (630 Sansome St)

10/13/2026

CERI honors National Coming Out Day, October 11, 2026. This annual LGBTQ+ awareness day marks the anniversary of the 1987 National March on Washington for Le***an and Gay Rights, coming out is a core form of activism and a powerful tool to combat prejudice.

The Political Climate: 2026 observation was a study released by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) revealed that while 85% of LGBTQ+ adults surveyed live openly, 56% noted that the current political climate makes them less likely to share their identity, highlighting ongoing concerns regarding safety and acceptance. Global campaigns and community events emphasized that coming out is a deeply personal journey; when they feel safe & ready. CERI is a safe supportive space: with our broader supportive community and community based organizations.