Starting Over—and Over and Over Again
The Japanese phrase Ikoi No Kai translates in English to “the gathering place.” It could also mean a haven, a welcoming spot where people gather for fellowship.
Category: BHM
He Came by Stork, I Came by Plane
The first time Liani Reeves realized that other people saw her as Asian was in the fifth grade. “Everybody decided that Michael Lee and I should
Painting his way around the world
On a Wednesday afternoon in 2003, Samir Khurshid burned his own painting. The rest of his 480 works were also destroyed that year, he said, in his hometown of Tus, […]
“I Lived to Tell the World”
The guy on the MAX train shot an angry glare at a younger man sitting nearby. Emmanuel Turaturanye was dressed in the plaid shirt and down jacket of the Pacific […]
Going Public with My Story
For many years, Xiomara Torres avoided telling people she had come into the US as an undocumented immigrant. “There’s so much shame with knowing you were
Dreaming Beyond Borders
“I don’t have papers.” With this admission, Liliana Luna saw her chances for college slip away. The high school counselor who was advising her suddenly gathered
Dignity in Helping Others
One might not expect someone who has been bullied and shot at to pour all her energy into helping others. But Divine has been defying odds and expectations
Becoming His Own Role Model
After his older sister was badly burned by scalding water, Miguel Rodriguez’s mother, a nurse in Orizaba, Mexico, knew the young girl needed to be seen by medical
Speaking Out: From Poetry to Politics
Don’t let 17-year-old Belise Nishimwe’s petite stature fool you. Measuring in at just 4 feet 9.5 inches tall, she is bursting with confidence, charisma and big ideas
From Fist Fighting to Mediating
Bernal Cruz had just been suspended from high school for taking part in a fist fight when one of the school counselors stopped him and said, “I think you would
A Resilient Daughter of the Arab Spring
When Rama Yousef was born in the Syrian capital of Damascus in 1999, her father cursed and cried tears of frustration. She was his fourth child and not the son […]
Crossing the Line in the Sand
Ivan was eleven years old when his family left Mexico. He had been doing well in his school in Mexico and he was very popular because of his loud voice […]
In the Land of the Free
Mariamou thought she was leaving behind hatred, violence, and fear when she arrived in America. But now in Portland, Oregon, she once again fears for her life.