Lauren McCormick Photography
Cam Echols
Refugee Empowerment Program director Cam Echols-Blackmon
The most glaring thing you notice when walking into the Refugee Empowerment Program (REP) is the sheer number of children. On a daily basis, the organization takes care of over 350 students from 35 different countries. The students scattered about the room cover a broad spectrum. Young girls run around in hijabs, while teenage boys sit around a table discussing soccer or basketball after finishing their homework.
Though the dominant language spoken is English, at any one time up to potentially 10 different languages or dialects can be heard. On the small stage near the far wall, kids play vocabulary flashcard and multiplication games. In another corner, they read books while tutors look on, encouraging and pushing their students. The center of the room is home to tables covered with homework. It can be pretty overwhelming at first.
The REP began in 2002 as a friendship between Sudanese refugee Ruth Lomo and Memphis native Camela “Cam” Echols-Blackmon. Cam was working as the Social Services Director at United Methodist Neighborhood Centers when Ruth Lomo approached her with a request for after-school program space. As the initiative grew, Cam quit her job to join the program full-time. Part of her drive comes from frustration at the way refugees are treated in the United States. “When you think about poverty, you understand that no one wants to wake up poor," she says, "but people don’t consider that no one wants to wake up with the knowledge that they can’t go home.”
There is a sense of familiarity between tutors and students at REP. The students know who their favorite tutors are, and are not secretive about preferences. It is not uncommon to see students run across the room to greet their favorite tutor, who come as varied as the children. Each instructor has a unique teaching style and mannerisms. Some are tough and push their kids, while others are supportive and reassuring. The tutors come as varied as the children.
REP only has a staff of 12 – six fulltime staff and six part-time – and relies heavily on community support. While a large number of volunteers are drawn from the various colleges around Memphis, people from all walks of life make weekly and sometimes daily trips to REP. “I would say it’s about 85% of the organization is volunteers," says Echols-Blackmon. "Without them, we wouldn't be able to have the reach that we do.”
Since joining the REP in 2007, Cam has pushed to make it a space in which refugees can retain their culture while adapting to the United States. “I don’t want the immigrant community to acclimate to the United States. I want them to remember their heritage and culture.” To help promote this goal, REP hosts annual events celebrating the various cultures represented in the organization. It also runs a weekly Mentoring and Empowerment program aimed at helping youth retain the knowledge of their culture and a love for their heritage. “I have the trust of the community,” Echols-Blackmon says, “I want them to know that I’m here to help and not take advantage of them.”
The REP has grown substantially since its inception. To meet the need to serve all Memphians, not just those from Binghampton, the organization opened two more locations around the city last year. Students now have access to Pre-K services, a Summer Camp, and test prep, among other programs. REP also provides adult services in the form of English language learning, digital literacy; and citizenship preparedness classes to help ease the transition to the United States.
