Abdul never expected to be in New York.
“My first three days, I felt like I was hallucinating because I was seeing New York in movies and shows. And then I found myself walking on the streets of Midtown. I never imagined to be in this big city, and now here I am.”
Abdul is a sociology student at BMCC but aspires to study political science and work in the non-profit sector. However, this was not always his goal. He has spent the last three and a half years fleeing from persecution due to his sexual identity. After escaping from Ghana, Abdul lived in Ecuador, Mexico, and spent time in detention in San Diego, California. When he first arrived at the border, the officers immediately asked him if he was seeking asylum. He told them, “Yeah, we are here because we are seeking asylum. We've been persecuted, our lives are in danger, and this looks like the only place where rules, regulations and policies are working, where people's rights and responsibilities must be respected by everyone, irrespective of where you are. So, I mean, here we are.” Abdul was still detained despite not having committed any crime. He recalls his experience being surrounded by four walls, his basic human rights violated, and his mental strength deteriorating. “That's when you start feeling like, oh, this was a mistake. I should have stayed out there in Mexico enjoying my freedom, rather than putting myself through this whole trauma. You don't get to brush your teeth; you don't get to shower. So, it's really tough.”
Once he was released, Abdul met people that helped him apply for asylum in New York. Asylum seekers aren’t eligible for a work permit right away, so he decided to get involved in the ways that he could. His drive to give back is shaped by how he's experienced the intersections of immigration, racial, and economic justice.
“I started doing internships because I realized that, because of what I had gone through, I wanted to help other people. And then my passion just kept going, and I said to myself, I think I need to get back to school and get a degree, you know, find a better job, because it is hard to survive here. Looking at the poverty wage and the class system that exists, you need at least a bachelor's degree to stay average or afloat. So, I said, let me get back to school. Let me do something for myself and form a new life.”
Abdul was granted asylum and is currently waiting for his green card. Although he cannot go back to Ghana, he keeps in contact with his family, and finds solace in places like Prospect Park. He hopes to eventually work in Texas or California, near the border, and help people who have gone through similar injustices. “We live in a world where we see what is happening every single day—people having to flee their homes because of injustices. So, I think the only way to make an impact and help people is to get into the nonprofit sector. That is where you get to touch the lives of people, and you get to hear stories, and you feel like the world really needs to be better than what it is now.”