REDWOOD CITY – Flags from around the world fluttered in the breeze Friday next to rows of photo-and-story displays outside 500 County Center.
The colorful exhibit caught the attention of Ebenizar Gibson, who stopped to read several of the stories.
One contributor writes of becoming her parents “American Dream.” Another recalls “flavors and family traditions.” A third reflects on becoming “the living result of everything they left, built and carried forward.”
“I think it’s inspiring,” Gibson said. “It’s nice knowing that the county appreciates diversity and the stories that each and every one of us have.”
Born and raised in Liberia, Gibson, who now serves as a deputy sheriff with the Sheriff’s Office, came to the United States in 2014 as a 17-year-old high school senior. Leaving meant saying goodbye to family, friends and the only home he had ever known.
“It was a tough move, but so far I’ve been blessed by everything this country has to offer, and I’m taking advantage of it,” he said.
The exhibit, organized by the County’s Office of Community Affairs in partnership with Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, recognizes June as Immigrant Heritage Month.
The exhibit will be on display in the lobby of 500 County Center through Friday, July 3, during normal business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The stories humanize us and just make all of us feel more connected,” said Deandra Lee, who helped to organize the exhibit and contributed her own story. “Instead of strangers in the county, we can feel a little more comfortable understanding that we’re all coming from different parts of the world.”
The exhibit includes stories from people with roots in Hong Kong, Mexico, India, Taiwan, Lebanon, Colombia, the Philippines, Samoa and many more countries.
Lee said she hopes visitors will take a few moments to stop, read and see something of themselves in the stories of others.
That was true for Gibson, who paused to read a contributor’s tribute to her mother, “who supported my childhood by spending her work day bent over a sewing machine.”
"Seeing other people put their stories out here, that's not necessarily my story," he said, "but it does fit some of the narratives I've been reading through these pictures."
Experience it for yourself:
500 County Center is located in downtown Redwood City with lobby entrance off of Marshall Street. Lobby hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Link to map: https://www.smcgov.org/location/500-county-center
Marshall Wilson
Communications Officer
mwilson@smcgov.org