A Place Where Each Child – and Each Family – is Known and Valued

By Leila Johansson, Parent of the Classes of ‘21 and ‘22

Last Monday morning at Flag, my son and daughter stood up in front of the entire school to share their story and an idea:

“Hi, my name is Sebastian & this is my sister Soraya. One night we were talking at dinner about recent events going on in the world and our mom said, instead of complaining about the things that are upsetting us, we should think about how we can help. That while we might not have the power to change certain things, we did have the power to make something good come out of a bad situation.

We both immediately decided we wanted to help refugees. A refugee is a person forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution or natural disaster. When our mom was a baby, she & our grandparents fled the Islamic Revolution in Iran & came to the United States. They came with one suitcase expecting to go back when things returned to normal. But never did. We’re glad our mom got to live in a free country.

We have decided to support International Rescue Committee (IRC) to help Refugees who have just arrived in the US.  We are collecting money for bus passes, and also collecting bikes, helmets & bike locks to help newly resettled refugees get to places like IRC for english classes, or school or work. $70 buys a one-month bus pass!”

I was born in Tehran, Iran when mass demonstrations against the Shah began mobilizing. As the strikes and demonstrations escalated into what we now know as the Islamic Revolution, my Father managed to get two plane tickets for my Mom and Grandmother to flee to the United States with my brother and I, and- literally- a single suitcase. In my parent’s mind, this was a temporary move and we would return home to Iran when the political climate settled. As we now know, the newly formed Islamic Republic was in Iran to stay, more than a handful of our family’s close friends were executed, and so the US was to become our new home- for good.

My parents assimilated… as best they could. As a child, I admittedly had no understanding for why my mom insisted on packing my school lunch bag with our rather strong smelling but delicious kabobs wrapped in lavash, tossed in a brown paper bag, while my blonde, blue-eyed “American” friends enjoyed less fragrant PB&J sandwiches on white bread, packed in cute Strawberry Shortcake lunch boxes- mind you, this all in a pre-Top Chef, pre ‘ethnic food is cool’ era. As a parent, I now realize how challenging indeed it must have been for my parents to carry all the responsibilities naturally associated with raising children, but with the added complexity of a culture, country, and language that was completely foreign to them. Add to this the unnerving uncertainty of their life and family in Iran, and I can now appreciate that packing “American” style snacks was not exactly a priority. Save for the 1980’s when the Iranian Hostage Crisis brought the now highly unoriginal but at the time novel (read, I had no good comeback) “camel-jockey” and “unibrow” insults to my brother and I on the school playgrounds, I have never taken for granted how fortunate we are to have been allowed into the United States.

In the video that IRC played at Flag – which I hope you will watch, Madeline Albright talks about how her own experience as a refugee has shown her “how grateful a refugee is and how important it is to be able to fit into some other communities.” This statement resonates strongly. Even as a young teen, I was well aware that had we not been allowed into America I would have never enjoyed the educational or personal opportunities afforded us by this truly great country- not to mention the freedom of speech and religion that we hold so sacred here. I have profound respect and deep compassion for my parents, and all refugees and immigrants, that leave everything they know to come to the US or another country for a safer, better life for their families.

Sebastian and Soraya are well aware of how my family got here. My parents and I have shared with them the aforementioned lighthearted stories, which I can comfortably include on my children’s school blog. We have also shared with them the deliberately omitted heavy-hearted stories, which I’m neither comfortable nor able to include on my children’s school blog. They know that the circumstances under which we came to the US, and stayed in the US, was relatively fortunate. They also know that the circumstances under which many refugees- ranging from Syria to Somalia- are seeking to flee their countries are not simply less fortunate but harrowing. Between their Persian mom’s personal experience and their Swedish father’s indirect but relevant experience coming from a country that has accepted more refugees per capita than any other European country (something visibly noticeable and something we discuss on our annual visits to see their grandparents), I can’t say I was surprised when Sebastian and Soraya decided that night at dinner that they want to help Refugees.

From developing their powerpoint proposal to Student Council as to why Hillbrook should support refugees, choosing the best IRC video to share at Flag, rehearsing their announcement and making posters during Spring Break to place around campus, I have watched Sebastian and Soraya dedicate themselves to this Refugee Support effort in a way that has surprised me. Throughout this process- as throughout their time at Hillbrook – they have felt known, respected and valued as individuals.  It has been so encouraging to see them come home excited as the Hillbrook community has rallied around them and supported them in making a difference. They have felt empowered to be advocates for refugees and know that instead of complaining about the problem, they are actually making a difference by having their voices heard through practical help. This process has reminded me of those early years in the US and makes me so grateful to be part of a community that is helping the next generation of refugees feel welcome in a foreign place. Five years ago, when we chose Hillbrook School as the school for our children, we were captured by the vision statement to “inspire students to achieve their dreams and reach beyond themselves to make a difference in the world”.  I can honestly say that vision is becoming a reality for our children, and we are so very grateful to Hillbrook.