Meet Okili

[Owltalk]

I spent an evening at Sabrina & Okili's house a few years back. They were kind enough to feed us dinner. There were several other people there. I don't know why but the topic of women shaving their legs came up and Okili started laughing and while continuing to chuckle he explained that in Africa, hair on a woman is considered sexy. The idea of shaving our legs was crazy to him. We all started laughing at the irony of women in Africa trying to grow their hair and women in America trying to get rid of it and we couldn't stop. Later Okili told us that when he first learned the language he had trouble confusing the word kitchen for the word chicken, often switching them. I haven't laughed so hard since then. Just the idea of someone saying they would be in the chicken or that they were eating kitchen tonight through us all into another round of laughter. I like Okili a lot and I sure hope he will not be forced to leave the U.S. I have lost too many friends the last couple of years.
Woodeen

[Valley Oak]

I first met Okili at his mother-in-law's house a few year back, maybe 4 or 5 years ago. It was fascinating talking in a circle of friends and family about the subject of coming-of-age.

Okili explained that the coming of age ritual for young men in his tribe included having to spend the night by himself, well away from the comforts of home. Part of the ritual included the task of getting food to feed himself with little or no implements. It is striking to see a similarity amongst other cultures that also have a coming-of-age ritual, such as the Native Americans. The Australian Aborigine's "Walkabout," for example, is a rite of passage for the young male consisting of undergoing a journey during adolescence and living in the wilderness for a period of time. In Okili's African culture, one of the tests for the young man includes an element of potential danger but there is an elder up in a tree watching over him to make sure that nothing unfortunate happens in case the youngster loses his wherewithal. The story continues but I will stop here.

I think it's a tragic loss that we all suffer here in the U.S. with our attitude that "we are better than thou" towards other nations, tribes, peoples, and cultures. It's not only their loss; it's our loss as well. With the diversity of different cultures and races we enrich ourselves. We become more intelligent, more accepting, more integrated, more varied, and the quality and strength of our people also benefits significantly.

I miss Okili very much and it is a loss not just to me and the many friends and family who know and love him but to all of us as well, even those people who vindictively turn a blind eye to his drama.

Okili has formed a part of the local social fabric here in Sonoma County after 23 years. He has a white, American wife who was born and raised here in California. They have two children, a daughter who is a young adult and a son who is 17 and suffering this horrible episode of his father being taken away for deportation. Both of his children are U.S. citizens with all of the same, identical experiences of other young Americans, including the aspiration of a college education and a career and being a productive member of society. Okili has been ripped out of our community with only destructive consequences for absolutely everyone and there is nothing to be gained by his deportation except traumatic loss, sadness, depression, despair, and emotional as well as economic hardship. And this has a ripple effect on many people around Okili and the community at large.

Please come this May 22nd to the silent auction to raise funds to free Okili.

Edward