A Different Pond written by Bao Phi and illustrated by Thi Bui
A Different Pond is author Bao Phi's dedication to his childhood and the part his parents played in seeking safety and providing for their family of eight. In 1975, when he was just a baby, Phi's family migrated from Vietnam to Minnesota as refugees from war. A Different Pond honors Phi's Vietnamese heritage and the memories his family brought across the sea with them and preserved for generations to come. Illustrator Thi Bui was also born in Vietnam and raised in America. Through her artwork, she captures snippets of what life looked like for so many Vietnamese American immigrants.
This book reads well for grade-schoolers of all ages. It provides intimate insight into both the sacrifices made by the protagonist's parents and the bond with his family and the family culture within his home.
Uniting for Ukraine: U.S. Sponsors Needed
Just as citizens in Europe and the U.K. have heroically supported displaced Ukrainians by opening up their homes or securing other housing, assisting with school enrollments, employment needs, and language learning, Americans now have the opportunity via the Welcome.us Sponsor Circles program to directly help newly arrived Ukrainians. The United States has committed to welcoming 100,000 Ukrainians temporarily for a period of two-years and the ability to apply for employment authorization in the U.S. as long as they have a U.S.-based sponsor to petition for them.
The American Dream via the Darien Pass
When I was in high school, I was fascinated by geography, and it struck me that there was a highway that I could hop on in my car and drive all the way down into South America. As an imaginative young girl growing up on the Texas-Mexico border, the idea of a road that could take me from my sleepy border town, Laredo, Texas, to the edge of the world in South America, left me awe struck. In high school I learned that this highway is called the Pan-American Highway.
Instagram Live with Egette Indele, Founder of Safe Haven
Egette was born and raised in a refugee camp in Tanzania, Africa. In 2021, she graduated with a B.S. in psychology from George Mason University. In 2022, she received her MA in psychology with a focus in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, also from George Mason. She was recently featured in Forbes on World Mental Health Day. She founded Safe Haven Space, to empower and educate refugee families in the US about mental health and wellbeing.