Liberians in Minnesota

There are over 22,000 Liberians in Minnesota. Mary and I had the pleasure of meeting this couple Jeremiah and Loretta at their home in Brooklyn Center. Jeremiah has his own business, North American Medical Academy, which has trained over 1,000 people, many of whom are Liberians, for positions in medical fields. Loretta is a nurse at a local hospital. They have lived here for over thirty years and periodically return to their native land. Their help in learning about the customs and especially the foods of Liberia. I hope to meet their relatives.

Loretta and Jeremiah "Jerry"

What is most encouraging about our visit is learning about the role the Peace Corps has played in their lives. Jeremiah recalls the name of his 1964-68 Peace Corps High School teacher, Robert Kennedy, in the town of Sinoe who taught him not only to read English, but more importantly taught him the disciplines needed to succeed in life. Jeremiah 's two hour one-way walk to school each day, be it in rain or hot sun, did not deter his quest for knowledge. He then came to America with $100 as a student, became as U.S. solider  during the Liberian coup of John Doe to avoid going back to a country immersed in civil war, became a nurse in America, and founded his own business. Those lessons he learned from his Peace Corps teacher he tries to impart on other Liberians who come to the U.S. as political refugees, totally unprepared for life in the West.

Loretta's story was equally compelling. She was sponsored by an American doctor who saw potential in her. She works at a local hospital as a nurse. With four children now raised, she has not lost any of her gregarious and infectious personality. Her Liberian love of gardening was evident when you enter her back yard. Both are from the Kru tribe, but met in America.

Like many immigrants, they live in two worlds. They appreciate the advantages and safety of America while missing the tight familial relationships of their homeland. They try to convey to their children and others the hardships they had to endure and to be thankful of the lives they are now living.