Meet Damir Subasic, Local Law Enforcement Officer From A Refugee Background
Damir Subasic is a local law enforcement officer and trainer whose family came to Idaho many years ago through the refugee resettlement program.
Damir and his family left former Yugoslavia when he was 9 on what he thought was going to be a visit to his grandma’s in Germany. But as war and violence escalated back home, it became clear they couldn’t return. Damir, the only Bosnian kid at school, faced intense bullying and isolation in those early years in Germany before making a few close friends who made life start to feel normal again.
When Damir was 16, his family resettled in Boise, where his uncle had previously been sponsored as a refugee by the owners of a local deli. Damir went to school with his guard up, expecting to face more bullying and beatings. One day he met his first American friend – a seemingly small encounter that changed Damir’s perspective for the rest of his life.
Damir went on to earn his degree in criminal justice and has worked in law enforcement for 15 years, including alongside other officers from refugee backgrounds. He now teaches at the police academy and speaks at schools and community events.
“I try to be there for others,” he said. “There’s a trickle effect you don’t realize you might have on someone way down the road.”
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48:13
Tap Dancer Andrew Nemr on Enduring the Dark Night
Andrew Nemr is an international performer, speaker, author, and teacher. His parents are originally from Lebanon, and in 2015 when civil war escalated in neighboring Syria, Andrew started exploring the idea of what it means to endure and encounter hope in the midst of darkness. His vision will come to fruition in August, when Andrew will tap dance for 12-hours straight in an immersive experience calledDark Night.
Visitors are invited to reflect on and honor the enduring spirit within us all. (Find tickets at https://www.darknightlive.com/.)
Andrew, who has been tap dancing since the age of 3, has a new book out this year, The Tap Dance Method, a practical exploration of tap dance land.
Join our conversation to reflect more on what dark nights can mean for our lives and for who we are becoming.
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1:00:54
Run for Refugees: Uniting for Welcome
All are welcome to join the Pace for Peace Run for Refugees in Boise on May 24, 2025, in support of Agency for New Americans.
The agency has been resettling refugees in Boise for many years. Community support is even more important this year as federal funding has been frozen. Proceeds from the race will help new refugee neighbors afford rent, utility, and medical expenses as they get on their feet in Boise.
Brandee Robles from the Agency for New Americans shares with us how her agency is navigating the new national changes and continuing to support the hundreds of people who have been welcomed over the past year.
Sayed Mirbacha, an organizer with Pace for Peace, shares why he is passionate about helping fellow refugees adjust to their new lives with hope, health, and community.
Pace for Peace Run for Refugees: http://www.anaidaho.org/runforrefugees.html
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41:19
Lok Darjee: Preserving American Democracy Takes All of Us
Lok Darjee works to empower others from refugee and immigrant backgrounds to use their vote and their voices to help shape and preserve the American democracy that he cares deeply about. His family is originally from Bhutan, but they were among the more than 100,000 Nepali-speaking people who were displaced in the early 1990s due to government persecution and attacks on their language, culture, religion, and citizenship. Lok resettled in Twin Falls, Idaho, as a teenager. While in Twin Falls, he founded a program to pair refugee students with American-born mentors.
He now runs Refugee Civic Action in Pennsylvania and is a fellow at Foreign Policy for America. Lok holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University and has written extensively on immigration, policy, and identity.
Lok said pausing the refugee resettlement program goes against who we are as Americans. The program “gives a lot of hope to kids like me who are refugees, gives a second chance to people like my family to come to this nation and build up again,” he said.
Check out his recent powerful op-ed in the Inquirer.
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Displaced for her Baha'i faith, Mona Heern holds on to joy
Mona Heern shares with Mosaics about her experiences as a young girl growing up during the Iranian revolution of 1979. Mona’s family and other members of the Baha’i faith - Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority – became the targets of intense persecution and restrictions, which continue to this day. Mona, her mother, and younger sister fled Iran after her father was murdered in prison simply for being Baha’i. Mona shares how she has found healing through sharing her story and serving alongside her community to maintain joy and hope.
Mona is now an educator and public speaker. She currently serves as an instructor and field experience coordinator at Idaho State University in Pocatello, preparing the next generation of teachers.
“I come from a country where it’s against the law for Baha’is to be teachers, so to having come to the United States where I can be a teacher, and now being part of that training process of future teachers, just means so much to me,” she said.
Through her public speaking engagements, Mona sheds light on the challenges faced by refugees in various forums, including school assemblies, community groups, and the media. Her hope is that through education and dialogue, we can build communities that embrace refugees and human rights in all social and institutional settings.
Mona was the recipient of the Freedom Festival Award and the NAACP Ron Timpson Award for her “significant contribution to the community through volunteerism and dedication to human rights."
Idaho has a heritage of refugee resettlement that’s enriched our culture, economy, and communities. On the Mosaics podcast, we’ll hear from Idahoans with lived refugee experience and from community members who are building a culture of belonging. We all have a role to play in creating the bigger picture of a vibrant and connected society.
Presented by the Idaho Office for Refugees with grant funding from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.
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