Immigrant Stories: Building Community
When one thinks of a refugee story, our minds often paint a picture of a family relocating from one country to another to call a new foreign place home. As I listened to the story of our February immigrant spotlight, I was in awe of how she was redefining what “journey” meant and carefully constructing the power of community.
Christie Cobbson, A proud Burundian who is a driving force, sat down with me to share her story of how she got to where she is today. Though there were a variety of modes of transportation that brought her to her destination, she firmly reassured me that community is key to triumph and success. Her story began at just 6 years old when her family uprooted from Rwanda (her birth country) to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in search of asylum. You would think that there would be systems in place once stepping foot in a new country as a refugee. Quite the contrary, Christie, her three sisters, and parents had to travel by bus, train, and car, until they had to use the only source of motor they had left, their feet. Christie and her family walked fearlessly for 3 months until they finally reached a refugee camp. After 2 weeks of calling this refugee camp home, the United Nations came to liberate some ease. When the only option to leave the refugee camp was to split the family into two, the family quickly took hold of this opportunity and decided to split ways. While the older siblings and dad were placed in Tanzania, the younger girls, along with mom were placed in Belgium. Though time apart was not promising of experiencing home together as a family ever again, hope still remained. Three years later, Christie and her whole family were able to reunite in the place they still call home to this day, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Upon arriving in the United States, Christie recalls being able to hear the silence in the streets, stores, and neighborhoods. “I was so used to being in a collective-mindset environment. I wondered why were families not gathering to support one another? Why is everybody cooped up in their homes?” Christie saw a lack of livelihood in this new city but it took her no time to change this narrative. Christie used every opportunity to become a part of a community, if not, create one of her own. She remained true to her essence and understood that it was going to take support and encouragement from a collective to achieve everything she aspired to be. From creating a family-like friendship in her high school EL (English Learner) class, to supporting organizations, and establishments that empower belonging to this day, Christie is a firm believer in creating an environment that builds you up. Christie’s advice to others is to “Align yourself with the right people. Good friends, and a supportive system, shouldn’t make you change who you are in order to fit in.” Take the time to know who you are, and what you want out of life. This way, the people and communities right for you, will become very clear.
Written by: Maxine Osorio
