A Welcome Resource

Asylum Hill Multicultural Resource Corner Grand Opening January 26, 2017 at
Catholic Charities' Asylum Hill Family Center in Hartford, CT

"What a striking contrast between what we're doing in this city, and this neighborhood versus what's going on in Washington. Some people build walls. In this state and this community we embrace people," proclaimed Connecticut State Representative Matt Ritter at the Asylum Hill Multicultural Resource Corner ribbon cutting ceremony on January 26, 2017.

Ritter's comments captured the spirit behind the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association (AHNA) Welcoming Committee's determined drive to establish a community resource to welcome and support all Asylum Hill residents, with a specific focus on new arrival immigrant and refugee families.

"The opening of the Resource Corner marks an important occasion for all neighborhood residents seeking information and assistance. By launching the Resource Corner, the Welcoming Committee has taken an important step toward establishing a multicultural center in Asylum Hill," said Jennifer Cassidy, Asylum Hill community leader and Multicultural Center Steering Committee chair.  Located at 60 Gillett Street in Hartford, the Resource Corner represents a true community collaboration between AHNA, the Library, Catholic Charities' Asylum Hill Family Center, and the UConn Graduate School of Social Work. 

 

       Jennifer Cassidy, Georges Annan-Kingsley, 

State Representative Matt Ritter and Moureen Bish (L-R) 

cut the ribbon opening the 

Asylum Hill Multicultural Resource Corner

In the summer of 2013, the Welcoming Committee was established through the combined efforts of AHNA and the Hartford Public Library to address the pressing need "to reach out to and welcome new arrival immigrant and refugee families living in Asylum Hill -- many of whom initially experience culture shock and feelings of isolation," according to Nancy Caddigan, Hartford Public Library's Intercultural Liaison, and Welcoming Committee chair. "This is vital because at least 30% of the Asylum Hill resident population is made up of immigrants and refugees hailing from such countries of origin as Nepal, Togo, Peru, Sri Lanka, the Ivory Coast, Iraq, the Republic of Congo, Burma, Somalia and Ethiopia." 

Caddigan further explained "One of the major unmet needs identified at early Welcoming Committee sponsored community activities and meetings was a lack of a designated meeting space for residents of Asylum Hill to come together to share and participate in civic, social, and cultural activities that would strengthen connections between neighbors, and make those new to the neighborhood feel welcome." 

Jennifer Cassidy (L), Georges Annan-Kingsley (third from right) and Liz Gustafson (R)
welcome Roger Rugina, James Rugina, and Benedict Muliro from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Benjamin Simpini from Togo.

In an immediate effort to more specifically identify Committee priorities, the Library sought and received a grant from the national organization Welcoming America. The grant  proved invaluable. It provided the opportunity to conduct a total of seven critical focus groups in fall 2014 in which almost 200 Asylum Hill residents and stakeholders participated, aided by interpreters. Participants shared their suggestions and ideas of what they envisioned taking place in a multicultural center which included such things as community meetings, weddings and celebrations, ethnic cooking classes,  foreign language instruction, and student tutoring, as well as a resource center for referrals to essential health, housing, legal and employment services. 

Recognizing that significant funding and sponsorship would be required to establish a full-scale multicultural center,  the committee set its sights on addressing the immediate needs of new arrivals. The idea of establishing a small resource facility to provide much needed support and referral services to assist families in acculturating to their new community germinated quickly. The immediate objective would be to ease families' struggles in getting their basic health, education and human services needs met. The agreed first step would be to pursue setting up a Multicultural Resource Corner staffed by an intern and volunteers from the Welcoming Committee. Soon the UConn Graduate School of Social Work, and Catholic Charities joined the effort as enthusiastic partners to make the Corner a reality.

The School of Social Work jumped at the opportunity when approached by Cassidy with the idea for a hands-on internship to help at the Resource Corner. Graduate student Liz Gustafson came on board immediately. Next, Cassidy and Welcoming Committee member Georges Annan-Kingsley scoured the neighborhood for another partner with a suitable location to house the Resource Corner. A willing and generous champion shortly emerged in Moureen Bish, director of Catholic Charities' Asylum Hill Family Center. Bish took the idea to her corporate leadership who fully embraced the proposal. The Family Center's location in the heart of Asylum Hill at 60 Gillett Street was an ideal fit.

Moureen Bish (R) welcoming the AHNA Multicultural Resource Corner to
its new office at Catholic Charities' Asylum Hill Family Center

At the Resource Corner dedication, Bish expressed a warm welcome to the AHNA initiative. "We are happy to have you. What we do here [at the Family Center] is work with families, enrich families' lives, and strengthen families; so to be able to provide this [additional] service to the newest families in the neighborhood, we are super, super happy." Bish continued saying she was "pleased with the effort that's gone into making this a reality. Our multiplicity of Family Center services are open to the Multicultural Resource Corner -- all our services are at their disposal."  

Georges Annan-Kingsley speaking at the Resource Corner dedication

Welcoming Committee member and Asylum Hill resident Georges Annan-Kingsley (a medical refugee from Côte d'Ivoire) spoke about the long-term need for a full fledged multicultural center. "When I came here, alone at first without my family, this neighborhood became my family. Through the work of the Welcoming Committee, we found out it [would be] good if we can have a place where those people coming from some place else can meet together as a family and keep [their] culture. This is what the framework is for creating a multicultural center where people can preserve and share their culture, and be proud of their culture -- and broaden American culture."

Jennifer Cassidy chats with Fouad Abbood a 2014 refugee from Iraq
and former security services interpreter

Lar Pwe Paw (Burma) and Nayomi Dasanayke (Sri Lanka)
share a moment at the Resource Corner Dedication   

With the launch of the Multicultural Resource Corner, the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Associations' Welcoming Committee has taken the vital first step toward its longterm goal of establishing a multicultural center open to all residents. Right now the focus is rightly where it should be -- providing residents with a guiding hand toward critical basic health, education and human services needed to succeed.    

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com


Don Shaw, Jr. photos

Marching on Washington: A Voice from the Crowd

"Lifting up others as we rise."

An estimated 3.3 million people in cities across the United States marched on January 21, 2017 - - an impressive number to be sure. So it's a high probability you know of at least someone who did. I know many.

Kate Mason marched on Washington. Here's Kate's reflection about the Women's March on Washington.

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Marching on Washington: A Voice from the Crowd

By Kate Mason

I've really enjoyed hearing and seeing about people's experiences at the Women's March yesterday, and wanted to share some of what I saw in Washington, DC.

My mom and I joined a group of people from Connecticut and took buses down to DC for the day; we left at 1 a.m. early Saturday and got back around 3 a.m. Sunday morning. Our bus parked at RFK Stadium…because Metro stations were already overwhelmed …we walked the three miles to the rally site.

L-R: Liz, Ginny (my mom), me

Most yards that we walked past had signs with MLK, Jr. quotations prominently displayed. We never got close enough to see the rally speakers—or even one of the Jumbotrons farther away from the stage—but we got to be part of the crowd.

Being in that crowd, I was touched by the multiple feminisms and messages I saw on display. Many signs were anti-Trump, but I didn't see one sign or hear one chant disparaging Trump voters. People's signs talked about immigrant rights, Black Lives Matter and anti-racism, reproductive rights, transgender rights, healthcare, environmental justice, and more. A huge number of signs explicitly referenced intersectionality. This wasn't only about self-empowerment; these signs and chants exemplified one of the core values of feminism: lifting up others as we rise. I can't think of a more loving message to share, or a more perfect rebuke to the spiteful, self-promoting rhetoric that the current president often uses.

I was touched by the patience and peacefulness of the protest. Conditions were often uncomfortable, and it was frustrating not to always know where we were going or who was speaking, but people handled it with grace. The most tension I ever saw was in the line for port-o-potties—people waiting an hour or more to pee can get a little grouchy—but even there was camaraderie and cooperation (people offering to hold each other's signs & bags so that they could get in and out of the bathroom as quickly as possible).

With my friend Caitlin (left)

Skeptics may look at the march and ask, "How do you expect this to accomplish anything? You need to come together around a single issue." I agree that targeting specific issues will be important in the months and years to come, but there was something incredibly powerful in seeing such a diverse coalition of people and goals come together in this one space. And I'd also like folks to remember that moments when social movements make progress—like the 1960s—often see progress on multiple fronts, made possible by different movement groups learning from and supporting one another (think of Civil Rights, Women's Liberation, Gay Liberation, and other movements of the 1960s and surrounding years). Being strategic and organized about our demands for social change is important, but the claim that we must coalesce around a single goal is a false choice.

Lastly, I was impressed by the work I saw people doing to build coalitions and be better allies. I saw men amplifying and deferring to women's voices; I saw white people carrying signs for racial justice; I saw citizens marching on behalf of immigrants and undocumented residents; etc. This isn't to say that everyone did this well, and it isn't to give privileged folks a "cookie" for being decent. And I've heard stories through my social networks about some people who really weren't good allies, and some folks of color who were excluded and/or talked over. I didn't personally witness that happening, but I absolutely believe that it did.

Feminism is a work in progress. Social justice is a work in progress. Allyship is a work in progress. Let's appreciate the good from yesterday, name and improve on what wasn't good, and remember that our work isn't done. The marches yesterday demonstrated some very fertile ground for social justice work, and I can't wait to see what we grow in it."

Kate Mason is an assistant professor of Sociology and Women's & Gender Studies at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. Her areas of scholarly teaching and research are gender, social inequality, health, and the body.

Walking the Interfaith Path with Sami Aziz

Imam Sami Abdul Aziz presenting his sermon at the
First Congregational Church of Granby CT Sunday service.

What's the difference between a Sunni and a Shia? What are Islam's principle beliefs and practices? Is it really a religion of peace? What is Ramadan, and why do Muslims fast? Is there really a chapter in the Quran about Mary? Is it true that Islam recognizes Jesus, Adam, Noah, Moses and Abraham as prophets?  

Want to know the answers to these and the multitude of other questions you may have about Islam? Imam Sami Abdul Aziz, founder of the Islamic consulting firm Common Ground Services, would welcome the opportunity to explain Islam, and answer any and all queries you have.

Passionate about educating others to fight ignorance, hatred, and fear of Muslims, Sami and his consulting team speak throughout Connecticut spreading the message of peace, which is at the core of Islam. Sami spread his message Sunday, January 22, 2017, partnering with his wife Vjosa Qerimi-Aziz, vice president of Common Services Consulting, when they participated in First Congregational Church of Granby CT's church service, and presented their introductory Islam 101 during the after service lunch.  Church members enthusiastically welcomed them.

Sami and Vjosa are on a mission -- a mission to ensure Muslims and Islam are understood and accepted, not merely tolerated (and certainly not rejected outright), as part of our diverse, multicultural United States.

Vjosa Qerimi-Aziz reading from the Quran 19:16-34.

Sami is an American. His background is extensive. He serves as Imam for three organizations: PrayerSpark.com, a global interfaith service, Lighthouse for Humanity, and the Bloomfield Muslim Community Center. Additionally, he is Muslim chaplain at Wesleyan and Quinnipiac universities. And to make sure he has no spare time, Sami is a Doctor of Ministry candidate in Islamic Studies at Hartford Seminary.

Rev. Ginny McDaniel  and Vjosa Qerimi-Aziz, with Imam Sami Aziz in the
background presenting Islam 101, at First Congregational Church of Granby CT

Their messages about Muslims and Islam, along with the their plea that "we are just like you, patriotic Americans wanting to live in peace and harmony," left us with greater understanding of our uniting similarities. 

Communication, collaboration and co-operation are the pillars of a strong, sustainable, peaceful community. Reach out to Sami. He'll answer your call.

Assalamu alaikum; peace be upon you.

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RdTruckStonecatcher.com

My Friend Needs a Kidney Transplant

Georges Annan-Kingsley with one of his art works displayed at an Asylum Hill art show

Georges Annan-Kingsley is my friend. As a long persecuted political refugee from Côte d'Ivoire, Georges suffered chronic, stress-induced hypertension causing his kidneys to fail. After a long, courageous bureaucratic struggle to escape western Africa via Ghana, aided by the French consulate, Georges received medical refugee status in the United States. He arrived in near fatal condition. He was saved by immediate access to medical attention. 

His life is interrupted three times a week with grueling dialysis sessions necessary to keep him alive. With his disability he's barely able to muster the strength to help raise his family. Because his abilities are diminished he is limited in following career pursuits and engaging in community life. He's an accomplished artist (he has a painting on display at the White House), teacher, radio host, and Asylum Hill community leader championing the acculturation of arriving refugees and immigrants into this thriving Hartford, CT neighborhood. But for long-term survival Georges needs a kidney transplant. Despite his struggles, he keeps a positive, constantly smiling attitude. George has hope.

Georges Annan-Kingsley hosting his show on GhanaBeats Radio

Georges' way of life is the norm for all in need of a kidney transplant. Like many of our friends, family, colleagues, and the millions of people we will never know, kidney disease has a fierce grip on their lives. Its causes are many, ranging from genetic predisposition, diabetes, hypertension, and insulin resistance to lifestyle causes such as physical inactivity, poor diets, and obesity.

So what can we do about it?

We can follow Georges' lead. Georges is championing another cause, the urgent need for the healthy people among us to become Living Donor Champions.

"A Living Donor Champion is someone who helps spread the story of a loved one in need of a living kidney donor. The Champion helps share their story and raise awareness about kidney disease, transplantation, and living kidney donation. The goal is to find a potential living donor for their loved one." 

Please read the brochure below and consider making a life changing difference by becoming a Living Donor Champion. 

If you would like to talk with Georges directly, which he is willing to do, please reply to my blog with your contact information. I will forward it to him.

Thank you.

The Living Donor Champion Program

Photos by Don Shaw, Jr.
"Champions Needed" flyer provided by Georges Annan-Kingsley

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

"What Shall I Do With These Hands Of Mine?"

Dave Gunning performing at the Salmon Brook Music Series
November 4, 2016

"What shall I do with these hands of mine?" It's a universal question each one of us must answer.  

Some hands have held the world together
Some hands have fought wars forever
Tell me what shall I do with these hands of mine 

Some hands have blessed a million people
Some hands have helped free the world from evil
So tell me what shall I do with these hands of mine

So sang Nova Scotian troubadour Dave Gunning as he began his inspiring rendition of These Hands to an already mesmerized audience, which later joined in as he led us through the chorus:

What shall I do with these hands of mine
What shall I do with these hands of mine
The world could use a hero of the human kind
So tell me what shall I do with these hands of mine

Gunning performed at the Salmon Brook Music Series in Granby, CT on November 4, 2016, and to the series' loyal fans he made a lasting impression. "It's been a month and I've listened to his CDs every day since his concert!" exclaimed a friend. I have, too. Every day!

"Gunning is the next big thing in the True North of Song, an artist as compelling, as assured and attentive to every nuance of the writing process, as Lightfoot, Cockburn and Stan Rogers before him,” acclaimed the Toronto Star.

He's fun, he's uplifting, he's full of hope. Gunning's music offers a compelling voice of conscience with a call to action, accompanied by infectious, humor-laced heart-warming stories of his life growing up in Nova Scotia.

"As a fervent hockey fan, Gunning was also thrilled to win the CBC’s hotly-contested Hockey Night In Canada Song Quest in 2014 with A Game Goin’ On, a co-write with David Francey," as highlighted on his website.

Gunning's Sing It Louder, "a tribute to Pete Seeger," is a song with lyrics as compelling as These Hands:

Across the valleys and up through these hills 
There's a feeling all over this land   
That if we stand and rise together 
There is change within our power   
I am preaching to the choir to sing it louder  
I am preaching to the choir to sing it louder

We need his voice. We need his inspiration. We need his hope.

Listen again to another impassioned version of These Hands sung at a fund raiser for the IWK Children's Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

We must answer his question -- what shall we do with these hands of ours? And while we do, we want Dave to return to Granby. And soon!

What shall we do when he returns?

We shall pack the house, and sing it louder!


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Photograph by Don Shaw, Jr.

A Pathway Opens

Immigrant Career Pathways graduates celebrate with ESL instructor Gail Rosin (far left)
and Pathways Program Coordinator Jayna Velez-Molina (far right back row).

November 10, 2016.

It's graduation day.

Graduation day for the inaugural class of Hartford Public Library's Immigrant Career Pathways introductory food service program, a collaboration with Hartford Public Schools' Food & Child Nutrition Services.

Nine Hartford immigrants celebrated completion of sixty hours of ESL (English as a Second Language) classes and thirty-six hours of a hands-on internship in a Hartford public school cafeteria preparing them for food service careers. The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving (HFPG) funded program offers Hartford's recent arrivals an opportunity to successfully enter the workforce with knowledge, experience and skills.

Managed by Jayna Velez-Molina, Pathways Program Coordinator, this collaboration extends Hartford's welcoming hand to immigrants seeking a career opportunity. ESL instructor Gail Rosin's classes introduce students to food service terminology and the basics of what constitutes good food service practice. But it requires more than classroom instruction. Practical application is critical.

An excited  Maria Vasquez displays her 

Immigrant Career Pathways Certificate of Program Completion 

presented by Gail Rosin (left) and Jayna Velez-Molina (right)

Lonnie Burt, the Hartford Public Schools' Food & Child Nutrition Services Director, provides each student with a thirty-six hour on-the-job-training internship in one of the school system's fifty-two school cafeterias. "It's a great way to provide training to help immigrants get ahead. Additionally, it introduces diversity into the school system's cafeterias, and offers the potential to provide cultural food options reflective of the community," Burt said. "It's also a winning way for the school system's food services program to identify potential employees for job openings which occur routinely," she added.

In the future, today's graduates can further their careers by taking an advanced class, also funded by HFPG, for experienced food service workers. Taught by Trish Lawson, the school system's Field Manager for Food & Child Nutrition Services, students learn the National Restaurant Association's ServSafe sanitation standards, and apply them through school cafeteria internships, as well. It's required training for the national food protection exam to become a QFO - a qualified food operator. In Connecticut at least one person per food service establishment that prepares and serves food must have this important certification. Thirteen other students who just completed this advanced class, which requires another thirty-six hour internship, took the ServSafe exam on November 8th and are awaiting their results.

Left to right Trish Lawson, Lonnie Burt and Gustavo Sanchez 

celebrate Mr. Sanchez's graduation.

A combined total of twenty-two immigrants, nine in the introductory course and thirteen in the advanced course, who arrived in Hartford from Mexico, Peru, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Thailand, and Colombia, participated in the Immigrant Career Pathways food service program.

As a measure of the program's success, four of today's nine graduates have been hired for entry level positions in the school food system according to Wanda Dunaway, the Food & Child Nutrition Services Organization Manager. Capital Workforce Partners also participates in this initiative by providing resume preparation assistance, and job search support to facilitate entry into the local workforce.

Community collaborations work. This innovative community collaboration has opened a career pathway affording Hartford's new arrivals an opportunity to secure their first job in the United States. 

The next cycle of classes begins in January 2017. Contact Jayna Velez-Molina (jvelezmolina@hplct.org) at the Hartford Public Library for details.

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Photos by Don Shaw, Jr.

Post-Racist vs. Post-Racial America: A Big Difference

Aasif Mandvi
Photograph by Christian Oth for the New York Times

Reading Ana Marie Cox's interview of actor, comedian and writer Aasif Mandvi (October 9, 2016 New York Times Magazine) reminded me of Wes Moore's comments at The Connecticut Forum about wanting a post-racist, not a post-racial America. There is a difference. A big difference.

Mandvi argued in his Cox interview that "We’re not postracial [sic]. Years ago, people would say, “I don’t see race.” But you do see race, and if you tell yourself you don’t see race, you’re never going to address your racism [emphasis mine]. I’m not interested in being beyond race anymore. I’m more interested in leaning into race and saying that we need to accept that other people are different. That is the multiplicity of the human experience and also what potentially makes America great —" 

Wes Moore at The Connecticut Forum
Screen shot from Forum video

Wes Moore made similar points at The Connecticut Forum's Racism program (December 3, 2015) when he said in the Forum's posted video "I don't want to exist in a post-racial America because I'm not ashamed of my race, and nobody should be ashamed of theirs. I don't want to exist in a post-racial America. I want to exist in a post-racist America. And so there's a difference."

So we, the citizens of the United States of America, if true to our belief in the Constitutional rights of all Americans, should recognize, understand and celebrate what Moore said in his Forum comments, and what Mandvi concluded in his interview when he said "we need to accept that other people are different. That is the multiplicity of the human experience and also what potentially makes America great —"

Take just five minutes to follow the the links in my text to read the Mandvi interview, and hear Moore's video comments. They are important points of view.

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Happy Birthday to President Carter, an Inspiring Stonecatcher!

President Carter greeting the congregation before teaching Sunday School
Maranatha Baptist Church, Plains, GA, May 22, 2016

President Carter speaking at the Carter Weekend
luncheon on his boyhood farm, May 21, 2016

In celebration of President Jimmy Carter's 92nd birthday on October 1, 2016, Peggy and I, and Tom and Dougie Trumble, share our heartfelt thoughts about the impact he and Rosalynn have made on our lives, and the lives of millions of people around the world. They are inspiring stonecatchers!

The following is an updated version of the August 26, 2015 letter (and Hartford Courant Op-Ed) my good friend Tom Trumble and I sent to President Carter while he was being treated for cancer. It says it all.

Don Shaw, Jr

Writer and Editor

RedTruckStonecatcher.com

***********
The Carter Center

One Copenhill

453 Freedom Parkway

Atlanta, GA 30307

Dear President Carter,

“No photos! Keep working! We’ve got homes to build!” Your impassioned work site charge, as our benevolent taskmaster, always kept us focused on what was important – getting the job done.

Constructing at least one hundred Habitat for Humanity homes in one week at your annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project is an incredible challenge. Shepherding three thousand volunteers from around the world, from different cultures and ethnicities with diverse languages, you and Rosalynn have shown us it can be done anywhere in the world through hard work and unwavering resolve. Building one hundred simple, affordable homes, working side by side with new homeowners to be, is a miracle of deep faith, selfless teamwork, long sweaty hours, and untiring commitment to Habitat’s mission. Thank you for leading by example – hammering and sawing as vigorously as anyone.

South Africa was our first Carter Work Project, a project centered on reconciliation from years of apartheid. The initial one hundred homes we built in 2002 outside of Durban, in a community aptly renamed “Ethembeni” (a place of hope), is now a thriving village of many more homes and local services. After witnessing the tremendous power of international collaboration to help families build new safe and healthy homes, we unhesitatingly volunteered for your projects in Mexico, India, Thailand, and twice in Haiti after its devastating earthquake. 

Openly engaging us through your daily briefings and lessons, especially your amazing Sunday school lesson in Haiti, made us feel part of your inner circle. It’s a mighty big circle, indeed! Your after-hours discussions on world events, and the Carter Center’s tireless work, ranging from the soon to be complete eradication of Guinea worm disease to monitoring elections to brokering peace relations around the world, made us realize our Habitat work is diplomacy at its best – moving from advocacy to action to achievement. 

With each project we returned to our home affiliate, Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity, with new experiences to share about Habitat’s great work and impact in eliminating poverty housing in other countries. It reinforced the importance to Hartford Habitat donors to share our abundance by faithfully continuing to tithe 10% of our unrestricted funds to Habitat affiliates outside the United States. It is critical to sustaining Habitat‘s worldwide mission. As you have taught us so well, adequate shelter should be a basic human right throughout the world.

This past May we were thrilled, honored, and grateful to be invited to meet with you and Mrs. Carter during Habitat for Humanity International's Carter Weekend in Georgia. You can count on us to “Keep working!" at home and abroad because "We’ve got homes to build!”

Happy Birthday!!

Don & Peggy Shaw
Tom & Dougie Trumble


The following photos were taken on the back porch of President Carter's boyhood farmhouse on May 21, 2016, in Plains, GA, during Habitat for Humanity International's Carter Weekend.

Peggy and Don Shaw with President and Mrs. Carter

Dougie and Tom Trumble with President and Mrs. Carter

Photos of President Carter at Marantha Baptist Church and Carter Weekend luncheon by Don Shaw, Jr.
Photos of the Shaws and Trumbles courtesy of Habitat for Humanity International.

Plant More Milkweed!

Monarch Butterfly in My Backyard September 12, 2016

After a two year absence, a Monarch Butterfly set down to feed in our backyard! We watched as it entertained us throughout the afternoon.

"In the spring, summer and early fall, they can be found wherever there are milkweeds. Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweeds and they're always searching for them in fields, meadows and parks. Many people plant milkweeds in their gardens. Females will look for available milkweed plants to lay eggs. 

The eggs hatch after approximately four days. The caterpillars are small and they grow many times their initial size over a two-week period. The caterpillars feed [exclusively] on the available milkweed plant. When they get big enough, each caterpillar forms a chrysalis and goes through metamorphosis.

The chrysalis protects the monarch as it is going through the major developmental change of turning from a caterpillar to a butterfly. The chrysalis is green with yellow spots. After another 2-week period, an adult butterfly will emerge from the chrysalis."*

Please create a welcoming environment for the Monarch wherever you can. We need to do as much as we can to protect and save this beautiful species.


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

* Source: National Wildlife Federation

Photograph by Don Shaw, Jr.

Welcoming Refugees and Immigrants

Hartford Karen Community New Year Celebration January 16, 2016

Georges Annan-Kingsley, Hartford Artist

In recent years I've been fortunate to work with many refugees and immigrants in Hartford through my work with the South Marshall Interfaith Coalition and the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association's Welcoming Committee. Want to help address refugee and immigrant assimilation and civic engagement? Here's a great opportunity. 

The City of Hartford is looking for eight to nine volunteers to serve on its Commission on Refugee and Immigrant Affairs.   I encourage Hartford area residents to apply for a position on Commission. Make a difference. Be a stonecatcher!

Below is the Commission's media release in English and Spanish with the particulars.

Commission on Refugee an Immigrant Affairs

In 2013, the City of Hartford created the Commission on Refugee and Immigrant Affairs (CRIA) to advise the mayor and city council on issues and concerns affecting the city’s refugee and immigrant residents and to promote refugee and immigrant civic engagement.

In its first year the commission worked on municipal identity cards, supported an ordinance revision that strengthened Hartford’s status as a sanctuary city, and urged the city to do a better job of communicating essential information (including health information) through community media outlets in different languages.

CRIA meets the second Tuesday of every month at 6 pm in the Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street, and meetings are open to the public.

Commissioners are volunteers appointed by the mayor to serve renewable terms of one or 2 years. Any area resident may apply for a position on the commission (if they are immigrants or refugees or their work serves immigrant incorporation).

To bring refugee and immigrant issues to the attention of the Commission or for information about applying to serve on the commission, email hartfordcria@gmail.com. Find out more about Hartford commissions and the CRIA website (in progress) at  http://www.hartford.gov/boards-and-comissions/active-boards.

Comisión de Asuntos de Refugiados e Inmigrantes

En el 2013, la ciudad de Hartford creó la Comisión de Asuntos de Refugiados e Inmigrantes (CRIA) para aconsejar al alcalde y el concejal de la ciudad sobre las cuestiones y preocupaciones que afectan a los residentes de la ciudad que son refugiados e inmigrantes y promover el compromiso cívico de los refugiados e inmigrantes.

En su primer año, la Comisión trabajó en las tarjetas de identidad municipales, apoyó una revisión de una ordenanza que fortalece la ciudad de Hartford como una ciudad santuario, e ínsito que la ciudad hiciera un mejor trabajo de comunicar información esencial (incluyendo información de salud) a través de los medios de comunicación en diferentes idiomas.

CRIA se reúne el segundo martes de cada mes a las 6 pm en la Biblioteca Pública de Hartford, 500 Main Street, y las reuniones están abiertas al público.

Los Comisionados son voluntarios y designados por el alcalde para servir un período renovable de uno o 2 años. Cualquier residente puede aplicar para una posición en la comisión (si son inmigrantes o refugiados o su trabajo sirve la incorporación de los inmigrantes).

Para traer asuntos de los refugiados e inmigrantes a la atención de la Comisión o para información sobre cómo aplicar para formar parte de la comisión, envíe un correo electrónico a hartfordcria@gmail.com . Conozca más acerca de las comisiones de Hartford y el sitio web de CRIA (en proceso) en http://www.hartford.gov/boards-and-comissions/active-boards .


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

The Connecticut Forum's Religion in America 2016

The Connecticut Forum's Religion in America 2016 on September 29, 2016 kicks off the Forum's 2016-2017 season. I'm looking forward to a lively discussion on "The changing role [of religion] in our culture, politics and lives." It's great opportunity to listen, learn and grow.

Follow the link above to the Forum's website for more information about the panelists, and to purchase tickets.


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Saving Children and Marines in Mogadishu

A Happy Day at Restore Hope Orphanage 1993. 

A scarlet, key-laden lanyard hung around Khadija Mohamud's neck. The gold lettering was unmistakable: United States Marine Corps. My question obvious; her answer emotional. Khadija's story quickly unfolded. "Two Marines were forgotten, left behind. I had to do what I had to do," Khadija said recounting her unhesitatingly selfless call to action in saving two U.S. Marines in war torn Mogadishu. I knew then that Khadija's story must be shared with others, many others.

Khadija and I met at Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, VA in what she described as "such an unexpected circumstance." We were both among several chaperones guiding a "getting to know you" interfaith youth gathering. She for the Muslim youth of Dar Al-Hijrah, and I for thirty Granby, CT high school youth on a week long trip to Washington, DC, which focused on gaining perspective on Race, Religion, and Privilege.

Khadija and me at Dar Al-Hijrah, August 4, 2016

The trip, which is a whole other story, sponsored by First Congregational Church of Granby, purposefully took the Granby youth out of town to engage with Washington-area youth in collaborative activities ranging from a Black Lives Matter workshop to LBGTQ discussions to Aging-in-Place service projects with in-need elderly to the Holocaust Museum to a White House tour to a Muslim prayer service at the Capitol, and to the thoughtfully-planned meet, greet, and play with more than 50 youth from DAH Youth, and 20 more from ADAMS Center and The Young Leaders Institute. Intense, provocative, and enlightening, the week was a huge success.

Saving Children

The year 1991. The city Mogadishu. 

After 13 years in the United States pursuing her education and career as an accountant, and becoming a citizen, Khadija (known to some by her nickname "Lul", which means "Pearl") had returned home to Somalia for a short visit to check on the well being of her family. The short visit to help secure the safety of family and friends turned into an eight year life-changing mission in Mogadishu to save children whose lives were torn apart by the horrific combat raging throughout the city. 

Fighting had injured hundreds of children; many had lost their parents. Mothers desperately needed help for their children, their husbands killed in the fighting. Access to food and medicine was increasingly difficult, clinics were closing, and others were treacherous to reach.

Somali Child in Mogadishu

With her friends, Khadija responded to the crisis by organizing their grassroots Somali Relief and Development Organization, "a group of volunteer professional women who wanted to do something for the children of Mogadishu." An abandoned building was found, and a mother and childcare center established. Instantly, it was "providing medical care and food for 150 injured or malnourished children and mothers." But in November 1991, as the civil war exploded throughout the area, with rockets raining down, gunfire piercing the air, and looting rampant, "overnight 10 times more children came to our center." As medical supplies and food ran out death became routine. The images seen around the world were horrific.

Khadija, desperately seeking more help, returned to America to solicit aid in the U.S. and Canada. The Somali-Canadian community responded immediately arranging the first ton of medicines and first aid supplies to be shipped safely through international relief agencies and the United Nations. Khadija soon returned to Mogadishu. Her unflagging efforts led to an additional assignment. She was appointed as Feed the Children Program Officer in Mogadishu.

Khadija was saving children. Soon she would be saving two U.S. Marines. 

Saving Marines

The year 1993. The city Mogadishu. 

Khadija now was serving as Feed the Children International Country Director for Somalia, as well as managing the Restore Hope Orphanage in Mogadishu North "with well over 2,000 orphans, abandoned and needy children, ages 2 to 12."

Khadija's Feed the Children ID

In early October the Battle of Mogadishu was fought. It was the battle in which two U.S. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were shot down, a tragedy documented in the book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War. The fighting resulted in thousands of Somali casualties, along with several U.S. soldiers dead and many more wounded. Later in October, even though the city remained extremely dangerous, a UN visit to the Restore Hope Orphanage proceeded as scheduled.

The following narrative is Khadija's recounting of saving two Marines as told to me: 

It was October 24, 1993. In celebration of United Nations Day, U.S. Navy Admiral Jonathan Howe, the Special Representative for Somalia to UN Secretary General Butros-Ghali was scheduled to visit the orphanage along with other dignitaries and high-ranking military officials from various countries. 

Security was tight due to the orphanage's location near the so called Green Line, a dangerous no man's land dividing Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia into North and South between warring factions. 

That day, a large area around the orphanage compound was secured by the U.S. Marines and there were several armored military vehicles strategically positioned inside, outside and around the orphanage's compound.

A Somali Youth Approaching a Mogadishu Security Checkpoint

Inside the orphanage, a great deal of time before the arrival of Admiral Howe and his entourage, a unit of the U.S. Marines took position in several corners inside the building, first floor, second floor, entrances to second floor, on the roof, front and back entrances of the orphanage compound. There was a large contingent of media personnel from around the world. 

The visit lasted about 45 minutes. Guests toured the Center, interacting, playing, singing, and taking pictures with the children and staff. Then everyone departed. 

It was through our program that we, along with Feed the Children, provided everything for the children: food, medicine, clothing, education, recreational activities to keep them off the streets during the day where their would be role models were killing and looting. 

However, at the end of each day before nightfall, we released the children to their extended families.  We worked diligently to locate the children's closest kin and place them with relatives so that they would not be institutionalized, but grow up in a family environment. On top of that the security situation would not have permitted us to keep the children at the orphanage compound after dark. Clashes, shootings, mortar shelling and looting were the norm. It would have been strategically impossible to evacuate over 2,000 children. The consequences would have been devastating if fighting broke out. 

The sun was setting, it was getting dark. I was getting ready to close. I sent my guards to secure all gates and doors of the compound when I came to find out that two U.S. Marines were forgotten, left behind. 

My first thought was: "No, it is not possible."

I walked down to where they were positioned, I saw two very young soldiers, one black and one white, holding tight onto their weapons, seemingly alarmed. They were very young, I guess maybe between 19 and 21 years of age. 

I thought: "Oh my God! What now?" 

I went up to them and told them that everyone of their group had left, but in reassuring them I said to them: "Don't worry, I am American like you. These are my guards, and I promise no one will harm you. Come with me and I will take you to safety to the Italian Military base which is the closest." 

I felt they became a bit relaxed but they told me that they must follow rules and must stay where they were last known to be. 

Night was approaching. It was unsafe for me, too, to be trotting around. Mogadishu was in the hands of armed militia who took the city hostage. Throughout the night you would hear gunfire and random rockets being fired. There were security checkpoints set up by local police, however, in the darkness if anyone halted you to stop, you were doomed if you stopped, and you were doomed if you did not stop, because there were also some checkpoints set up by thugs for the purpose of looting and rape. In the darkness, with no electricity, you could not distinguish the good guys from the bad ones. So you do not stop, never. You take your chance of avoiding bullets raining down on you as you flee. 

The U.S. Military base was in Mogadishu South, we were in Mogadishu North. But I had to do what I had to do. 

I got my driver ready with my pick up truck, loaded the back with armed men, some of my security guards, and left for the Italian Military base, which was nearest to the orphanage. 

Needless to say that to approach any military base, day or night, was very dangerous. Fortunately my vehicle was easily identifiable with Feed the Children's flag and logo on the doors, plus they knew me. The gate opened and I drove in. I asked to see the General who was in charge of the base, presented to him the situation. Right away he summoned one of his captains, who with some soldiers, quickly got into an armored vehicle and followed me to the orphanage. 

Before we left the Italian Military base, the General communicated by radio, I believe first with the U.S. Military base in Mogadishu South, and then following instructions he radioed the head of the Nigerian Military Contingent, which was based at the old port of Mogadishu also not far from where we were. We headed there.

The Italian General tried to see if it was at all possible that the two Marines could be air lifted by helicopter back to their U.S. base in Mogadishu South. Usually airlifts were done by flying over the sea to avoid ground area. By flying over the Green Line there was the danger that militia would shoot rockets to bring the aircraft down. 

The head of the Nigerian Military expressed concern as there was a ban for airlifts at night, but said that they would stay in communication by radio with the U.S. Military base, and in the meantime the Nigerian base would host the two Marines for the night and take them to the U.S. base in the morning. And so it went.  

After I had secured them in the Nigerian's safe hands, it was my turn to try to get home safely. While all this is happening, I was expecting my son, my first born.  

I am grateful to God that He has given me the opportunity to do good. My faith teaches me that ".... If anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind" (Quran, Chapter 5, Verse 32). I guess I got double of that. 

I would also add that the U.S. Marines adopted the orphanage, which was named after the UN Operations in Somalia: Operation Restore Hope. When we first occupied the building, which was an old Catholic private boarding school, and my elementary school as a child, the walls were riddled with bullet holes and marked with war related graffiti. The roof and the structural support were in pieces. U.S. Marines and Sailors began helping. They even shared their MREs (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) with the children, if we ran out of food. To honor their involvement, we painted the center with the colors of the U.S. Marines: GOLD and SCARLET. I hold them dear in a special spot in my heart. Semper Fidelis! 

It's been 23 years since that day and I always ask myself: "Where are those two Marines now? They must be in their late forties, fathers or even grandfathers. Would they remember me?" Who knows, but I wish I could know.

Epilogue

The situation deteriorated throughout Somalia in late 1993 and into 1994. Most U.S. troops were withdrawn in 1994, and completely by 1995.  Khadija recalled how the country fell back into chaos and renewed fighting between factions. As a way to arm themselves the local militias looted food convoys and exchanged food for weapons. Mogadishu's main seaport and airport fell into the hands of thugs and criminals. Ships could not dock at the port because rocket fire scared them away. "I stayed behind even after all foreign presence was gone, [even] while relief agencies left due to security reasons," she said. Foreigners were targeted for kidnapping for ransom.

Eventually, as food ran out and what security there was declined further, Feed the Children closed all programs in Somalia by the late 1990s. Khadija was relocated to the Feed the Children office in Nairobi, Kenya. "I continued to support some of the children in Mogadishu on my own, but however little, my assistance was not reaching them," she lamented.

For a couple of years Khadija worked as a Program Coordinator for another agency, and later as a Fundraiser/Project Proposal Writer for a Nairobi Catholic mission, the Diocese of Rumbek.

In 2003, Khadija returned to the United States, settling in Fairfax, Virginia. She resumed her career as an accountant, and, as she said, "a full-time mom to her children, Edoardo and Sarah," now 22 and 20, respectively.

"As far as for me," Khadija sighed, "I feel my mission was not complete."

Khadija did what she had to do in Mogadishu.

Khadija will continue to do what she has to do.

Khadija is a stonecatcher.

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Source documents, photos and images from Khadija Mohamud; Don Shaw Jr.; CIA World Factbook; Defense Technical Center; and Amazon.com