.Block Party for the Refugees.

Last night we had a block party for the African refugees we've been working with this quarter.  It was held in their neighborhood and it was a huge success!

[Scott counting the jump ropers]

[There was lots of sidewalk chalk drawing hop-scotch, bubbles, and jump roping for the children and corn hole for the adults.] 

 [Gathering around the table]

 [An interpreter aiding Jenny in talking to the women about the sewing circle she will be starting this summer.  So exciting!]

[This is one of my students that I've often talked about in my posts]

 [You apparently can't have a block party for African refugees without these African donuts.  Several of the women made these sugary balls of deliciousness, and as you can see from the pic, they were gone pretty fast!]

 [This guy made the goat kabobs and they were also delicious! He kept going around telling people they were almost ready and saying, "You will love them!" They were gone pretty quickly too]

[Enjoying goat kabobs with friends]

 [Playing hopscotch]

 [Dustin is one of the students in the class and he's standing with the refugee he worked with most of the semester]

 [In her nice dress for the party!]

 [One of the ladies who made the delicious donuts and Charlotte, one of the other students in my class]

[The man on the far left in the colorful jacket is Mugo and he is the leader of the tutoring program.  Jenny and Charlotte are other students in my class who tutored and the man on the right was a student in our tutoring group; he's going to begin attending Wright State as part of the LEAP program this summer and he's very excited!]

It was such a great experience to be a part of Dr. Lamping's "Writing and Social Activism" class this spring.  I've been truly blessed in getting to know the students and learning about social activism through grant-writing and service-learning.  I'm excited to share these experiences with my students in the fall and continue working with these families, and new families who arrive.  The party was also a great success thanks to the refugees who welcomed us into their neighborhood, sharing their food and music with us.
**thanks to Jenny P. for sharing some of her pictures!