Finding a home more than 8,000 miles away – Arizona Interfaith Movement

“Finding a home more than 8,000 miles away” – Golden Rule Moments PUBLISHED

Dr. Albert Celoza

Special to The Republic

Arizona has a reputation as the ground zero of the national immigration crisis. Despite this, Phoenix has been a welcoming place to thousands of refugees from various parts of the world. The political and economic convulsions of the 1980s drove the Kebede family from Ethiopia to Arizona. Upon moving to Sunnyslope, a neighbor named Jane gifted them with a plate of home-baked cookies.

The family was not sure if these cookies were poisoned. They eventually ate and enjoyed the cookies and then established a most friendly relationship. Having playful fun while riding up and down the hills near Dunlap, one of the boys fell off his bike. It was Jane who came to the rescue. She took care of and comforted the boys and promptly called an ambulance. These were the Golden Rule moments in Dawit Kebede’s life. These were Dawit’s fond memories of growing up.

More than 8,000 miles away from Ethiopia, his family has found a home in Phoenix, where the community has tended to their need for a safe and secure home. There was space for Dawit and his friends to play outdoors. The Sunnyslope Community Center in Hatcher is a facility that provides recreation and sports programs for people of all ages. The center features a basketball gym, a fitness center with free-weight and cardio equipment, a beautiful wood-floored dance/exercise room, a multi-purpose room equipped with integrated audio-visual equipment, and several other common areas for classrooms and meeting spaces. Through the years, the Center hosted programs and carnivals for Halloween and other events. Nearby was the Phoenix public pool. Families enjoy this gathering place, especially during Arizona’s hot summers. All these publicly funded community programs have provided a resource for neighborhood families.

Complementing these resources are educational opportunities provided by local schools and a community college, Phoenix College. The Kebede parents, who fled from conflict and famine-ridden Ethiopia, have found a home in Phoenix where their three children are now established and contributing to the community. Dawit earned an associate’s, bachelor’s, and then a master’s degree. He has taught foundational theology classes and is now a doctoral candidate working on his dissertation. Dawit volunteers as a youth minister in his church. He works full-time for a non-profit organization, Arizona Urban Youth Excel. It intentionally partners with existing ministries, agencies, schools, and churches to foster community and build stability. Its programs allow for the better use of youth energy, resources, and gifts, especially the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of inner-city kids. What is quite striking is that it hopes to provide guidance in everyday decisions. It intends to teach them how to love and be loved.

We are constantly fed stories that incite fear, anger, and hate of newcomers and immigration ‘invasion.’ Dawit Kebede and his family have experienced Golden Rule moments and have been busy giving back, too. These stories inspire us to be welcoming and support the positive role of communities in responding to people’s needs for security and a new home.

Dr. Albert Celoza is the Arizona Interfaith Movement Executive Director.

GOLDEN RULE MOMENTS

Dawit Kebede from Ethiopia found a new life in Phoenix and now works for Arizona Urban Youth Excel. Provided by Dr. Albert Celoza