White House Honors Kurdish Woman as ‘Champion of Change’ - S

[Aslan]

MONTREAL, Canada – Nashville resident Kasar Abdulla, an Iraqi-born ethnic Kurd, was honored by US President Barack Obama this month for helping immigrants like herself integrate into their new homes in the United States.

“Many Americans don’t know about the immigrants and refugees and why they come to the USA,’’ said Abdulla, who received White House recognition under the Champions of Change program. ‘’Engaging long-resident Americans in discussions help reduce fears and misunderstanding about new Americans,’’ she told Rudaw.

Being honored by the US president was unexpected for the Tennessee resident, who herself came to the United States as a refugee, following Saddam Hussein’s deadly crackdown on the Kurds in the 1990s.

Since that time, Nashville has become a new destination for many immigrants and refugees like Abdulla. In the past, immigrants and refugees originated from Europe and were mostly white Caucasians. But more recently they have come from Latin America, the Middle East and Europe.

Abdulla gathered stakeholders from various sectors, including businessmen, religious leaders and politicians to officially launch The Welcoming Tennessee Initiative in 2006. Funded by the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, the initiative was aimed at demystifying immigration to Tennesseans through discussion and education.

Tennessee is home to the largest Kurdish community in the United States, most of them Iraqi Kurds who fled under Saddam.

Abdulla’s initiative, still operating today, is a collaboration of concerned Tennesseans from all walks of life. Its ambassadors and volunteers work together to increase understanding of how new Americans share Tennessee’s values, contribute to its economy, enhance its mixed culture and strengthen its communities.

In less than three years, Welcoming Tennessee was replicated in 19 states across the USA, Abdulla said. The grassroots-driven collaboration, called “The Welcoming America,” promotes mutual respect and cooperation between foreign-born and US-born Americans.

As a board member of Nashville Public Television, Abdulla facilitated the development of the award winning documentary series “Next door neighbors,” which looked at Nashville’s status as a new destination for refugees and immigrants.

Volunteering to kick off the documentary series Abdulla allowed cameras into her home, introducing other Americans to her family – a husband and two small daughters – and to the Kurdish lifestyle.

Abdulla remembers how her father wished for her to have a secure and independent living as a doctor or a lawyer. But she wanted to enrol at Tennessee State University in sociology and social activism.

“Being honoured as a Champion of Change helps people understand why the work I do is important,’’ Abdulla said.


Overcoming internal barriers within the Kurdish community, including gender biased stereotypes, was tough for Abdulla, who wanted to have a voice in her community and in America.

‘’You don’t see many women activists in Tennessee,’’ Abdulla said. ‘’Being a wife, a mother, a female -- it is difficult to create a space,” she explained.

Abdulla has moved from director to an advisory position for The Welcoming Tennessee. In 2011, she co-founded The American Center for Outreach, a Tennessee-based organization that helps Muslims become socially engaged.

Abdulla is also a founding board member of the Kurdish Women for Better Health, raising awareness on healthier lifestyles for Kurdish women and about breast cancer prevention.

’’The lack of Kurdish women having a voice in the USA -- but also in Kurdistan -- gives me the strength to continue,’’ Abdulla said. ‘’If I -- a refugee girl -- could do it, then I hope I can inspire others to do the same.”