“We all want community, Chris. Stop spreading hatred,” Hunkun Abdullahi said. On Dec. 4, 2015, Chris Berg, host of KVLY’s “Point of View” had an intense discussion with two guests. Abdullahi is the Executive Director of the Afro American Development Association of Moorhead, Minn. Berg’s second guest was AADA’s programContinue Reading
In one day, Chandra Acharya saw 75 people die and be cremated by the riverside at Beldangi II refugee camp, in Maidhar, Nepal, “Kids, older folks, all because of dysentery and diarrhea from the dirty river,” Acharya said. Several years later, Acharya is now living in Fargo, where he worksContinue Reading
Identifying angst about refugee resettlement Walking into LSS these days isn’t as simple as stepping into the lobby, strolling down the hall and knocking on doors. Resembling the visitation process of public schools, walkins must check into the front desk, stating their business or appointment. For the remainder of theirContinue Reading
Each month in Fargo-Moorhead and around the country, New Americans gather at naturalization ceremonies to be sworn in as new citizens of the United States. The process of becoming a citizen takes a minimum of one year’s time to complete from the time it takes to apply, go through background checks, study, and takeContinue Reading
Growing more than veggies It’s early February, the ground is covered in sticky-wet snow and the streets are sloppy from a week of 40-degree temperatures. This weather is unseasonably warm for the majority of the Fargo-Moorhead population. But for New Americans Zainab Alsudani and Alyaa Luaibi, Fargo is still chillyContinue Reading
LSS helps refugees secure jobs Kawa Hawari goes to work every day and meets with people from all over the world. He listens to these peoples’ stories about their families, friends, future aspirations, the journey to the United States, and past work experience. He works with people just like him,Continue Reading
At one o’clock on Friday afternoons, the room begins to fill with bodies – a kaleidoscope of colors. Turquoise, magenta, cerulean and violet peppered with the occasional leopard spot or zebra stripe. Each woman is wearing her own interpretation of a covering. It varies with every culture, and in thisContinue Reading
Fowzia Adde is at work in her office in the Townsite Center in Moorhead. Every minute, it seems, a bing from her computer indicates the arrival of another email—from businesses seeking funds from her organization, groups inviting her to conferences on gender equality and female empowerment, an elderly relative askingContinue Reading
Every day, New Americans in the Fargo-Moorhead area go to work. Some go to work at a job that barely pays the bills. Others go to work in a specialized industry. A select few go to work at businesses they created on their own. According to the American Immigration Council,Continue Reading