Asma
My name is Asma. I am a former refugee from Somalia. I'm a full-time wife, a full-time mom, a part-time student, and a part-time employee.
I always loved to use my voice, but I didn't know how. During my mother's application process, I found Taylor, a student from Kenyon. Now that I think about it, we found each other. She was looking for someone to work with her, and I was the one who wanted to work with her.
This process took a long time for us. We worked very hard for our voices to reach others. Finally, we did something important, and we are very proud of each other.
I would like for everyone who wants to bring their voice out, to never hesitate. Do not hesitate. Those stories always matter. I am very proud of this project. And I love it.
Taylor
My name is Taylor, and I am a senior at Kenyon College who is majoring in Anthropology and English with a Creative Writing emphasis.
During my junior year, I came to realize that anthropology can provide a powerful perspective to conversations about human rights and refugees. This site is the senior honors project that came from that realization. It is a collaborative ethnography, which means that I worked alongside Asma to create this project, giving her just as much (if not more) of a say about how she told and shared her story.
I cannot thank Asma enough for agreeing to join me on this difficult, empowering journey. She said it best: "Those stories always matter." And her story does matter. It is beautiful, in all of its meanderings. And I love it.