Refugee youth art exhibit on display in Detroit's Mexicantown
(CBS DETROIT) - As Cinco de Mayo celebrations come to a close in Detroit, an art exhibit remains open in Mexicantown until May 12.
Displayed in the Mexicantown Galleria, a celebration of refugee art and culture is recognized with youth refugee art.
"I think it is very, very important that the community understands who is in their state, who is in their city," says Kayla Park, community engagement manager with Samaritas.
She says the youth exhibit displays over 50 pieces of art sharing the stories of young refugees. Some of the work displayed is created by refugees from places like Honduras, El Salvador, and in Shakil Aramna's case, Afghanistan.
"Everything is dark for me in Afghanistan, and I don't know what happened to my future," Aramna said when describing her paintings.
She describes one, a girl, sitting on a cliff staring at the moon that she thought of as herself. As Aramna recalled those memories, she says she's fortunate to now be in a place where she can focus on her future more securely.
"Everything is open for me and I have all of the options, and I'm able to continue going to school," Aramna says.
"This art gallery gives them the opportunity to share their stories and their hearts directly with the community. Not as a statistic in the media or news, but as the individual and the teenager and the child that they are," added Park.
