| Benson Athiin Deng |
 “Our village was attacked by our government when I was seven years old. We fled a thousand miles across Sudan to Ethiopia on foot. The traveling was always by night and I hated this very much because we were not allowed to sleep and when I stepped on unidentified things in the dark like thorns, twigs and sharp stones, my feet were sore all the time. But I was not the only one, about twenty-five boys my age shared the same hardships. This stopped me from any complaints or crying. I was not wearing any shirt or jacket, just only my underwear all the way to Ethiopia.”
Benson Athiin Deng began to learn English by writing the alphabet with a stick in the sand in Ethiopia. When he was driven from there, he and his brother, Alepho, were captured and put into a camp called Natinga. Alepho fell seriously ill and there were no medicines, clinics or anyone to care for him. Their lives were in danger and Benson’s friends wanted him to escape with them. Risking his own life, Benson stayed behind for his brother and nursed him until a few months later. Near death, Alepho was finally transported to a refugee camp for treatment. Benson later escaped and made a treacherous desert crossing that not everyone survived. When Benson reached safety in Kenya, he began his education again. Upon his arrival in America, Benson, with his brother, Alephonsian Deng, and cousin, Benjamin Ajak, wrote a book about their life in Africa called They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys From Sudan, which is edited by Judy Bernstein. |
Featuring:
| Judy Patacsil |
 Judy Patacsil, co-author of Filipinos in San Diego, is a counselor at Miramar College, where she chairs the Miramar College Committee on Diversity and Inclusion and where she founded the Filipino American Student Association. Patacsil co-wrote the companion guide for Silent Sacrifices, a documentary which addresses the struggles of immigrant Filipinos and their American-raised children, and provides a forum for open dialogue to find solutions. Other co-authors for Images of America: Filipinos in San Diego include Rudy Guevarra Jr. and Felix Tuyay. As a founding member, she is actively involved in the San Diego chapter of the Filipino-American National Historical Society, whose mission is to research, disseminate and celebrate Filipino-American history. Patacsil completed her master’s degree in counseling with an emphasis in multicultural competency from San Diego State. A licensed psychotherapist, she worked in mental health care and SDSU Psychological Services before joining Miramar College in 1992. |
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