By Rachel Friederich
(WA) YACOLT – Hanan Al-Zubaidy (pronounced HAH-non Al-SOO- Bay- Dee) never met her maternal grandfather, but says his actions influenced her to make education a central part of her career.
Al-Zubaidy’s grandfather, Kadhom, ran a shoe shop in Samawah Iraq, about 168 miles south of Baghdad. His shop doubled as an underground library. Kadhom supplied citizens with books Saddam Hussein’s regime had banned. He taught people to read and write. It ultimately led to his arrest and execution.
Al-Zubaidy, who is now the Clark College director of education at Larch Corrections Center (LCC) doesn’t view her grandfather’s story as one of tragedy, but one of courage and compassion. She says his story reminds her that education has the power to transform lives and foster a healthy democracy.
“I always wondered what it is about education and learning, that would cause someone in a role of power, like Saddam Hussein or any sort of dictator, to specifically target it?” Al-Zubaidy, 28, said. “I started to realize that’s where the power lies. So many people have lost their lives fighting for education, so it became such a central point in my life. I wanted to know what makes education so powerful some people will go to great lengths to prevent it.”
From a refugee camp to America
After her grandfather’s death, Al-Zubaidy’s family went into exhile. Her parents met while living at a refugee camp in Saudi Arabia. Al-Zubaidy was born at the refugee camp soon after.
Like many Iraqis that had been displaced by years of warfare spurred under Hussein’s regime, the Al-Zubaidys applied to the United Nations for resettlement. Al-Zubaidy, her parents and younger brother resettled in Portland, Oregon when she was 3. Many members of her extended family, whom the government also blacklisted, resettled in places around the world, including Australia, Denmark, Canada, Holland and other parts of the U.S. Al-Zubaidy says she and her parents had different experiences adjusting to life in America. Al-Zubaidy says young children of refugees and immigrants often become links to help their parents adapt to the culture and customs of a new country.
