Westside Bazaar: Buffalo’s melting pot

The Westside Bazaar is a place where people in Buffalo can experience culture all in one place through food, clothing - and jewelry.

            Westside Bazaar’s business owners have progressed throughout the years in order to establish a brand. Now, it’s their time to shine.

Gysma Kueny is from South Sudan and she has been in Buffalo for 12 years. The name of her business is Gysma’s African Style.

Kueny sells jewelry, bags, shea butter, black soap, African fabric, scarves, home decor, and clothing.  “I started my own business because I decided to be independent and I wanted to start something for myself, “said Kueny.

Owning a business can be stressful but it brings joy to Kueny. “It makes me feel happy and I want to let other people who don’t know about South Sudan learn about our culture.”

“I’m here to show American people about our culture. We make things from newspapers. A lot of people throw away newspapers but in Africa me make necklaces out of it,” Kueny added.

Although Kueny’s products are based on the Sudanese culture, American’s also enjoy her products. “The majority of my costumers are American but I get a lot of people from my community in South Sudanese,” said Kueny.

Maung Moe, owner of Thin Yanant is from Burma. She has been in Buffalo for 5 years and she sells Burmese and Karen clothes and jewelry.

“I left my country in 2007 because of the politics and the Suja. My country looks like a movie now,” Moe said.

“My father and my brother were interviewed by a lot of Americans but now my family is in a refugee camp,” Moe added.

Moe displays the clothing made by refugees in her store. “In the refugee camps, people make clothing by hand. A lot of refugees that are Burmese and Karen make clothes without machines,” Moe said.

“The refugees usually make one sample, and then if I want more I have to make it myself or I can order it,” Moe added.

Costumers tend to buy her products during the holiday season. “I make small bags and people usually buy them and give to people for Christmas presents,” Moe said.

Unlike Kueny, Moe sells most of her products to Burmese and Korean people.

“I sell to a lot of Korean people and Burmese people.

“American people like the jewelry but sometimes American’s like the clothes. The Korean people usually buy clothes during the Korean New Year,” Moe said.

Buffalo is surrounded by culture from people all across the world. “I like to share my culture with American people,” said Moe.  

Journey’s End: Assisting refugees across Buffalo

Coming to a new country can be a drastic change for person but with help they can adjust.

Journey’s End Refugee Service is a Christian founded agency located in Buffalo. Their goals are to settle family units and adults, help refugees learn English, provide them with skills to obtain a job, and assist with their health.

            Mary C. Cummings is the Board Chair of Journey’s End and a professor in the Elementary Education and Reading Department at SUNY Buffalo State.

             Cummings has been a part of the Journey’s End family for quite some time.

 “I got started working with Journey’s End by working with Bell Network through Buffalo State in 2007. That was designed to focus on second language support on the west side,” said Cummings.

            One of the goals for Journey’s End is to get refugees adjusted to American customs through the use of case workers. Cummings said “We have a large network of case workers assigned to each refugee family that comes in and they walk them through for a period of three months with everything they can possibly need.”

            Cummings also discussed the specific types of aids that are provided. “There are health services, educational services, especially for language acquisition. There are legal services and there is usually someone assigned to support them while they are getting resettled in the community.”

            People from all over the world find themselves at Journey’s End, Cummings said particularly, “wherever there is strife and conflict and a person can be identified as a refugee.”

Journey’s End also works closely with the United Nations High Commissioners for Refugees. Cummings said “They designate refugee populations and people that are considered refugees. Then, that starts a process through Church World Service and Episcopal Epic Medical ministries with us to get folks into this country.”

Although journey’s end was founded by a Christian organization, it doesn’t put pressure on Non-Christians refugees to convert. “Non-believers are not affected by this because we do not focus on that one component,” Cummings said. It was founded by a Christian organization but everyone’s needs are met, regardless of their religious affiliation.”

            Not only does Journey’s End assist refugees with getting accustomed to American culture but they also help reunite families. The agency reunited a mother and son who had not seen each other for three years.

            “The people who work on that are to be highly commended,” Cummings said. “They work diligently to try and reunite these families. They expressed to me that when the reuniting happens it’s just a very exciting and joyous time for them.”

            The reunification process can take a while.

“There are several cases pending where our legal department helps track down separated children from their parents and then work to reunite them. It is a long process. Months, and months, and months can be involved, if not years to get that reunification established,” Cummings said.