On Sunday, March 20, I woke at 10 a.m. to discover that the tires of my car had been deflated and words were written all over my car. The orange letters spelled out, "Leave Alaska," "Not welcome," "Go away" and worse. My roommate's car was in the same condition. Even now we do not know who did it.
When people in the community see me and my African friends, they probably ask themselves, "Who are these dark-skinned people speaking Arabic in our city?" Living in Alaska was never part of our plans. We are survivors of genocide, refugees from a war that has no end in sight.
Many Americans are ignorant of the politics and the chaos in Africa. Before war came to my life I was ignorant too. I was born in 1985 in Farawia, Darfur, Sudan. My family comes from centuries of farmers and shepherds in East Africa. Everything changed for me when I was 19 years old. On June 12, 2003, my village was attacked by a government-sponsored militia. Those who survived hid in the forest and surrounding caves. Two years later, when we were attacked again, I was separated from my family. I crossed seven African countries and the Atlantic Ocean, in search of peace and safety. I underwent 18 interviews as part of refugee processing. I now live in Alaska and work at Providence Alaska Medical Center, and at the end of five years I hope to become a U.S. citizen.
My roommates and I want to thank all of the people who were so kind to us in March when our cars were vandalized. Our neighbors in Spenard were wonderful. Joe brought over his air compressor and helped us repair our tires. Neighbors brought us food, a "Welcome" banner, and many kind words. Our neighbors at the Hell's Angels Club House even offered to give us replacement tires. Members of the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Michael King and the staff of Keller Williams Realty Anchorage donated money to help us relocate. Lithia Hyundai of Anchorage offered to help repair our cars, and Danielle Haywood heard about what had happened to us and set up a website where complete strangers donated money to help us.
Bruce Lamoureux, CEO of Providence Medical Center, wrote a letter to the Alaska Dispatch News to tell the community that refugees are among the valued employees of the medical center. The staff of Catholic Social Services Refugee Assistance and Immigration Program helped us to find a new apartment where we would feel safer. Mao Tosi and the organizing group We Are Anchorage held a special event at Northway Mall to welcome all immigrants. Our friend, Debbie Bock, helped us all along the way, including helping me to write this commentary.
We want to thank Chief Mark Mew of the Anchorage Police Department. When we called 911 on Sunday morning, the police dispatcher took a report over the phone. However, she refused to send an officer to the scene even though we repeatedly requested that an officer come and see what had been done to our cars and talk to us about our safety. When the situation came to Chief Mew's attention the following day, he instructed his officers to visit us at home. And later that month he, along with local staff of the FBI, attended a special meeting organized by the RAIS Program to inform refugees of their rights and responsibilities if they experience vandalism or harassment.
We want to thank ADN for taking interest in our story. Michelle Theriault Boots came to our apartment, talked with us, drank tea with us, and wrote two news pieces that were published on the ADN front page. We also want to thank Zachariah Hughes of public radio station KSKA. He visited us, and he aired a radio report that brought attention to our problem.
We have come to live in peace and love in our new country. What makes America special is the people are kind and welcoming to people from all over the world. The outpouring of support and love we have experienced has been overwhelming. Thank you to each and every one of you. May God bless the United States of America with peace and prosperity.
Mohammed Hano Abdallai is a Sudanese refugee living in Anchorage since September 2010. He works at Providence Medical Center as a supply chain management technician.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com