Recently I went to an outreach center in a different part of the city, a few blocks from the subway and behind the mosque in Roxbury. This area is perhaps the most diverse area in Boston. Here people from all over the world find their homes in apartments and houses. Residents are from Somalia, The Sudan, Ethiopia, Iraq, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana and many more places. A large community health center in the middle of the community attempts to meet a myriad of health and social needs of residents.
We have tried to outreach to this community with health education for about a year and a half. We partner with a community based organization who are part of the community and committed to working within to make it a healthier and better place to live. I love this group. They are smart and funny. They work hard to create safe places where health messages can be heard and understood.
Tuesday was a breast health education session delivered to Somali women. They were all over 50 years old so in the age range where the majority of breast cancer cases are found to occur. Through interpreters and funny stories, poignant re-telling of hard events and sharing of different cultural beliefs we went through the session page by page. Time stopped as we gathered in a hot room talking, listening, learning. Between trainers, attendees, and a colleague we were from Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and America.
This is where I learn why certain myths about breast cancer exist – for they don’t come out of mid-air, rather they are based in stories and events. This is where I learn that the women present believe that trauma to the breast causes breast cancer. “We come from a place where there is war” says one. “And the soldiers take their guns and hit us in the breast to keep us moving. Then we get breast cancer.” We talk about this and I’m not sure how far we get. It will take more conversations, more events, more relationship building to convince them that this is not founded on fact, on evidence, but on story.
This is a world I love. A world where interpreters and native speakers gather with others and connect over a common cause. A world where it doesn’t matter that the session was supposed to take 45 minutes and it took an hour and a half. A world of women from different cultural backgrounds, where I in my western clothing and they in their Somali clothing, head scarves wrapped tight, could begin the long dialogue of understanding. A world where skin color varies from pale cream to glowing, dark brown and every shade between.This is a world that resonates soul deep. My heart was full of the joy of connection and belonging. This is a world I know. A world I love.
It’s times like these that the early mornings and occasional mediocre days of the working world fade into the background, gloriously overshadowed by cross-cultural connection and with this, contentment.
Readers – I want to connect you to an amazing resource today! A friend of mine from years past has started a service called Kids Books Without Borders. Gail grew up overseas in France with a British mom and an American dad. And she loved to read! She has collected over 2000 books! 2000 BOOKS!!! And she now extends this love of reading and books to those who live overseas. All she asks is that you pay the postage. This is what Gail says:
Does your family live overseas and enjoy reading? I have collected over 2000 books, available to you. I will send you a box of books to a US address or directly to you overseas. All books are free. If shipped in the US, postage is also free. If shipped overseas, I ask that you pay half the postage. Check out my website and submit a request. I will then send you my booklist, so you and your family can shop!
Think Christmas! Think Books! And then contact Gail at kidsbookswithoutborders.wordpress.com
Marilyn R. Gardner 