I stood in front of my students getting goosebumps up and down my arms as I read the speech that Martin Luther King Jr. gave on August 28, 1963. “I have a dream” he said, “that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” Every day when we introduce ourselves at the beginning of English class I like to tell our participants that I am from Georgia.  I have read this speech and have been taught about Martin Luther King Jr. many times over the years, but never have I had the opportunity to share this American story that has shaped our history with someone who is new to our country. The  story I was able to share about who this man was and how he affected our country had never impacted me like it did during this class.

Our participants have left their homes to find refuge for various reasons. One student explained that she came to America because her mother had darker skin color than her. It caused issues in her home country. I am sure there was more to the story than that but this young, intelligent girl came so that her mother could live in a place where she wasn’t defined by her differences but by her own qualities. True to Dr. King’s words, this family traveled to America to gain equality and be judged only by their character. We sat down at a table, people of multiple skin tones, and talked about how this was once a much larger issue that separated an American from his fellow brothers and sisters. Each of our participants have found refuge in America after they lost hope of finding safety and success in the places they once lived.

They have hopes and dreams that one day they will be able to find a stable country where they and their families will be safe.  They dream that they will have a house of their own and find a job that can help sustain their families. They dream to go back to school. They dream that one day they might contribute to our society to show thankfulness for the assistance we have provided. Some even dream that one day it will be safe to go back to where they ran from, they want to help the rest of their society fix what is broken.

My students were more engaged than I have ever seen them in any other writing activity. A few common sentences were written on the board so student could have an idea of what they would like to express (or if they knew what it meant but didn’t know how to write it they could copy it and add their own flavor ). The worksheet also had a space provided to draw for those who couldn’t write. The main idea was for the participants to understand the concept within the lesson then express their understanding by adding their own flavor to their piece.

These are our friends and those that we stand beside as God has called us to do. The vulnerable that we fight to protect. God calls us to love our neighbor and to help those who are not from the same background as ourselves. Our participants are part of groups that are titled as the most vulnerable throughout the world. If you take a moment to read through them you will learn more about the hearts of those that we at World Relief encounter every day.

 

Click here to see my blog on the WR webiste to read some of their stories.