By Dalton Patterson
Benjamin Nathans, a former Liberian refugee, came to DMACC to inform our student body of the education program working to improve the lives of the Liberian people. When discussing his home of Liberia Davies’ spoke at length of the great historical ties that exist between America and Liberia. Going as far back as 1816 Davies’ talked about how groups of people have been working to bridge the connections between these two great nations.
Nathans’ swelled as recounted all that his country had to offer. From its exports to its people he described a place that filled him with pride and happiness. However his presence at DMACC was for a reason aside from just sharing about his home. Nathans’ went on to talk about how schools were far less numerous in Liberia. The quality too as most lacked even the proper facilities. He talked about how Liberian rebels attacked his home and brought him to America as a refugee.
This was why he was here. Nathans’ recounted how he and his wife would start their own school out of a small home in Liberia. Mary Davies, Benjamin’s wife, will travel back and forth between Liberia and America while Benjamin stays behind to work and help support the construction efforts to get a facility build for the children of his home town.
Charles Irwin, local history professor on campus, is one of the avid supporters of this initiative to raise awareness of the donation program towards the construction of schools like the one Davies and his wife manage in Liberia.
Irwin said that the Davies family came to DMACC as part of diversity week and personally enjoyed the presentation. “Davies did a nice job of speaking and had a nice connection being both a DMACC employee and graduate.” He can also be quoted with saying that Benjamin “addressed a problem” by informing the students of the history between Liberia and America. Part of Irwin’s involvement was to help sell t-shirts advertising the program to help fund Davies school construction efforts. These t-shirts can be found in Irwin’s office in room 201.
For more information on how to contribute to this cause the following gofundme has been linked as well a video showing the school and it’s students..
Kids foundation daycare and school gofundme.com
https://youtu.be/mfknUZv9mM0