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As we close out Black History Month, we spoke with a member of the local church, Gashayeneh, about his experience growing up in Ethiopia and moving to the United States in his early twenties. 

When Gashayeneh moved to the U.S. in 2005 from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Black history was a seemingly distant topic for him. 

“I felt like African American history was something far away from me,” he said. “I didn’t have any attachment to it—it used to feel very distant.” 

Growing up, Gashayeneh learned about famed figures from the Civil Rights movement such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his political science classes, but his studies on the matter tended to focus on apartheid in South Africa. 

“We were told a lot about apartheid in South Africa, how that apartheid looks like the same that African Americans were living in the U.S.,” said Gashayeneh who is an active member of Spring of Life Evangelical Church in Memphis. “We didn’t have a complete understanding of the history or the Civil Rights movements in America.” 

Upon moving to Arkansas after receiving a green card through the diversity lottery visa program, what he had learned in the classroom finally began coming to life around him.  

“After I came to the U.S., I learned a lot,” Gashayeneh said. “I had a personal interaction with African Americans, their lives, their histories, the culture and the challenges they’re going through. I started getting a personal understanding of the history and knowing more.” 

More than 15 years later, he’s still learning today, even through his children, who celebrate Black History Month in school.  

“I saw my children doing a lot of projects on African American history, especially in February about the people, what happened, innovations,” said Gashayeneh, whose children are 6 and 8 years old. “I’m happy that they know that because they have that freedom. The freedom that they have is because of that [Civil Rights] movement. I want them to have true understanding of the history and the movement.” 

In fact, without the Civil Rights movement, Gashayeneh and his family wouldn’t be here today. Migration through programs such as the lottery visa was not readily available for those looking to come to the U.S. from Africa prior to that movement, and since then, families such as Gashayeneh’s have been given a chance at building a better life for themselves. 

“The Civil Rights movement was not only to have equal rights for African Americans and for white people, it was beyond that,” he explained. “A lot of people have migrated from Africa to the United States, and they changed their life, and they changed their families’ lives back home, and also they were able to contribute to the growth and success of the United States.” 

Because of that, Gashayeneh does his best to contribute to the country he calls home now, encouraging others who have just arrived to do the same. And as a volunteer with World Relief Memphis, he’s able to do just that.  

“I’m so grateful, I’m very happy. I’m always grateful for this great nation, for the government, and for the people,” said Gashayeneh, who has served on a Good Neighbor Team before. “A lot of people invested in me when I came to the United States. Now, it’s my turn to do something good.” 

Gashayeneh, thank you for sharing your story with us! We are so glad to have you here as our neighbor, helping to welcome others into the community alongside us. 

If you would like to welcome our neighbors like Gashayeneh to the U.S. as well, join us as a volunteer or an intern this summer. 

As we gear up for summer internships, we asked one of our former interns, Emma, to tell us about her time at World Relief and what it meant to her.

During winter break of my junior year, I was considering summer internship options in Memphis. As a Political Science and International Studies major at Rhodes College, I knew I wanted to expand my cross-cultural experiences. And as a rising senior, I knew I wanted to serve within the Memphis community for my last summer here.

While World Relief allowed me to connect with my studies, it also encouraged an exploration of the spiritual side of non-profit work, which I especially appreciate. In my journey of faith, I’ve always considered my home church in Texas to be my sacred roots. Being far from home for college, I sometimes felt a little stagnant in that journey. However, my home church cultivated a passion for service–faith and service have always walked hand in hand in my book. World Relief provided me an opportunity to grow in my journey of faith, immerse myself in a new side of Memphis, and learn more about the city’s refugee communities. 

I worked mainly in the employment office throughout my time, helping with job readiness and computer classes. Although, I often helped with other tasks around the office like transporting clients to and from classes at the Connect Language Center or job interviews, assisting with outreach, and delivering items to clients. Though working in different offices, the four of us interns grew close throughout our Friday discussions on the book When Helping Hurts.

I am immensely grateful for the time we spent learning and growing together, challenging and expanding our understanding of service and faith. Interning with World Relief was the kind of experience I will carry with me wherever I go after graduation; it made such a positive impact on both my faith and my passion for service. 

Emma, thank you for serving our families so well during your time with us! Best of luck in your future endeavors as you graduate this semester.

Do you want an internship experience like Emma’s or know someone who is looking? Intern applications for the summer are currently open!

At World Relief, we believe in celebrating all people and cultures because we are all made in the image of God. This month, we’re focusing on Black history in honor of Black History Month, from the founding of our country to the Civil Rights Movement to today, and the immigrant and refugee stories that are being woven into this history as we speak.  

To kick off the month, we asked some of our staff to reflect on what Black history means to them and how it pertains to our newest neighbors arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia and around the world.  

As you reflect on historically famous African American Leaders, who stands out to you the most and why?  

Yusri, Resettlement Specialist: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because he stood up for what was right, even though he knew the price of his action was costly. 

Mahasin, Holistic Support Specialist: As I reflect on historically famous African American leaders, Fred Hampton stands out to me because of his dedication to seeing the Black community holistically transformed and elevated. For how young he was, he was a powerful activist who greatly influenced his community as well as the Civil Rights and Black Power movements at large. 

Clarence, Employment Manager: My favorite African American leader is Harriet Tubman.  She didn’t look like a leader, but in the end, she garnered the respect of generals in the military.  She was leading enslaved people to freedom by totally depending on the guidance of the Lord.  She served as an example of how to lead under pressure by being led by the Spirit.  The life of Harriet Tubman reminds me to answer the call to lead but to not rely on my strength and intellect alone to achieve success.  Through the fiercest storms and the most challenging situations, I’m learning more with each trial to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice and follow it, even when it doesn’t make sense to me.  

Lydia, Volunteer Coordinator: Harriet Tubman is one of my favorite Black leaders. Under the circumstances and with all odds stacked against her, she was able to lead over 300 slaves to freedom and be an activist in the women’s suffrage movement. She was a woman, and she was illiterate. To most, those two factors might have been major setbacks. Yet, she escaped slavery and returned to help others. Her confidence and boldness were supernatural, and she attributes her success to the Lord. I hope to honor her legacy by standing up for what’s right and taking action, even if it involves big risks. I hope to walk in confidence wherever I go because of my dependency and trust in the Lord. 

What lessons can be learned from the experiences of Black History Month?  

Yusri, Resettlement Specialist: I think Black History Month has helped many African Americans to unite and learn more about their role in society. 

Mahasin, Holistic Support Specialist: One lesson that can be taken from Black history makers is the value of perseverance and integrity. Sticking to these values (along with other factors) has led to the success of many Civil Rights movements in the U.S. and progress in the ongoing struggle for equity. 

Clarence, Employment Manager: Three lessons that I will take to heart.  1) Never give up because you are the minority.  2)  Perceptions are flawed more than ever, so people will judge you by the color of your skin and not the content of your character.  3) Plan, prepare, practice, deliver, pray, and in the middle of the night when no one is watching, feel it, cry it out, sleep, and repeat.   

Lydia, Volunteer Coordinator: When I think about Black history makers, I think about our ancestors that weren’t given a choice to be taken from their homes. I think about them being uprooted from everything they knew and being forced into survival mode. They had children, and then they had children. Every generation has had to work through trauma and re-train themselves to believe that they were made and created with worth and value. Whether its Black history makers that are in school textbooks or the ones that will never be known, I believe the thing that they had in common was a deep belief and desire to be treated like they were created in the image of God. So, they spoke up. They fought back. Many died. Many have committed their lives to the cause of liberty, freedom, and justice for our people. A lesson that I will always take with me is to use my voice to speak up for what is right because that is the example that is set before me. 

 
 
How does Black history help tell the story of what it means to be an American?  

Yusri, Resettlement Specialist: Being an American may have many meanings that differ from one person to another. In my opinion, Black history tells a story of forgiveness and recovery. 

Mahasin, Holistic Support Specialist: Black history helps to tell the story of what it means to be an American because it’s integral to painting a fuller, richer, and, most importantly, accurate picture of American history. Black history in America and American history are inextricably linked, so to understand one is to understand the other. 

Clarence, Employment Manager: What comes to my mind was the memories of growing up not seeing people that looked like me as heroes, intelligent, respected, and valued. My family became my heroes.  

Additionally, increasing my knowledge of Black History helped shape my mentality and gave me survival skills to endure as well.   

A great variety of courageous Black women and men who contributed to American culture’s core taught me to seek outside-of-the-box solutions, daring to bring a difference that challenges mediocrity and superiority. I learned from Black history that there is always more than one way to solve problems, but only one way to eternal life. Whether those lessons make me more of an authentic American or a proud human craving opportunity is okay. 
 

Lydia, Volunteer Coordinator: Black history tells a story of resilience and strength. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade. That is the story of Black history. As a people, we have taken the bad and the ugly and have been on a journey of rebuilding and restoration. Black history is American history. Black people built this country and shaped its culture, and I am proud to be a part of the legacy. 

 
The history of African migration is long, but the story continues today. How do you think immigration helped shape Black history?  

Yusri, Resettlement Specialist: Over the years, many African Americans have lost their connection with Africa and roots. However, I see that today’s migration has revived many of those who lost hope in searching or thinking about what links them to the African continent. 

Mahasin, Holistic Support Specialist: I think that immigrants helped to shape Black history by pouring in elements of their own culture, that would then mix, into that of which they were integrating into. This mixing process has been happening since the first immigrants came to the U.S. and is still happening today. The result is a diverse yet distinguishable Black culture in the U.S. that many Americans claim. 

Clarence, Employment Manager: The misconception is that Africans are the same as African Americans because we share the same skin tone. It’s not a bad thing; we have a difference in culture and values, just as any Caucasian American compared to any European with the same features and skin tone.  I’ve talked with many African immigrants and African friends over the past 30 years, and I don’t take it personally.  It’s the opportunity for us to learn and celebrate each other.  We know that there is a difference, and we are all proud of who we are and where we were born and raised.  It would be refreshing and rewarding to see people who don’t understand that there is a difference take action for themselves and sign up for a cultural sensitivity course covering ethnicities worldwide.     

Lydia, Volunteer Coordinator: America is a nation of immigrants. Immigrants have enriched American culture and continue to push past barriers that have been set up against them. Despite the challenges, Black immigrants continue to shape history with educational achievements and high participation rates in the workforce. This Black history month, we celebrate the success of Black immigrants and thank them for their contribution to our past history and history in the making. 

Yusri, Mahasin, Clarence and Lydia—thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on Black history and for all that you do to help us empower the local church to serve the most vulnerable.  

If you want to help them welcome our newest neighbors to Memphis, join our team, whether it be as a staff member, an intern or a volunteer!