Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Page S4621]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO BLAIR BRETTSCHNEIDER
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I want to tell you about two young women
from Chicago and a discovery they made together that has helped to
transform the lives of hundreds of other young women.
Domitira Nahishakiye moved with her family from the African nation of
Burundi to Chicago in 2007. Three years later, she found herself
overwhelmed. At 18, she was attending high school, trying to prepare
for college, and caring for her three younger siblings.
The refugee resettlement efforts worked mostly with boys and young
men. It didn't offer many programs to help Domi balance the pressures
of caring for her siblings and preparing for college. Getting ready for
college is tough for almost everyone. Imagine how much harder it is if
you have grown up in another culture and you are helping to care for
three siblings.
Fortunately, Domi met another young woman named Blair Brettschneider.
Blair grew up in Detroit. After graduating from the University of
Miami in Florida, she had hoped to become a journalist, but the Great
Recession caused Blair to rethink her career path. She moved to Chicago
to work for AmeriCorps VISTA, sometimes called the domestic Peace
Corps. Blair was a ``gofer'' for the refugee resettlement agency.
Not content with coffee runs and other ``busy work,'' Blair started
talking to the families her agency was helping. That is how she met
Domi.
Blair started to tutor Domi and help her with her homework at the
afterschool center, but Domi's home responsibilities made it difficult
for her to attend the sessions regularly.
Rather than give up, Blair started tutoring Domi at her home. She
helped her master her studies and apply for college. She also helped
Domi adapt to life in her new homeland.
Blair realized that Domi was not alone. Many immigrant girls and
young women Blair spoke with shared the same needs, and many refugee
agencies just weren't set up to help them.
That realization led Blair to establish a foundation in 2011 to
provide other young women refugees in Chicagoland with the same types
of support that Blair offered Domi. It is called GirlForward. It has
since expanded its reach to help young women in Austin, TX, as well.
Since 2011, GirlForward has helped nearly 300 refugee women in the
Chicago area and in Austin find mentors, friends, support, and
encouragement in America.
Amina Imran, a refugee from Pakistan, is one of those fortunate young
women. She used to joke that the only way she could attend college is
if she robbed a bank, but after finishing the Chicago GirlForward
program in 2017, she now attends North Park University in Chicago, on a
scholarship.
GirlForward is routinely cited as one of the best charities in
Chicago. Reader's Digest declared GirlForward the Best of America.
My visits to GirlForward in Chicago were some of the happiest moments
on my schedule. Young women from every comer of the world found
friendship and encouragement with their peers. The processes of
assimilating language and culture were lifted as these amazing young
women came together and shared their struggles and joys.
In helping young women refugees to thrive in their new home, Blair
Brettschneider is following in the footsteps of another great
Chicagoan. In 1889, Jane Addams founded Hull House on the Near West
Side of Chicago. It was one of America's first settlement houses, where
new citizens could acquire domestic and job skills and learn about
American Government and customs. For her work with Hull House and other
social justice causes, Jane Aaclams became the first American woman
ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
GirlForward is a new version of Hull House.
In July, Blair will be leaving GirlForward. Fortunately, she leaves
the GirlForward programs in Chicagoland and in Austin in strong shape.
On behalf of the hundreds of young women whose lives GirlForward has
helped enrich and transform and the hundreds of young women who will
follow them, I want to thank Blair Brettschneider for her remarkable
work and wish her all the best in her new efforts.
____________________
