This week on Mosaics, we hear from four storytellers about their journeys of displacement to becoming an American. Tune in to learn more about Idaho's resettlement history, hear firsthand accounts from storytellers representing Ukraine, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, and experience the cultural heritages they continue to carry with them as they contribute to the American experiment.

Featured storytellers include Alla Aguilar and Tom Kanon (mother and son), Yasmin Aguilar, and Ezra ‘Kevin’ Irankunda. Ernestine, a high school student in Boise, performed an opening song in Kinyarwanda. Boise City Council Member Jimmy Hallyburton presented an opening message, and Mosaics host Holly Beech shared about the resettlement history and trends in Idaho.

This event was presented by the City of Boise on June 4 in partnership with the Idaho Office for Refugees and hosted at JUMP, part of the City of Boise's America 250 series.

This episode was recorded live and produced by SB Studios.

Muzdalifa Hamad joins us on Mosaics to raise awareness about her home country, Sudan. Sudan is the focus of the Pace for Peace Run for Refugees 5K on May 30 in Boise (sign up here!).

Muzdalifa’s parents fled the Darfur region of Sudan before she was born and raised their children in Libya, where life was difficult but safer. The family resettled in the U.S. through refugee resettlement when Muzdalifa was in middle school. She remembers the support and kindness of her teachers as she learned English and became familiar with her new surroundings. Muzdalifa went on to earn a doctorate and is now a licensed pharmacist.

Sudan has a rich history of different language and ethnic groups, faith and cultural traditions, and architecture - including the most pyramids in the world. However, its people have suffered from political and military conflicts for generations, including colonization and competition over territories rich in gold resources.

Proceeds from the Pace for Peace will go to Agency for New Americans, a resettlement organization in Boise, and to the Atiye Charity Association, a nonprofit providing direct support to refugees in located in and around Sudan. Since its founding in 2024, Atiye has provided people with food, school supplies, and access to prosthetic care and rehab.Muzdalifa shares about Sudan’s history, her family’s experiences there, the caring community she experienced, and her favorite foods and holiday traditions that her family continues to pass down.

Andrea Schmutz, who moved to the U.S. from the Philippines at age 18, is the founder of Empowering Immigrant Women in Pocatello, Idaho. She is also an educator and pursuing a doctorate degree in educational leadership.

Andrea was recently named Miss Idaho for America Strong with the platform of Education Beyond Boundaries, which encourages immigrant women and single mothers to get a formal education so they can help themselves in whatever circumstances they might face. Andrea in recent years became a single mother herself, and the tight-knit community supports each other through life's challenges. 

Andrea, a pianist, is putting on a concert this spring to raise money for Education Beyond Boundaries and fund her trip to the national Miss America Strong competition in August. Learn more here about how to support her and visit the Empowering Immigrant Women website to connect with Andrea. You can hear her first Mosaics interview from December 2023 in episode 25.

Anna Lloyd is the Executive Director and Afghan Allies Advocate with Task Force Argo. Task Force Argo formed after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to support Afghan allies and help people who were stranded in Afghanistan or neighboring countries.‎

In this episode, Anna, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, shares about the work of Task Force Argo and how she stays focused and driven amid the daunting scope of the situation and suffering. She finds purpose in helping each next person that she can.

“You can’t feel guilty about living your life,” Anna shares. “You have to live your life. Because when you’re at peace, and you’re fulfilled, and when you have happiness and joy and something to look forward to, focus and purpose and mission, you’re more productive to help somebody else in need.”

Anna served in the U.S. Marine Corps for nearly 21 years and was a Master Sergeant when she retired in 2018. She served in 4 deployments, including humanitarian deployments and 2 combat deployments in Iraq. From 2015 to 2018, she served as Deputy to the Legislative Director, providing advice and support to the Chairman of ‎the Joint Chiefs of Staff on all legislative matters.

Anna now lives in Indiana with her husband and children. She plans to visit Idaho next month for Agency for New American’s movie night at The Flicks on April 23. The film, Fremont, is a 2023 American drama film about an Afghan refugee living in the U.S. after serving as a translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan

Amy Pence-Brown is the new executive director of Artisans For Hope in Boise, Idaho, a vibrant community space of creativity and economic empowerment. Here's their story:

In 2009, a group of Boise women in a book club began discussing their common interest in textiles and care for refugees resettled in Boise. They felt many refugees were met with difficulties of adjusting and community misunderstanding and ambivalence. These women wanted to help find a creative and inexpensive way to help refugee neighbors feel welcome and become a part of the larger Idaho community. The vehicle? Textile handcrafts and an opportunity to connect, learn, create, and earn. Artisans For Hope became a nonprofit and started teaching Idaho refugees to sew and knit for free in beginner courses and the opportunity to become advanced sewists who sell their wares and earn a 60% commission. Sixteen years and nearly a thousand graduates later, we remain committed to the same mission.

Within the term “refugee” is a wide range of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences - including ‎among refugees from the same country.Sanga Zamaraikamal Pori, a senior at Boise State University and fellow with Neighbors United, is a former refugee from Afghanistan. Her story is unique to her own set of experiences and perspectives.Sanga and her family resettled in Boise, Idaho, when she was 4 years old, when the Afghan community was smaller. She remembers being the only student in her class wearing a hijab.Sanga is proud of her heritage, including being a Pashtun. She passionate about building a future career that supports other refugees in some way. In her free time, she loves getting creative with thrift store finds to make beautiful and traditional outfits.

Desange Kuenihira wrote her book, Undefeated Woman, to encourage other young people from refugee backgrounds - and through the process she found strength and healing for herself. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Desange spent much of her childhood in a refugee camp in Uganda before resettling in Salt Lake City. She has since graduated from the University of Utah and founded UnDEfeated, a nonprofit uplifting students and women in Uganda, some of whom are navigating life after child marriage. UnDEfeated’s American sponsors can take trips to Uganda to personally meet the people they are sponsoring. Learn more about the work of UnDEfeated and hear directly from students at speakundefeated.org and on the UnDEfeated YouTube page.

The United States is in a moment of upheaval for refugee resettlement and immigration enforcement. John Slocum, executive director of Refugee Council USA, has spent many years working in migration policy and human rights. John shares a valuable and historical perspective on the immigration conversation of today.

The Pace for Peace 5K is returning to Boise this month - this time with a focus on Afghanistan.

“The situation in Afghanistan still is getting worse, not better,” said Yasmin Aguilar with Agency for New Americans. “We have clients here, they are suffering, they have family members there – extended or immediate – and our hands are tied.” Sayed Mirbacha, one of the local students organizing Pace for Peace, fled Afghanistan with his family four years ago after the U.S. military withdrawal and Taliban takeover.

“Leaving everything behind and moving to another country…was shocking,” he said. “The support and the community I found here was so heart-touching to me.”

Sign up here to support Pace for Peace: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pace-for-peace-5k-run-for-afghanistan-tickets-1487201251979

Run for Afghanistan on Sept. 27. Proceeds will go to the Qamar Foundation, whose mission is to tackle social injustice and poverty through education.