Sharing Stories, Linking Lives: Literacy Practices Among ... - CPLS

Perry Sudanese Refugees
frequently volunteering as an unofficial tutor and community mentor for the roommates and
relatives of my official students. In December of 2003, Chol asked me to serve as a member on
the board of the newly-formed Southern Sudan Relief and Rescue Association, a local group
comprised of both Americans and southern Sudanese who work together to help Sudanese
refugees.
In my official tutoring capacity, I typically spend from 2-6 hours a week offering
homework help, particularly in the area of English. In my unofficial role as mentor, I am often
called upon to help with various events such as driving members of the Sudanese community to
doctors’ appointments, helping them fill out job applications, providing limited technical
assistance for computer technology problems, coaching Sudanese who are practicing for their
drivers’ licenses, or making phone calls to utility companies on behalf of the Sudanese.
My role as an academic tutor and community mentor was well established before this
research project began, which allowed me to gain more genuine access to the literacy practices of
the Sudanese community. While I am clearly not a member of the Sudanese refugee community,
I have a legitimate role in that community through my work as a tutor and mentor. I was able to
enter participants’ homes for reasons apart from performing research observations, and
community members often invited me to participate in community events such as graduation
parties, welcoming parties for newly arrived refugees, and the annual May 16 th celebration,
which serves as a memorial day marking the beginning of the current civil war in Sudan. This
previous work within the community encouraged the Sudanese to participate in my research;
they told me several times that they wanted to help me with my work because I had been so
helpful in theirs.
Context, Culture, and Community Shape Literacy Practices Among Sudanese Refugees
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