博客存档 - Connecting Memphis

Fahti

5/22/2015

“My grandmother and I, along with many others, fled Somalia because of the war. We headed to Ethiopia, catching rides on buses, trucks, and with anyone who offered to drive us. Sometimes we stayed in places for a few days at a time; then we traveled again. It took two months to make the trip. My grandmother got very sick and died along the way.

“There were 14,000 people in the Ethiopian refugee camp. Since I was a teenage girl alone, I was afraid to stay by myself, so I lived first with one family, then another, but by my last year there, I lived by myself because I became strong.

“Back in Somalia, my father had taught us reading, writing, English, and Arabic. The first two years in the camp, I didn’t go to school, but then I took an exam and was placed in 9th grade. I completed 11th grade in the camp. After five years in Ethiopia, I got a chance to come to the United States. I wasn’t scared. I knew about America from studying in school, and when I found out I was coming, I looked on the Internet to learn more about it. I’ve been here for one year and one month.

“Now I’m working two jobs. One is with Ekata Designs, where I’m making jewelry, practicing business skills, and making additional income. I am saving money for my future and also sending money back home to help my family. My parents have left Somalia and live in Ethiopia now.”

Ekata Designs: "Teaching refugee women in Memphis, TN, how to make beautiful jewelry, a small step to helping them become independent in their new life..." (from the website)

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Marlayna

5/21/2015

“We lived with my paternal grandparents growing up. Granny Barbara sang a lot to me when I was little, and I sang with her as far back as I can remember. She came from an a cappella church tradition and had a natural, high soprano voice. At Christmastime when our family gathered, I’d stand beside her and we’d sing songs like ‘Beautiful Star of Bethlehem’ and ‘Amazing Grace.’ That was really special to me. Those early experiences had a lot to do with my loving music and led to my career as a classical singer and voice teacher. I’m working on a Doctor of Musical Arts degree now at the University of Memphis.”

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Contessa

5/20/2015

"I'm single, I don't have any kids, I just got my passport, and I'm ready to travel. I'm going to Haiti on a mission trip this summer, but there are lots of other places I want to visit too. I'd like to go to Germany and Uganda. And I want to go to London to see the Queen."

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Drew

5/19/2015

"It [tattoo] says, 'That which is worthwhile is difficult.' It's my favorite Greek saying."

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Emmanuel

5/19/2015

"My wife held down the fort all the time I was in the wilderness. She didn't smoke, drink, take drugs, or do any of the other things I was doing. Jesus is the one who got me out, but she was someone I could always look to when I was trying to get clean. She had that kind of strength. I've been away from that life for five years now. I'm glad to be out, and she's glad to have me back." [Once homeless himself, Emmanuel now helps serve meals to homeless men and women on Sunday afternoons.]

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Julia

5/18/2015

“A big draw to Rhodes was the Bonner program (a national service scholarship program), which has given me strong connections to the Memphis community. Since my first week in college, I’ve been volunteering where I was the minority. That's where I began to recognize the extent of the racial tension and poverty that existed right around me and how much reconciliation work needed to be done both in the community and in my own life.

"I was mentoring a teenage girl in Binghampton and thinking that if I got to know her, I’d have a better understanding of X, Y, and Z, that I’d know more about an entire group of people, but it’s more complicated than that. You can’t make those kinds of assumptions; you can’t generalize. Every person is an individual, and you see that once you get below the surface. The challenge is getting below the surface. Race and class privilege can speak loudly and keep you from seeing people as individuals.

“My faith has played a big part in how my views have changed. I had neglected church in high school, but once I started volunteering, I reconnected with religion. I could see that God’s heart for the city and his heart for racial reconciliation lined up exactly with what we were trying to do through the volunteer work. I know religion can be watered down and that it can be used to separate people from one another, but the message of Christ is one of inclusion, not isolation. I didn’t want to come to college and stay behind these gates. I wanted to go beyond them, to form real relationships and not just participate in one-time projects. Interacting with a greater variety of people has made me so much more aware. I’m continuing to learn, and the experiences are shaping who I am and how I want to live my life.”

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Tawana & Pamela

5/16/2015

"Neighborhood Christian Centers has sites all over the city; both of us have worked with them for years. There was one little girl who came to us when she was 8 or 9 years old. Her mindset was: grow up, get a boyfriend, have a baby, get a free apartment, get food stamps, and go on welfare like her mama and grandmama before her. We worked with her, helped her with homework, tutored her, showed her a different way to live, and gave her hope. When it was time for college, we gave her a scholarship, loaded her up in a van and physically took her to college. She had no family support. There were times when she just wanted to give up, but we mentored her, and she pushed on. That little girl graduated from college and has a good job now. She's an elementary school teacher with a nice place of her own, but she comes back to the apartments where she grew up and talks to those young girls. She tells them, 'I was where you are, and there's a way out.' There are so many stories like hers. Neighborhood Christian Centers makes a difference in people's lives."

Neighborhood Christian Centers, 785 Jackson Avenue 38107
Phone: 901-881-6013
Email: [email protected]

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David

5/15/2015

"I had a long, productive, and enjoyable career teaching Anatomy at UT, but I was ready to do something completely different. My first wife was an artist, and we always went to museums and galleries when we traveled, so I developed an interest in art. I thought about volunteering in a gallery when I retired, but then I thought, 'Why not open one of my own?' So I bought this house. It took a lot of work to get it ready, but it's a great space. People often talk about how expensive original art is, but if it's a priority to you and you save up for it, you can afford it. There's something about having a work that was done by the artist's hand, not mass-produced by a printer. Buying art as an investment is always a risk; you don't know whether or not it will increase in value, but if you love a piece and want to see it today, tomorrow, and for years to come, it's worth it."

Dr. David Hasty, Owner, Annesdale Park Gallery, 1290 Peabody, 38104

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Matthew

5/14/2015

"I want to bring out the good things about our region of the country, the things that move me emotionally and have an association with our history. Most of my work is landscapes. I love the land here; it's flat, you can see forever, and the moisture content is so high that it makes great clouds. I don't normally paint interiors, but I've painted Elvis's living room and the inside of Sun Studio. I had kind of a religious experience there: I had always liked Elvis, but when I stepped inside that recording studio and saw where it all happened, where all that music was made, the X on the floor where Elvis stood---well, I had to paint it. If it weren't for what happened in Memphis, we wouldn't have blues, rock and roll or jazz.

"I don't follow the news a lot because so much of it is depressing. The bad news just feeds on itself and makes people feel hopeless, but there is so much good going on here. Even with all its problems, I love this town."

Matthew Hasty is represented by L Ross Gallery, 5040 Sanderlin Ave., Sutie 104.

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Renee

5/13/2015

“At Peace of Thread, we empower groups of international women by teaching them to sew. The women in the current class are from six different African countries. When they learn to sew proficiently, they will take the machines home with them, and it becomes a home-based business. Many of these women have big families, and they need to be home with their children. This gives them an opportunity to do that and to make some money. Each purse that we sell is one-of-a-kind, is lined, and is completely finished on the inside. Each one has the artist’s name in it. The artist receives 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the items they create, and with the other 50%, Peace of Thread pays sales tax and festival fees, buys thread and materials, keeps the machines running, and handles any other expenses. It’s been a real joy to have some of our biggest days here recently; we’ve been able to bless these women with large paychecks.”

At work on sewing projects (photo credit: Peace of Thread):

Renee Lamb is the Director of Peace of Thread in Memphis (an organization founded in Atlanta by Denise Smith) . If you can sew and would be willing to help refugee women learn this skill, contact Renee.

Website: http://www.peaceofthread.com
FB: http://www.facebook.com/peaceofthreadmemphis
Email: [email protected]

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