Siblings recall a joyful reunion with mom

Brother and sister Shadrak Musafiri and Francoise DePaul Musafiri, two of 14 siblings originally from Kinshasa in The Democratic Republic of the Congo, recall the joy of being reunited with their mom in Seattle, two years after she immigrated to the United States.

During the 2000s, there was political turmoil in DRC, and much of their family initially moved to Pretoria, South Africa for refuge. However, after seeking asylum in South Africa, a series of xenophobic attacks began taking place there which made it unsafe for the family to remain. The family had to migrate back to DRC in order to start the process of seeking asylum in the United States for safety and better education.

_{Francoise DePaul Musafiri’s First Day Story, as recorded by her brother Shadrak:}

_{Shadrak Musafiri’s First Day Story, as recorded by Conor Courtney:}

Shadrak Musafiri

I'm a Junior at the University of Washington double majoring in Communication: Journalism and Photo-media. I have a passion for story telling in written form and visually, especially stories of people fighting to make a difference in their communities.

Conor Courtney

Conor Courtney is a student at the University of Washington double majoring in Journalism and Environmental Studies. He is the photo editor and staff photographer at The Daily, and is interested in how communities are impacted by changes in the environment.