Luqman said that “life is a journey.” His accent is one thing he brought from his country Ghana, and he got emotional when he shared one thing he left. His mother. In Ghana, Luqman faced violence by his friends and community just because he was from northern Ghana. Even though he has been through times as difficult as running a marathon, his courage helps him continue to look for opportunities to help others by sharing his story. To see a smile as real and genuine as Luqman's is as rare and beautiful as a diamond. Luqman overcame many obstacles on his journey of immigration to the United States. Luqman's kind and genuine smile allowed us to hear his wise words:
“How about you spend five to ten minutes and sit down with that person you call an immigrant? Have a conversation with that person. Interact with that person, and you will be amazed by what you find out. Who knows? You might even be that immigrant you never knew.”
Luqman immigrated to the United States from Ghana. When he lived in Ghana, he enjoyed playing soccer and eating fufu. He always knew that other people were different from what his friends would say about where he was born. He used to ask his mom if it was wrong to be a Northerner from the Sudan. In Ghana, there is a big separation between Northerners and Southerners. “The North to the North and the South to the South” is what Luqman said.
Luqman left his home country of Ghana because of everything he was going through that hurt him so much. Luqman remembers when he was ejected from soccer games, and had soapy water poured over his head, just because of who he was and where he came from in Ghana. Being bullied was a challenge for him and his family which is why he decided to immigrate to America. Luqman started his heroic journey and emigrated from Ghana in an airplane to South America because he did not need as much paperwork. After a few years, Luqman first arrived in New York but now he lives in Hartford, Connecticut.
When Luqman first came to America, he thought the temperature was frigid. One time, Luqman was treated cruelly again as if he was an outsider by someone in Connecticut. One time, when he went to get paperwork at a city office, a woman told him to “go back to where you came from.” Luqman was hurt by this for many weeks. Eventually, he was able to get his own place and start a new life for himself. He now works for a successful company and is doing very well. Luckily, he made some friends here who were able to help.
Project Creators - Ayanna, Tian, Jaheim, Natalie, Coral, Saul
Credits:
All Student and Immigrant Portrait Photos, Writing, Audio Clip Video Short, Climographs, and Coordinate Maps Created By the ISAAC Students - Grade 6 Website Format Created By the Sixth Grade Student Documentary Crew