VIDEO: Seattle’s Civic Poet tells story of her ‘long journey’ at Southwest Youth and Family Services

You might have missed the chance this past Thursday night to hear an extraordinary West Seattleite tell her story.

Seattle’s first-ever Civic Poet, Claudia Castro Luna, headlined the quarterly Community Conversation gathering at Southwest Youth and Family Services in North Delridge. As SWYFS’s executive director Steve Daschle explained in the introduction, much of the nonprofit’s work is with immigrants and refugees, “helping them access resources and support to be successful, (with) a fabulous staff of advocates who come from the communities they’re serving.”

Take some time and listen to Castro Luna’s story of “An Immigrant’s Journey,” which we recorded on video. She arrived in the US from El Salvador in 1981, as her family fled civil war “that really destroyed the country … nobody was safe in El Salvador.” She landed in Miami on a Saturday morning, and started 10th grade there the following Monday, though she spoke no English then. What ensued was “a long journey to the place where I wanted to be,” including multiple careers. “Through the writing, I’ve come to understand my own story,” she told those who gathered to listen after complimentary dinner served by SWYFS. They also heard from members of Cambodian, Somali, and Mexican families assisted by SWYFS, which offers multiple volunteer opportunities.

1 Reply to "VIDEO: Seattle's Civic Poet tells story of her 'long journey' at Southwest Youth and Family Services"

  • Margaret Barrie February 8, 2016 (10:45 am)

    Beautiful herstory of “long journey” from war to peace, new language, opportunity, and back to her homeland  many years later, is an inspiration to all writers and readers.  Thank you for sharing.  Margaret Barrie, Writer too.

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