Matthew’s Story: Using Language to find Opportunity, Part 1 of 2

Matthew, 52, was a long way from Frederick when he first began a journey that would ultimately bring him through our doors at the Literacy Council.  

Matthew was born in Benin, a country in West Africa. Jobs aren’t easy to come by in Benin, but Matthew was good at making work for himself. At a young age, he figured out how to start his own business by importing gas. He’d go to the neighboring Nigeria, purchase gas, and then come back to Benin to sell it on the street. 

In his twenties Matthew decided to seek out even more opportunity and moved to South Africa. He opened a bustling internet café. It was there that he met a woman who urged him to join her in the clothing business. He did, and founded a boutique, which became such a solid business that he made yearly trips to New York City to purchase the clothing he stocked in his store. After about 10 years of going back and forth between the countries, Matthew decided to move to the U.S., even though he knew it would be hard to leave the two daughters he now had. “I tell my baby’s mom I can’t live here. I came here for a better life but the way things are I carry a gun, I never carried one before,” he said. “In the US, you don’t walk in the street and look to see who is following you with a gun to steal your phone.”  The racism in South Africa, he said, was “breaking, killing us.” 

But making the transition to America was harder than Matthew expected. Even though he had started several successful businesses, he eventually found himself without a job and a place to stay. He was out of money, but he had a good friend – the kind of friend who has your back. “If I need a ride, he will be right here to get me,” Matthew said. This friend helped him find long-term lodging at a Frederick hotel and invited him to work at his carpet-cleaning business. When the carpet-cleaning business folded during the pandemic, Matthew was able to find part-time work at the hotel where he was staying. But he was restless, wanting more and unsure how to get there, another friend stepped in to help. What he needed, she said, was to improve his education and she knew of a great place to do it. That’s how Matthew found himself walking through the doors of the Literacy Council. “I met a lady downstairs,” Matthew said, describing his first visit. “She was very kind. I said I want to be a better person. I want to know how to read, how to write in English. She said, we can help you.” 

Check back next week to learn how the Literacy Council has helped Matthew.