Photos courtesy of Sam Smith, Jr.
In Search of Peace and a New Home in America
Sam Smith, 10, and his sister, 12, Dehkontee Smith, when they came to the U.S. in February 1997
By Angela Lindsay
T
ens of thousands of refugees flee to the U.S. from other countries every year for a variety of reasons. Some are escaping war and gang violence. Others may be seeking refuge from persecution or other traumatic circumstances. But what happens to refugees after they arrive here? For Sam Smith, Jr., coming to America began as a scary and unexpected journey, but ultimately provided a brighter future for him and his family. A native of Monrovia, Liberia, Smith became a refugee at 3 years old when civil war broke out in his homeland. From there, he and his mother moved throughout several countries in West Africa such as Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast where he met his older sister (two years his senior) who had already fled there with their grandparents.
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Sam Smith, Jr., with his wife Brittany Smith and their two children.
As a refugee in Africa, Smith said he and his family were basically nomads, moving from camp to camp where they lived in makeshift structures inside gated areas. They remained in these various camps until the war spilled over into those countries as well, and they had to move again. In addition to this physical upheaval, Smith lost a younger sister to illness during the civil war which he says still affects him, especially around her birthday, as they were very close. When Smith was 10 years old in 1997, he and his older sister fled to the U.S., leaving his mother behind. (In 2006, his mother relocated to Detroit, where she currently resides). His father, who had already moved to Detroit before the civil war began, spent everything he had to cover the high expense of getting Smith and his sister to the U.S. After obtaining visas, Smith and his sister endured several blood tests for the U.S. government to ensure they were, indeed, his father’s
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“It’s important that we treat each other with dignity. You never know what somebody’s circumstance is and just because a person isn’t from your country or you feel like the person doesn’t fit in with you, doesn’t mean that you look at them differently.” —Sam Smith
