Brentwood-based refugee group celebrates International Women’s Day

When it comes to longevity, consider that International Women’s Day has taken place each March 8 for more than a century, dating back to before the 19th Amendment to the Constitution gave American women the right to vote.

Celebrating the day is a longtime staple of the Brentwood-based Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh, founded in 2010 by Khara Timsina to support the area’s largest group of ethnic refugees.

This year’s celebration took place at Pleasant Hills Middle School, featuring activities such as panel discussions with relevance to the day; a mother-daughter quiz competition on a variety of topics — with audience members often providing answers — and an icebreaking game allowing guests to learn a bit about one another.

Four groups of young people performed cultural dances from Nepal, the Himalayan country from which many residents migrated to the nearby Kingdom of Bhutan starting in the late 19th century. Bhutan eventually launched a denationalization effort against Nepali-speaking citizens, the Lhotshampas, causing them to seek refuge elsewhere.

Many resettled in the United States starting in 2008, after the government offered to take in 60,000 refugees, and one of their destinations turned out to be Pittsburgh. The greatest concentration can be found along the Brownsville Road-Route 51 corridor, including Carrick, Mt. Oliver, Brentwood, Baldwin and Whitehall, according to data from the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Immigrants and Internationals Initiative.

A goal of the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh is to ease the transition into American society by providing guidance and education.

“When you come to a new country, you don’t really know the language or know the culture,” said Julia Baraily, president of BCAP board of directors. “This is for the kids who basically grew up here, too,” Baraily said. “There are children who are now 16, 17 years old who were born here, and they don’t really know much about Nepali culture.”

Among BCAP’s programs is an After School Academy, developed by youth and families coordinator Katie Mirt. Students meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at the headquarters on Brownsville Road in Brentwood, and Mondays and Wednesdays at Baldwin Borough Public Library.

“We teach our students how to get education in a way they can understand,” Baraily said. “Also, we promote extracurricular activities, because a lot of people don’t know how to sign up for them, especially when you didn’t grow up here. A lot of our students are very into sports.”

With a further emphasis on community well-being, BCAP has a dedicated staff assigned for mental health and family counseling. And overall, the association continues to expand, according to Baraily.

“BCAP is where everybody comes in and is welcomed,” she said. “It started as an organization for the Bhutanese Nepalese community, but now that we have grown enough to support other cultures – other immigrant families, as well – it’s been great.”

Along with guests celebrating International Women’s Day, representatives from Dress for Success Pittsburgh attended the March 8 event, complete with a variety of clothing and footwear. Mobile services coordinator Harriet Riley lives in Carrick, “just down the street” from where BCAP is based.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to connect with a community that is very vibrant and is based in Pittsburgh, but doesn’t necessarily know about what Dress for Success offers,” she said. “We’re very much about meeting women where they are, and events like this are just great to meet members of the community and enjoy a really lovely day, as well.”

The mission of the nonprofit, which has an international presence, is to support unemployed and underemployed women in achieving economic independence and thriving in work and in life.

“We’re very much about women finding clothes that make them feel confident and unlocking that in them,” Riley said. “It’s not about me telling her what to wear. It’s about encouraging them to try on different things and what makes them feel best.”