COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In the nine months that Afghan refugee Kubrah has lived here, she says she's enjoyed the mountains and engaging with a different culture.
"For me, learning English is something that's fun," she said. "My husband helped me to get my driving license, but right now I have a job in the overnight work at Walmart."
Kubrah is one of several refugees who've made their way to Colorado thanks to help from the Colorado Refugee Service Program and other nonprofits. Thanks to Imagination Celebration, they're learning English and engaging with the arts.
"We're working with women that are here as refugees from Afghanistan. They're the people that helped our military in Afghanistan, and they had to come here," said Executive Director Deborah Thornton.
Thronton says The Citadel Mall where the nonprofit has been operating for the last 20 years is one of the safest spaces for these women.
"I feel like this site, this beautiful place that we are in right now is one of the most ethnically, socioeconomically diverse places in the entire Pikes Peak region," she said.
While The Citadel has been the site of several crimes and shootings in the past, Thornton doesn't see the bad reputation
the mall gets as the whole truth.
"I think people have a perception that isn't based on fact. It's not based on actually participating. It may be based on changing demographics. And I think that's a sad statement. So I think what's really important is for people to come and be part of this," she said.
She thinks the diversity the mall provides is a positive impact on this community and believes more people engaging with that will help the public see a new side of The Citadel.
"I think when we learn from other people, when we we all celebrate our backgrounds, our own stories, our own culture that we came from. So we're very much about celebrating," Thornton said.
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