A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

In addition to online news magazines, 509 chat rooms, blog postings, and other social networking sites,
the Liberian diaspora has also developed a number of sophisticated email listservs, through which
they engage in sometimes acrimonious exchanges. For example, the Organization of Liberians in
Minnesota runs a well-established listserv. 510 Phone tree and mobile phone messaging are also used
to keep the community connected and to invite people to major community events. 511 In Atlanta,
Georgia, for instance, there is a longstanding community phone line which provides daily updates of
community news to people who use the service. 512
These social networking and support mechanisms provide a reserve of community support for
Liberians separated by distance and oceans. These mechanisms can also play a divisive role, however,
as they reflect and magnify tensions in a community dealing with the effects of a devastating conflict.
damaging the faBric of liBerian Society: ongoing impact of the war
Individual-Level Impact
361
Chapter Thirteen
Many of the challenges and coping
strategies in the Liberian diaspora
community are similar to those evident
among other immigrant populations.
But the trauma that Liberians faced
during more than fourteen years of
civil war poses unique challenges as
the community builds a new life in the
diaspora. The legacy of the Liberian
war impacts the Liberian diaspora at all
levels, from the individual, to the family,
to community-level structures.
The diaspora community includes many individuals who have experienced significant personal trauma,
and for many, their traumatic history has exacerbated the difficulties experienced in the resettlement
process. One interviewee noted that little effort has been made by the U.S. government to understand
Liberian culture and how deeply Liberians have been affected by their war experience. 513 Liberians
in the United Kingdom also described dealing with issues of retrauamatization upon arrival. For
example, one statement giver mentioned that she arrived in the United Kingdom around the time of
Bonfire Night and everyone was setting off fireworks. 514 The noises terrified her because she had no
idea what was happening and it brought back memories of the war. 515
Another interviewee described trying to support two young women who had been through extreme,