Harrisonburg is home to one of the six resettlement agencies that serve refugees coming to Virginia. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi spoke with two young people who have made their home here, and are now pursuing careers to give back to the community.
Nineteen-year-old Ekram Siraj, from Ethiopia, and 21-year-old Abadit Desta, from Eritrea, both came to the United States as middle schoolers. Their parents settled in Harrisonburg as they sought better opportunities and educations for their children. The two friends met at Skyline Middle School, graduated from Harrisonburg High in 2022, and are now studying social work at Eastern Mennonite University.
[sounds of espresso machine, people talking in the background]
EKRAM SIRAJ: Well, we met in Spanish class in eighth grade. She came in a little late – she was new, so when she came, as soon as I saw her, I just knew she was Habesha.
Siraj explained to me that Habesha is a collective term to describe Ethiopian and Eritrean people. Desta picks up the story.
ABADIT DESTA: I was new, so I didn't know where I was going, and she saw my face and she came and she was like, "are you Habesha?" I was like, "yeah," and she was like, "do you need any help?" And I was like, "yeah, I don't know where my classes are." And then she walked me, she was even late for her own class.
Desta and Siraj both grew up speaking Tigrinya, a Semitic language common to Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. They became fast friends in the melting pot of public school.
DESTA: You could see, like, me and her trying to communicate in Tigrinya, and then the other kids are communicating –
BOTH: In their own language!
In the past five years – which is after Siraj and Desta arrived – Virginia's Office of New Americans reports that the Commonwealth has welcomed 14,660 refugees from about 60 different countries. The vast majority each of those years have come from Afghanistan; 165 have come from Ethiopia and Eritrea.
SIRAJ: My dad was here first. … So, me and my Mom and my siblings, we were in Ethiopia. Then he wanted us to come to the United States to be with him, and to have a better education and life and everything.
DESTA: My family, I guess you could say, would it be, migrated … from Eritrea to Ethiopia. We were in a refugee camp for three years, and then started doing a process to come to America.
Siraj grew up watching American movies where crowds of people walked city streets – so she was surprised to come to Virginia and see everyone sitting in their cars. There was a more exciting discovery, though, too.
SIRAJ: I came when it was snowing, so seeing the snow in person … it was just like, wow!
DESTA: Well, we came around September, and we were at first in Massachusetts, so it's cold and it's already snowing there as well. We were just surprised! Just looking at the floor, it's white!
Other aspects of resettlement were more challenging, like adjusting to a new culinary landscape (one without the delightfully spongy flatbread known as injera, or the all-natural chicken soup they were used to) and dealing with a language barrier.
SIRAJ: Getting to know the culture, and getting to settle in, it was just hard. Also, communication. Neither me or my parents knew how to speak English, so when we need something, we have to ask for a lot of help with translating.
Siraj's family is Muslim, and Desta's is Christian, but this was never an obstacle between them.
SIRAJ: No, not at all!
DESTA: That doesn't affect our friendship at all, because we're learning about each other's religion every day. Like, if she doesn't understand my own, then I'll explain it to her, and if I don't understand about hers, she'll explain it to me. Plus, like, where we were at, it's like Christian and Muslim religion countries, so we both know …
SIRAJ: And I also had friends in Ethiopia, like a lot of Christian friends, and we used to do a lot of things together. And I don't think religion should be, like, a problem between –
BOTH: – with friendship.
Now that they've conquered high school together, they're taking on the social work program at EMU. Desta is interested in a psychology minor and maybe working in a hospital setting. Siraj wants to work with refugees. She had a word of encouragement for any kids who are newcomers to the area.
SIRAJ: At first, I know it's very hard, especially until you find someone that understands you, someone that has the same or a similar background like you. But, I guess just not being afraid to go and talk to people. … To become a friend, I don't think you need to have the same religion, have to be from the same country. You just have to connect, you have to be on the same page. Like, I understand her. She understands me.
As the Harrisonburg yard signs that became a national phenomenon seven years ago say, "no matter where you are from, we're glad you're our neighbor."
