Learning America: One Woman’s Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children
with Luma Mufleh
July 25, 2022
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
In its 29th year, The Mount’s annual Summer Lecture Series highlights recent works of memoir and biography. Join us for an eclectic mix of stories about historical figures and contemporary underrepresented voices.
It was a wrong turn that changed everything. When Luma Mufleh—a Muslim, gay, refugee woman from hyper-conservative Jordan—stumbled upon a pick-up game of soccer in Clarkston, Georgia, something compelled her to join. The players, 11- and 12-year-olds from Liberia, Afghanistan, and Sudan, soon welcomed her as coach of their ragtag but fiercely competitive group. Drawn into their lives, Mufleh learned that few of her players, all local public school students, could read a single word. She asks, “Where was the America that took me in? That protected me? How can I get these kids to that America?”
Learning America traces the story of how Mufleh grew a group of kids into a soccer team and then into a nationally acclaimed network of schools for refugee children.
“[From] an influential educational leader and activist…an impassioned, penetrating critique and inspiring model for progress.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
The Mount's general COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines may be found here.
The Mount is a Massachusetts Cultural Council UP designated organization welcoming participants of all disabilities. Please contact The Mount at 413-551-5100 or by email, info@edithwharton.org, to discuss accommodations needed to participate fully in this event.
- $25 Mount Member, $30 General Admission
- Tickets are available for Mount members on Wednesday, May 11, with sales open to the general public on Friday, May 13.
- Not a member? Contact Allison at 413-551-5112 to find out why Members Make the Difference.
- All lectures will take place in an outdoor, open-sided tent. We look forward to seeing you rain or shine!
- Books are available for purchase through The Mount's Bookstore before and during the event.
Biography
Luma Mufleh is a Syrian/Jordanian entrepreneur, coach, and thought leader in refugee and English Language Learner education. The daughter and granddaughter of Syrian refugees, Luma grew up in Amman, Jordan, where she was one of the only Arab students in her class at an American school and one of the few girls who played on her soccer team. As a young adult in a country where being gay was considered a crime, Luma came out to her parents and was disowned. In 1993, she came to the United States to attend Smith College and graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology in 1997. Granted asylum in the US, Luma navigated the broken immigration system to build a life for herself — opening a coffee shop and coaching soccer. In 2006, she founded Fugees Family, the only network of schools in the U.S. dedicated to refugee and immigrant education.