{"id":1733,"date":"2018-04-24T13:36:44","date_gmt":"2018-04-24T17:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newbridgesirc.org\/?p=1733"},"modified":"2018-04-24T13:36:44","modified_gmt":"2018-04-24T17:36:44","slug":"faces-of-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newbridgesirc.org\/sw\/2018\/04\/24\/faces-of-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"Nyuso za Uhuru: Mchezo wa Skyline Middle School Unaleta Tumaini kwa Wahamiaji huko Harrisonburg"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOne of the characters in the story said \u2018they give you that look\u2019…I\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019ve\u00a0<\/strong>experienced that look more than once.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sarah, a 7th grader at Skyline Middle School, is an immigrant whose family came to America from Iraq when she was 7. She\u2019s the Assistant to the Director for Skyline\u2019s most recent play, Faces of Freedom<\/em>. She\u2019s talking about the look on the face of a non-immigrant when they first come in contact with someone they perceive to be an immigrant – a look of judgment, of rejection, of fear of the unknown. This micro-aggression is something that Sarah said she experiences a lot, and something that she hopes will change as people learn more about the immigrant experience through seeing Faces of Freedom<\/em>.
\nFaces of Freedom<\/em> is a play comprised of live reenactments of the stories of immigrants and their struggle to come to America. The narratives feature immigrants from many periods in history, such as 1907 and the 1970s, as well as the stories of modern-day immigrants. Rebecca Rogers, the drama teacher responsible for choosing and directing the play, spoke about why they made the choice they did: \u201cI like to do stuff that not many people know about. It\u2019s important to have our own voice.\u201d<\/strong> The performers also had input in the choice of the play.
\n

\"Faces
A student performer stands in front of the hand-painted backdrop. The images in the backdrop were chosen from a school-wide survey that asked \u201cWhat does freedom mean to you?”<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nAccording to Eve, an 8th grader and performer in the play, being in this performance taught her a lot about the experiences of other immigrants. Eve is an immigrant from England, and she had no idea of the privilege that immigrants from European countries have until she worked on Faces of Freedom<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter doing the play, I realized that I had it really easy, because (England) is one of the most accepted countries to come from. I realized that others have had a lot of difficulty, and some of them didn\u2019t make it despite trying for years and years.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Both Sarah\u2019s family and Eve\u2019s are in the process of applying for citizenship. Sarah’s family has experience discrimination. The play talks about the struggle to fit in as an immigrant family in a scene which stood out in Sarah\u2019s mind:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s one character whose mom tells her to fit in, but her mom can\u2019t fit in herself. if people don\u2019t see you as you, it\u2019s gonna be different. You have to tell people that this is you, and if they don\u2019t like you, it\u2019s sad.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So how do you fit in as a child who has migrated to America?
\nKulingana na Faces of Freedom<\/em>, one good way to find your place in the American school system is to try and find things in common with your native country. Rogers describes this happening in the play:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt touched briefly upon what it\u2019s like at school…Bella\u2019s brother had a scene where he was playing a student that had immigrated and was trying to fit in at school and just couldn\u2019t figure it out. At the very end they played soccer in gym and he finally connected. It was this really happy, sweet thing. It shows that all you have to do is find one thing.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Finding one thing, Rogers says, that immigrant children have in common with native-born children, can be the difference for many children between finding a home and community in America and being ostracized.
\n

\"Faces
Director and drama teacher, Rebecca Roberts, gives a speech before the production.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nI asked the kids what it\u2019s like to live in Harrisonburg, a unique town containing immigrants from innumerable countries and cultures. For most, especially those who had grown up in Harrisonburg, diversity is a fact of life, and nothing to be afraid of. Kristine, an 8th grader and performer in the play, said that it \u201cSeems weird, going to other places with not many immigrants, because you\u2019re used to being here (in Harrisonburg).\u201d<\/strong> But while children who have grown up around diversity find it absolutely natural to accept and value immigrants in their community, Rogers believes that acceptance is much more difficult for adults who have not had such a diverse upbringing. Rogers says that the kids,<\/p>\n

\u201chave grown up in this diverse school system, and they\u2019ve been around it so long, so they have a unique perspective. But as an adult, this play made me a lot more thoughtful about the things we think without even knowing we\u2019re thinking them, and how important it is to be more self-aware about the subconscious thoughts you have. Are we really paying attention when we say that we\u2019re not judging? How real are we with ourselves? Adults who saw this definitely got that message.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Every kid that I talked to said that growing up in Harrisonburg made them more accepting and respectful of the difficult situation that most immigrants face, and are incredibly supportive of immigrants in the community. For many of them, doing this play only enhanced their empathy. I asked if they had any messages that they\u2019d like to convey to people who are attempting to migrate here, and their answers were so lovely. For Sarah, the most important thing for immigrants to remember is that they\u2019re valuable and that they\u2019re here for a reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything happens for a reason. You\u2019re here for a reason. It\u2019s probably because your parents wanted to see you in the future as, like, a doctor, as whatever you want to be…. these people live with us, they\u2019re around us, we\u2019re friends with them, they\u2019re our family members. I feel like I\u2019ve learned that it\u2019s gonna stay this way. We\u2019re gonna have immigrants, and they\u2019re great people. I\u2019m one myself.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Faces
Two students portray Muslim immigrants telling their story of migration to America.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nMeeting these kids and seeing their empathy and welcoming spirit gave me incredible hope for a future filled with respect, humility, and love for all people regardless of where they\u2019re from. As Eve described, the sign which started at Emmanuel Mennonite Church and is now seen in hundreds of yards around town feels for her like the most valuable message for immigrants. Talking to the kids at Skyline Middle School really made me believe that the sign, the mantra, was true; in Harrisonburg,<\/p>\n

No matter where you are from, we\u2019re glad that you\u2019re our neighbor.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The proceeds from Faces of Freedom\u2019s concession stand were donated to NewBridges, where we can use the money to help people like Eve and Sarah\u2019s families obtain citizenship, as well as provide immigrants in the community with resources for financial aid, paperwork, translations, and much more.
\nThank you, Skyline – you\u2019ve encouraged us to continue to help our immigrant community feel more at home here.
\n 
\n\"Delaney\"
\nKuhusu mwandishi:\u00a0<\/strong>Delaney Keefe is a Junior Political Science\/Pre-Law major at JMU with a minor in Legal Spanish, and an intern with NewBridges for the spring and summer semesters. Most of her literary work consists of interviews conducted for her radio show, Dame Theory, which is broadcast WXJM 88.7 FM radio and focuses on the legal, political, and community experiences of marginalized people. She’s also the president of college radio at JMU! In her free time, Delaney plays keyboard, bass guitar, and sings in 2 bands. She concentrates non-academically on music and visual arts, but academically concentrates her study on native and diasporic Spanish-speaking people. More articles from her will be coming soon!
\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

"Mmoja wa wahusika katika hadithi hiyo alisema 'wanakupa muonekano huo'\u2026 nina hakika kuwa nimepata mwonekano huo zaidi ya mara moja." Sarah, mwanafunzi wa darasa la 7 katika Shule ya Kati ya Skyline, ni mhamiaji ambaye familia yake ilikuja Amerika kutoka Iraq wakati alikuwa na miaka 7. Yeye ndiye Msaidizi wa Mkurugenzi wa mchezo wa hivi karibuni wa Skyline, Nyuso [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events","category-uncategorized"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newbridgesirc.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newbridgesirc.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newbridgesirc.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newbridgesirc.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newbridgesirc.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newbridgesirc.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1733\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newbridgesirc.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newbridgesirc.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newbridgesirc.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}