Maynun, 8, and her older brother Said, 12, were both born in a refugee camp in Kenya. They arrived in Clarkston, Georgia in 2004 as part of a massive resettlement program for Somali Bantu refugees. 2006.
Over the last decade Clarkston, Georgia, a former railroad town outside of Atlanta has been transformed into the Ellis Island of the South for refugees from every corner of the globe. It is estimated that 1 in 3 of Clarkston’s residents are immigrants, and over sixty languages are spoken in this small Southern town. Refugees come to Clarkston from a myriad of cultures suffering the effects of protracted civil wars and massive human suffering: Somalia, Sudan, Burma, Bosnia, Iraq, Vietnam and Afghanistan. The town has become a popular destination for refugees due to access to public transportation, affordable housing, and proximity to resettlement agencies who are crucial in job training and placement. Over 71% of the refugees in Clarkston are female, and all of those, as implied by their refugee status, are survivors of civil conflict, war, trauma, rape and/or genocide. Having traveled thousands of miles for the promise of a new start, these women arrive in the United States filled with tremendous hope for a better life, for themselves and for their children
