Josué is from the Dominican Republic. Mwefu was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Taras and Kateryna came from Ukraine.
They are refugees and immigrants from widely separated corners of the world who share something in common: All left their homelands behind to make a new life in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Their journeys are the focus of “Making NEPA Home,” a new WVIA documentary.
"Overall, what you will realize with everyone in this documentary is that they are extremely grateful to be here, and they are doing whatever they can to make sure that they are integrating and becoming a part of the communities that they're in,” WVIA filmmaker Kara Washington said.
The broadcast premiere is set for Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m.
Washington is WVIA's promotions coordinator. She produced, directed and edited the documentary, with cinematography by WVIA producer/director Alexander Monelli.
"He was just very collaborative, and I'm so happy that we got to do that together,” Washington said.
Honoring their journeys, acknowledging her own
Washington found that the four people at the heart of the film shared a similar path of paperwork and resettlement in NEPA.
"This documentary is honoring these individuals’ resilience. We're celebrating their diversity, the cultures that they bring to our communities, and how they are shaping and reshaping what our communities look and feel like,” she said, adding, "They're in a place now where they can start building or rebuilding a good life."
Washington was inspired to create “Making NEPA Home” by conversations surrounding WVIA’s special program called Holocaust Warnings: American Antisemitism and Extremism.
"Making NEPA Home" is part of WVIA’s We Stand Against Hate initiative, which shines a light on stories of resilience, unity and cultural diversity.
Washington also found connection and inspiration through her own background.
"Someone like me, being from another country, I just felt very strongly about this story and wanting to see it to fruition,” she said.
Washington is from the Bahamas. She’s quick to point out that living in the United States was her choice, not a move she was forced into. She has dual citizenship.
"But I know what it was like to leave the only place that you've ever known and come to, you know, a new country and having to figure out the landscape,” she said.
'Grateful to be here'
Some of the stories in the documentary tell of displacement and loss, Washington said.
Husband and wife Taras and Kateryna fled Ukraine after the start of Russia’s war on their country.
Taras is a musician by trade, but he fought in the front lines of the war.
"When their country calls them, they have this feeling that they need to raise their hand and do what they have to do. But you know, it got to the point where, you know, he needed to protect his family more, and they made the hard decision to leave,” Washington said.
Mwefu spent most of his life in refugee camps in Africa.
The Congo is rich with minerals. Armed groups battle over people and resources, causing widespread poverty, violence and chaos. The displacement crisis in the Congo is one of the largest in the world, second only to Sudan, according to the United Nations.
Josué was a barbershop owner in the Dominican Republic who said he was extorted by the police. He left to keep his family safe.
Washington found that Josué, Mwefu and Taras and Kateryna all agree that the decision to leave homes was hard.
"There's always a connection to, you know, wanting to be home, because your people are there. And, yeah, so absolutely ... if they could, they would go back,” she said.
That, Washington found, is a misconception.
“People think that sometimes this is the only place that they want to be, but that's really not the case. They're really here because this is the only option for them, and they're just trying to make the best out of, you know, the situation that they're in.”
She also learned that the process to resettle in the United States is not easy or quick.
“Everything is not what it seems. You know, people think that refugees and immigrants get handed a lot of things, and that's really not the case,” she said.
The film also focuses on the organizations that help the refugees and immigrants once they’ve resettled in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Washington spoke with Catholic Social Services, United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Hazleton Integration Project.
“They don't directly assist with resettlement. But they do have a safe space where anyone in the community can come in and feel like they're in a good place,” she said.
When & where to watch
The one-hour "Making NEPA Home" airs Thursday at 7 p.m. on WVIA-TV, and will stream live on WVIA's Facebook and YouTube pages and at WVIA.org.
WVIA is co-hosting a premiere watch party with the Black Scranton Project at the nonprofit's Center for Arts & Culture, 1902 North Main Ave., Scranton. Afterwards, Washington said there will be a conversation about the film. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Reservations are suggested.
"The documentary will not have all the answers, but I hope it does spark conversations about acceptance,” she said. “They're bringing in their cultural traditions, they're bringing in expressions of identity and really expanding what Northeastern Pennsylvania looks like.”
