Every week, Care Club gathers around simple tables and shared space. It is not flashy. It is not loud. But it is meaningful. We serve a meal, break up into small groups, and then have an activity.
In February, during Black History Month, our Care Club leaned into stories — because justice often begins with remembering.
We highlighted the courage of Harriet Tubman and Ruby Bridges.
Harriet Tubman’s story is one of relentless bravery. Born into slavery, she risked her life again and again to guide others to freedom by what was called the Underground Railroad. She could have escaped and stayed safe. Instead, she returned. Over and over. Because freedom was not meant for her alone.
In 1960, Ruby Bridges was just six years old when she walked into an all-white elementary school in the South, escorted by federal marshals. Crowds shouted. Adults protested. But she walked forward anyway — small steps that would help change a nation.
Around our tables sat refugee students whose families know something about courage, too.
Most of the students in Care Club are from refugee families who fled war, political violence, or persecution. They were brought here by the government through the refugee resettlement program, before the current administration.
Their parents made impossible decisions to protect them. They navigated refugee camps, paperwork, resettlement, language barriers, and the long path toward citizenship. They are rebuilding their lives here in America, even as national conversations about immigration often grow tense or unwelcoming.
For everyone, these stories are not distant history.
They understand leaving home.
They understand starting over.
They understand what it means to walk into unfamiliar places and keep going anyway.
“I learned it is important to help others!” said the middle schooler.
One High School student said, “I did not know this happened in America.”
As we told the stories of Harriet Tubman and Ruby Bridges, something powerful happened. The group saw that American history includes pain, but also resistance and resilience.
It includes injustice, but also courage. It includes wrongs, but also people who chose to make things right.
The first step toward justice is telling the truth.
When we name the hard parts of history, we create space for healing. When we lift up stories of courage, we invite refugees to see themselves not only as survivors, but as leaders, bridge-builders, and difference-makers.
Care Club is more than a “program.” It is a space where history is honored, friendships are formed, stories are shared, and young hearts are reminded that they belong in this country’s unfolding story. They matter.
And maybe that is where justice begins: with a story told, a child listening, and the quiet belief that courage still changes the world.
