Little Amal sparks hope in Montgomery

Published October 19, 2023, in the Tropolitan newspaper, Troy University, Troy, AL.

Radio feature "Little Amal Sparks Hope in Montgomery" aired November 17, 2023

MONTGOMERY, AL - Crossing the Syrain border from her home in Appelo, Syria into Turkey, one 10-year-old refugee embarked on an incredible journey across the world alone - to Europe, Ukraine, Poland and the United States.

Now, this 12-foot-tall puppet continues to spread hope to refugees as she made a stop in Montgomery, Alabama.

Little Amal, a puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee, has taken on an 11,000-mile journey across the US and Mexico in one of the largest free public festivals called ‘The Walk.’ During which, Amal will partake in events of welcome that highlight a unique feature of each city she is in.

Many people attending the event were refugees themselves. Including Enise Segal, a Troy alumna who has lived in Montgomery for 52 years.

“I came to see Little Amal because she has a story like mine.” Segal said, “It’s similar and I can relate to her.”

Kris Harrell photo. Little Amal walks through a historic area in Montgomery, Alabama, touring the different cultures that make up the city.

“I was in East Africa, and all the Asians had to leave. I was 10 years old, and I had to take my little brother and my sister and get out of the country. We had to leave.” 

Singing, dancing and music was all around, leading both Amal and participants in a creative tour of five points in Montgomery. During the tour, she gathered eggshell pieces from the different cultures within Montgomery: The Indian, Asian-American and Hispanic communities in Montgomery took part in welcoming Amal to Montgomery.

“Today, we are exploring all the different cultures that have sought asylum in Montgomery,” said Khadijat Oseni, the Assistant Artistic Director for ‘The Walk.’  “We are showing that there are multiple cultures that coexist that have come with their own set of stories.”

One of the individuals who helped organize this event in Montgomery was Stacia Robinson, the Director of the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs.

“[This event] really embodies all of what I think Montgomery itself stands for, as far as bringing hope, and what quite a lot of people who have come to live here in Montgomery experienced by coming to have a place that they feel safe and excited,” Robinson said.

While ‘The Walk’ with Little Amal brings awareness towards refugees and their experiences, The Walk Productions has also launched “The Amal Fund” with the Choose Love organization.

The fund has raised over $700,000 towards providing shelter, food, care and assistance towards the child refugees Little Amal represents.

For more information about Little Amal, the Little Amal Fund, or where they will be headed next, visit www.walkwithamal.org.

“Collectively, if we give each other space, then we can understand how to rethink the perspective of what it means to feel a sense of belonging,”  Oseni said. “Like ‘what does home mean?’ and highlighting those that have been left out of those conversations.”