How does one find their place in a world that tells them they don’t belong?

In the autobiography How Dare the Sun Rise written by Sandra Uwiringiyimana and Abigail Pesta, author Sandra Uwiringiyimana shares with us a very poignant time when she and her family were brutally ambushed during the late night hours at their refugee camp located in Burundi after fleeing their homeland of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Following this horrific event, Sandra is changed forever suffering the harrowing loss of her youngest sibling. Sandra’s mother and father do their best to protect the family under dire circumstances and are able to leave the refugee camp and stay with a family member in an alternate location. 

When the family is presented with an opportunity to immigrate to the United States following the catastrophic event, Sandra’s father is immediately determined to go through the process to relocate the family anticipating a real chance at securing a more promising future. When they arrive in the US, Sandra finds herself up against a new set of challenges including a difficult assimilation period, a mental health crisis, and finding her own voice while quelling the “noise” of tradition, culture and excessive parental control. Sandra has to find a way to navigate her new experiences while still grappling with the pain of the past.

On a frigid winter day the family relocates to upstate New York with the assistance of a refugee resettlement program aiding victims of war crimes. When Sandra is enrolled and attends school for the first time, much to her surprise she gets picked on and is mistreated by her peers. Sandra gets hit with a barrage of stereotypes of life in Africa and feels devalued when on-going questions around her homeland persist. Sandra is also aware of the unfavorable portrayal of African Americans in the media which add to her anguish. After several exchanges with other nonwhite students holding similar concerns, Sandra realizes that her race has never been at the forefront in her homeland, however, due to her ethnic group identity she did face on-going discriminatory treatment for many years prior to the attack. 

When Sandra reflects back to life in the DRC, she happily shares childhood memories that were essential to her well being. Sandra enjoyed watching her favorite soccer teams and music shows featuring her favorite artists. The thought of running alongside her siblings before swimming in the sparkling lake would bring sudden feelings of joy to her heart. The climbing of trees bearing fresh fruit and breathtaking mountains are fond memories that unfortunately didn’t come without its low points. The jarring sound of gunfire sadley became the norm for Sandra’s family over the years and the threat of war continued in their close knit community.

While away attending college, Sandra suffers in silence while experiencing bouts of depression and PTSD. Sandra is resistant to communicating with her parents about recent events, viewing it as pointless and a lack of understanding on their part. Sandra goes through several nights experiencing flashbacks and incessant thoughts of the gruesome event. With limited financial means and resources, Sandra begins to write in her journal thanking God for all of the things she did have. Sandra proceeded to thank God for sparing her life while mindful of the fact that many other lives were lost on that day. Sandra wrote down her thoughts and feelings in reaction to the attack which ultimately sparked a healing process allowing her to put things in perspective.    

Sandra grew up in Uvira, a city located in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo and was the sixth child out of seven. Her mother and father lived in close villages and were married young right after completing school which was planned and expected. Sandra recalls the role her mother played in the community by opening up her doors to those in need. Everyone that traveled through their city were welcomed and stayed for as long as needed. When the Christmas holidays came around, she provided hot meals and entertainment through song and dance to maintain the tradition of hospitality and unity. 

After residing in the U.S for a considerable period of time, Sandra is exposed to other cultures and people with various backgrounds. Sandra is interested in learning about other countries and has an appreciation for lifestyles and cultures that are different from her own. Sandra’s approach to forming new connections with others is not necessarily based on where they’re from but, who they are. When her parents question her choices regarding a romantic partner, she disagrees with the tradition of marrying within the culture and fights back against her parents’ wishes to uphold what was expected of her.

When Sandra decides to join the church choir, she finds a way to manage her grief through singing and fellowship with other church participants. Sandra’s love for singing gospel music has brought her fulfillment allowing her to “let go” while expressing herself in both English and Swahili. Sandra would travel with the choir to different states in order to raise money to send back home to Africa. 

During one of their exhilarating performances, Sandra is encouraged to share her story publicly for the very first time. When Sandra starts to speak the congregation listens intently and is visibly moved by her words. At that moment, Sandra understood the importance of her activism work. During her acts of service, the unwavering anger that she had been carrying around for so many years had remained…but not for long. 

Sandra resumed her journey to heal by fully dedicating herself to the Foundation of Hope Ministries. Sandra continued singing and shedding light on her story and in doing so, there is a realization: the act of violence that nearly destroyed her family had been rooted in hatred. Anger could no longer take position at the helm. The love and support received from her extended church family strengthened Sandra allowing her to begin to recover. 

When it is suggested for Sandra to participate in curating an exhibit at a local gallery featuring the survivors of the attack, Sandra is optimistic during the preparation and planning phase as she gathers detailed information from those who were directly impacted. 

While gazing at each photograph and hand written story, Sandra learns that activism would be her life’s calling. Sandra takes a deep breath and starts to feel encouraged once again that something positive can come out of such an unimaginable horrific tragedy. 

How does one find their place in a world that tells them they don’t belong?

Unfold your story. You are here. We are listening. Your story, your life matters!