This one is set in Decatur Georgia where a school brings together American children and those of refugees from 40 or so war-torn countries and works darn hard to educate them. The cultural exposure that all of them get and the friendships they develop are nothing short of amazing.
All this in a formerly white-only suburb that was historically one of the bastions of the Ku Klux Klan.
A lot of these kids have seen or experienced things that no kids should ever have to go through. And this brings more challenges to the ever patient teachers who have to coax and comfort them. And I guess it helps that some of the staff also had first hand experiences of living as refugees or escaping war situations, like for example the lunchroom lady from Srebrenica who was driven from the town during the Serbian massacre of some 8,000 Bosnian men and boys.
Do read the story and watch the video of Dante Ramirez, a white American boy and his Burmese refugee friend Soung Oo Hlaing.
I guess this is one of the things that still make America a beacon of tolerance and diversity despite many current evidences to the contrary. Yes, it is still capable of opening its heart and arms in an amazing way.
Oh, and Merry Christmas everyone.
Labels: america, human interest
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