good evening everyone my name is Romeo
York like she said I’m from Liberia
tonight I’m gonna be talking to you a
little bit about my life why be one
there right now and what I’m looking to
do in the future so my life story begins
with my family in Liberia my mother and
father was born and raised in Liberia
they moved to the Ivory Coast in 1990 um
the reason is they moved to Africa in
1989 or civil war broke out in Liberia
the civil war cost 800,000 people
including my family to move from Liberia
to neighboring countries in West Africa
they moved to a refugee camp and
Africa’s called piece count five years
after they move to the refugee camp I
was born I grew up in the refugee camp I
lived there for 11 years I saw when I
moved to the United States and I tell
people I was born on the refugee camp
they asked me how is life like on the
refugee camp I start to tell them first
off it’s a life you never want to live
you don’t want to be a refugee it’s not
a life where you can do what you want to
do live as a refugee you are basically
homeless that’s what it seems everything
you need you can’t have at that time
these are some pictures of us on the
refugee camp this is a picture when my
family first moved to the refugee camp
this is what it’s like after it rains
these are houses people were living in
on the refugee camp by the time I was
born
they developed the refugee camp a little
bit and it was like something like this
while we were lived on the refugee camp
we couldn’t go to school kids couldn’t
go to school there was no hospital a
refugee camp no school and everything we
got was given to us by the United
well when I was on the refugee camp
since we couldn’t go to school the
things the kids did to occupy themselves
to other days or play soccer I love
soccer that’s the sport I played soccer
at Jefferson College and I’ve been
playing it since I could remember and
one of the most memorable part I have
about playing soccer was in the rain it
was always the best time we had and in
my culture people say rain bring down
blessing so whenever it rains every kid
on the camp was out playing and I still
remember up to this day every time it
rain I want to go outside but I don’t
trust American rain it’s always
lightning yeah it’s always lightning
hail or something trying to kill you the
UNHCR they are the United Nations
refugee agency when you are refugee and
you move to a refugee camp replace you
in zones we had about 18 zones on the
refugee camp my family would have faith
group people to move on a refugee camp
sort of a place in zone 5 so while I
live in the refugee camp life is very
difficult I already said there the
United Nation help us with everything we
need it once a month
I remember they’ll bring trucks like
this on the refugee camp for federal
food and supply each family and the food
that was given to you it was supposed to
last you for a month I remember this one
time we were on the refugee camp and we
had a leak in our house in the rain it
destroyed most of the food so it was
about two weeks left and we didn’t have
enough food to continue for the rest of
the week
for the rest of the month I mean excuse
me so we had to manage how we eat the
food I remember eating one meal a day
for a week and then by the end of the
month it was about two days left we ran
out of food my family I had to go hungry
for a day that was one of the I was
about eight nine at that time I had a
good asleep that day without food in
2002 my older sister got referred to the
United States immigration agency to be
resettled in the United States by the
end of 2003 2004 she moved to the United
States this was one of the buses that
pick her up from the refugee camp and
she moved to the capital city of Ivory
Coast and when the first group of
refugees who moved to the capital city
of Africa’s they’re living in hotels at
that time they were being supported
still by the United Nation she spent two
years living in a hotel
going through the immigration process so
before you can be admitted to the United
States you have to go through a vetting
process I’m gonna tell you now this is
one of the hardest interview I have ever
been to I’ve been to five interval and
this was one of the toughest one I
remember I was between the age of eleven
and twelve and we had to go to an
interview and it was my mother I in the
office and there was this immigration
officer interview us at certain point he
stopped and asked my mother to leave the
room so like I said I’m by eleven and
twelve so I’m in this room with this
immigration officer and he asked me this
question he said it’s your mother rid of
your mother so I’m shocked I’m twelve
you don’t know what to say um she been
my mother for the past eleven years so I
don’t know why she won’t be my mother
now
yeah and the reason why they asked those
questions it’s cuz some people try to
come to the United States and they’ll do
anything they can to get here so they’ll
take somebody else’s kid and be like
that’s my kid and I uh can you help us
move to the United States so I
understand now I understand why he asked
me that question but still as a 11 year
old I didn’t know what to say at that
time and then uh why while going through
the interview he try to convince me to
say my mother is not my mother
I was still surprised so he offered to
get me a piece of candy if I tell him
the truth that the lady that was in the
room it’s not my mom so I’m still like
I’ve never met this guy was my first
time meeting and you keep asking me
these questions at that time he knew
more about me than my aunt did and it
was really shocking in 2018 my mother
and I moved to the United States the
picture on the right it’s a picture of
my mother and I I’m Nestor hurt the
little guy right there that’s me
Cuba New York I know the guy in the red
or he’s living in civics right now and
the picture on the left is a picture of
me and my mother so when we move to San
Luis in 2010 we went through the
International Institute and let me tell
you a little bit about the Institute
they help a lot of refugee immigrants in
st. Louis when you first come to st.
Louis they greet you at the airport they
go to the airport pick you up by the
time you get to sandwich they’re already
finding an apartment or the house to
live in so they pick you up they help
people with jobs other people who
wouldn’t speak English they find
interpreter signing off for English
classes and stuff like that my mother I
then have to go through the
International Institute as much as
everybody and the reason was my older
sister moved here
six years before us and she went through
the process got all the help she needed
and then when we came she took care of
us instead of the International
Institute go back to that page the
International Institute was one of the
people who helped me helped my mother
finding school for me I want to show
international welcome school and when I
went to the welcome school it was my
first year ever going to school I was 14
years old at the time never went to
school on the refugee camp came to the
United States two months out there I had
to start school before I go through the
school process my mother when she was in
Liberia she taught at a high school so
wildin from the refugee camp I was home
school a little bit but when we moved
here in 2010 and I had to go to a trade
school it was the most shocking event of
my life I didn’t know what to do I had
to take eight classes and I’m trying it
was my first time ever going to school
eight classes what am I supposed to do
my mum was tutoring me two classes math
and English and deficit that’s what I
didn’t know I had to go to science
classes history classes and when I first
walked in the school hallway it was
different I guess they said
international school stories our school
for newcomers in the United star in st.
Louis area and it was it as bad for me
because most of the people who were
there were refugees like myself so I
kind of get to know them pretty well
after international welcome school I
went to a high school called southern
International Studies and so then it’s
where I learned about myself who I’m
gonna be what I want to do and so the
international study is when I found some
of my best friends and I still go to
school with him right now
Oh Fabian Wanda and her son there in the
audience um I saw the International
Studies was when our first guy asked
about my life
refugee by my ESL teacher and not to her
two-seam story I just told you guys
immigrants instantly lose one thing not
the real reason I’m really here tonight
is people always discriminate immigrants
people always look at us different like
when people do not welcome us here and
as the immigrant it hurts it hurts in
refugees and immigrants only here to
steal jobs they don’t live here to
benefit from the United States and
didn’t go back home they’re only here to
disrupt us that’s not the case I live in
st. Louis Missouri and when I moved to
st. Louis five years ago the city was
going downhill I mean it’s still one of
the most violent cities in the United
States don’t get me wrong but for jobs
and businesses stimulus was going down I
live in South City st. Louis when I
first moved there most of the businesses
were closed two years after I moved to
st. Louis two gas stations got shut down
right now with the immigration
population in st. Louis it has been
growing stuff so fast that most of the
immigrants were coming here reopened
those businesses if you go on South
Green there’s black where it’s a lot of
international restaurants and in those
restaurants there are Americans working
for those immigrants so that’s some of
the job opportunity they bring when they
come to the United States
that’s gas station that was shut down my
first two years here there opened up by
immigrant and they’re from South Asia in
the park and I know those guys I went to
school with some of those guys and
they’re already opened up gas station
markets businesses in st. Louis one
thing that I want to do as I grow up
this is my last year at Jeff go and now
transferring to Lake Erie in Ohio I want
to study accounting and minor in
international business and the reason is
there are a lot of businesses looking up
to open up in Liberia after the Civil
War the country got destroyed people
went missing buildings everything got
destroyed I want to do accounting
international business so I can maybe
one day move back to Liberia and help
rebuild the country then in the United
States if you go anywhere in the world
you get a lot of respect people listen
to you a lot and with this American
experience I have with the education I’m
gonna get if I go back home I know a lot
of people will listen to me and I can
influence those people I can influence
people to start opening up businesses I
can start a business and one of the
business I want to start it’s a real
estate right now people Liberian
refugees in the United States wants to
move back but most of those people do
not have people back home to help them
move back have that connection where
they can build houses and then move back
and I want to open a business where we
build houses for people in like
different basically build a pipeline
between your Liberians in the United
States and Liberian back home in Liberia
where they can build their houses
through us and then one day move back
and with them moving back we can help
redevelop Liberia and bring it back the
way it was before the silver walk and
this is my message to you before you
leave this afternoon there are a lot of
refugees in the world right now a lot of
refugees who wants the same opportunity
I have tonight a lot of refugees who are
looking to be rescued a lot of refugees
who when they come to the United States
will make a great impact on each and
every one of us right now I want you to
up
your heart up to every immigrant you see
these are people who have been through
one of the hardest condition you can
possibly think of people are running
from war running from being killed
because of what they believe it when
they come here do not be the do not be
the person who denied SEP them and make
them feel unwelcome they want to feel
welcome
they want a home my family wanted a home
my mom made a sacrifice working a job
that she doesn’t like she like I said
she used to be a teacher in Liberia
now she our custodian at Washington
University she make their sacrifice so I
can get a better opportunity there are a
lot of refugees parents who are praying
every day to have that opportunity to
give their children a better education
so they can better their life in the
future and that’s my story
thanks for everyone
[Applause]
York like she said I’m from Liberia
tonight I’m gonna be talking to you a
little bit about my life why be one
there right now and what I’m looking to
do in the future so my life story begins
with my family in Liberia my mother and
father was born and raised in Liberia
they moved to the Ivory Coast in 1990 um
the reason is they moved to Africa in
1989 or civil war broke out in Liberia
the civil war cost 800,000 people
including my family to move from Liberia
to neighboring countries in West Africa
they moved to a refugee camp and
Africa’s called piece count five years
after they move to the refugee camp I
was born I grew up in the refugee camp I
lived there for 11 years I saw when I
moved to the United States and I tell
people I was born on the refugee camp
they asked me how is life like on the
refugee camp I start to tell them first
off it’s a life you never want to live
you don’t want to be a refugee it’s not
a life where you can do what you want to
do live as a refugee you are basically
homeless that’s what it seems everything
you need you can’t have at that time
these are some pictures of us on the
refugee camp this is a picture when my
family first moved to the refugee camp
this is what it’s like after it rains
these are houses people were living in
on the refugee camp by the time I was
born
they developed the refugee camp a little
bit and it was like something like this
while we were lived on the refugee camp
we couldn’t go to school kids couldn’t
go to school there was no hospital a
refugee camp no school and everything we
got was given to us by the United
well when I was on the refugee camp
since we couldn’t go to school the
things the kids did to occupy themselves
to other days or play soccer I love
soccer that’s the sport I played soccer
at Jefferson College and I’ve been
playing it since I could remember and
one of the most memorable part I have
about playing soccer was in the rain it
was always the best time we had and in
my culture people say rain bring down
blessing so whenever it rains every kid
on the camp was out playing and I still
remember up to this day every time it
rain I want to go outside but I don’t
trust American rain it’s always
lightning yeah it’s always lightning
hail or something trying to kill you the
UNHCR they are the United Nations
refugee agency when you are refugee and
you move to a refugee camp replace you
in zones we had about 18 zones on the
refugee camp my family would have faith
group people to move on a refugee camp
sort of a place in zone 5 so while I
live in the refugee camp life is very
difficult I already said there the
United Nation help us with everything we
need it once a month
I remember they’ll bring trucks like
this on the refugee camp for federal
food and supply each family and the food
that was given to you it was supposed to
last you for a month I remember this one
time we were on the refugee camp and we
had a leak in our house in the rain it
destroyed most of the food so it was
about two weeks left and we didn’t have
enough food to continue for the rest of
the week
for the rest of the month I mean excuse
me so we had to manage how we eat the
food I remember eating one meal a day
for a week and then by the end of the
month it was about two days left we ran
out of food my family I had to go hungry
for a day that was one of the I was
about eight nine at that time I had a
good asleep that day without food in
2002 my older sister got referred to the
United States immigration agency to be
resettled in the United States by the
end of 2003 2004 she moved to the United
States this was one of the buses that
pick her up from the refugee camp and
she moved to the capital city of Ivory
Coast and when the first group of
refugees who moved to the capital city
of Africa’s they’re living in hotels at
that time they were being supported
still by the United Nation she spent two
years living in a hotel
going through the immigration process so
before you can be admitted to the United
States you have to go through a vetting
process I’m gonna tell you now this is
one of the hardest interview I have ever
been to I’ve been to five interval and
this was one of the toughest one I
remember I was between the age of eleven
and twelve and we had to go to an
interview and it was my mother I in the
office and there was this immigration
officer interview us at certain point he
stopped and asked my mother to leave the
room so like I said I’m by eleven and
twelve so I’m in this room with this
immigration officer and he asked me this
question he said it’s your mother rid of
your mother so I’m shocked I’m twelve
you don’t know what to say um she been
my mother for the past eleven years so I
don’t know why she won’t be my mother
now
yeah and the reason why they asked those
questions it’s cuz some people try to
come to the United States and they’ll do
anything they can to get here so they’ll
take somebody else’s kid and be like
that’s my kid and I uh can you help us
move to the United States so I
understand now I understand why he asked
me that question but still as a 11 year
old I didn’t know what to say at that
time and then uh why while going through
the interview he try to convince me to
say my mother is not my mother
I was still surprised so he offered to
get me a piece of candy if I tell him
the truth that the lady that was in the
room it’s not my mom so I’m still like
I’ve never met this guy was my first
time meeting and you keep asking me
these questions at that time he knew
more about me than my aunt did and it
was really shocking in 2018 my mother
and I moved to the United States the
picture on the right it’s a picture of
my mother and I I’m Nestor hurt the
little guy right there that’s me
Cuba New York I know the guy in the red
or he’s living in civics right now and
the picture on the left is a picture of
me and my mother so when we move to San
Luis in 2010 we went through the
International Institute and let me tell
you a little bit about the Institute
they help a lot of refugee immigrants in
st. Louis when you first come to st.
Louis they greet you at the airport they
go to the airport pick you up by the
time you get to sandwich they’re already
finding an apartment or the house to
live in so they pick you up they help
people with jobs other people who
wouldn’t speak English they find
interpreter signing off for English
classes and stuff like that my mother I
then have to go through the
International Institute as much as
everybody and the reason was my older
sister moved here
six years before us and she went through
the process got all the help she needed
and then when we came she took care of
us instead of the International
Institute go back to that page the
International Institute was one of the
people who helped me helped my mother
finding school for me I want to show
international welcome school and when I
went to the welcome school it was my
first year ever going to school I was 14
years old at the time never went to
school on the refugee camp came to the
United States two months out there I had
to start school before I go through the
school process my mother when she was in
Liberia she taught at a high school so
wildin from the refugee camp I was home
school a little bit but when we moved
here in 2010 and I had to go to a trade
school it was the most shocking event of
my life I didn’t know what to do I had
to take eight classes and I’m trying it
was my first time ever going to school
eight classes what am I supposed to do
my mum was tutoring me two classes math
and English and deficit that’s what I
didn’t know I had to go to science
classes history classes and when I first
walked in the school hallway it was
different I guess they said
international school stories our school
for newcomers in the United star in st.
Louis area and it was it as bad for me
because most of the people who were
there were refugees like myself so I
kind of get to know them pretty well
after international welcome school I
went to a high school called southern
International Studies and so then it’s
where I learned about myself who I’m
gonna be what I want to do and so the
international study is when I found some
of my best friends and I still go to
school with him right now
Oh Fabian Wanda and her son there in the
audience um I saw the International
Studies was when our first guy asked
about my life
refugee by my ESL teacher and not to her
two-seam story I just told you guys
immigrants instantly lose one thing not
the real reason I’m really here tonight
is people always discriminate immigrants
people always look at us different like
when people do not welcome us here and
as the immigrant it hurts it hurts in
refugees and immigrants only here to
steal jobs they don’t live here to
benefit from the United States and
didn’t go back home they’re only here to
disrupt us that’s not the case I live in
st. Louis Missouri and when I moved to
st. Louis five years ago the city was
going downhill I mean it’s still one of
the most violent cities in the United
States don’t get me wrong but for jobs
and businesses stimulus was going down I
live in South City st. Louis when I
first moved there most of the businesses
were closed two years after I moved to
st. Louis two gas stations got shut down
right now with the immigration
population in st. Louis it has been
growing stuff so fast that most of the
immigrants were coming here reopened
those businesses if you go on South
Green there’s black where it’s a lot of
international restaurants and in those
restaurants there are Americans working
for those immigrants so that’s some of
the job opportunity they bring when they
come to the United States
that’s gas station that was shut down my
first two years here there opened up by
immigrant and they’re from South Asia in
the park and I know those guys I went to
school with some of those guys and
they’re already opened up gas station
markets businesses in st. Louis one
thing that I want to do as I grow up
this is my last year at Jeff go and now
transferring to Lake Erie in Ohio I want
to study accounting and minor in
international business and the reason is
there are a lot of businesses looking up
to open up in Liberia after the Civil
War the country got destroyed people
went missing buildings everything got
destroyed I want to do accounting
international business so I can maybe
one day move back to Liberia and help
rebuild the country then in the United
States if you go anywhere in the world
you get a lot of respect people listen
to you a lot and with this American
experience I have with the education I’m
gonna get if I go back home I know a lot
of people will listen to me and I can
influence those people I can influence
people to start opening up businesses I
can start a business and one of the
business I want to start it’s a real
estate right now people Liberian
refugees in the United States wants to
move back but most of those people do
not have people back home to help them
move back have that connection where
they can build houses and then move back
and I want to open a business where we
build houses for people in like
different basically build a pipeline
between your Liberians in the United
States and Liberian back home in Liberia
where they can build their houses
through us and then one day move back
and with them moving back we can help
redevelop Liberia and bring it back the
way it was before the silver walk and
this is my message to you before you
leave this afternoon there are a lot of
refugees in the world right now a lot of
refugees who wants the same opportunity
I have tonight a lot of refugees who are
looking to be rescued a lot of refugees
who when they come to the United States
will make a great impact on each and
every one of us right now I want you to
up
your heart up to every immigrant you see
these are people who have been through
one of the hardest condition you can
possibly think of people are running
from war running from being killed
because of what they believe it when
they come here do not be the do not be
the person who denied SEP them and make
them feel unwelcome they want to feel
welcome
they want a home my family wanted a home
my mom made a sacrifice working a job
that she doesn’t like she like I said
she used to be a teacher in Liberia
now she our custodian at Washington
University she make their sacrifice so I
can get a better opportunity there are a
lot of refugees parents who are praying
every day to have that opportunity to
give their children a better education
so they can better their life in the
future and that’s my story
thanks for everyone
[Applause]
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