Refugees Thank Bay Area Agencies

Wearing a black pin-stripe suit and blue tinted glasses, Billy Lee Weah speaks passionately about leaving his homeland.

WEAH: I could write a book about the life of a refugee - because I have saw the bitterness.

The Liberian refugee described seeing family members murdered and other the challenges that he faced while leaving his war torn country.

Wilson Ariza came from Columbia

ARIZA: It's really hard coming to this country because you had to leave all of your family and start a new life in this country.

During an ecumenical conference in Tampa, Weah, Ariza and other former refugees discussed leaving their homelands and thanked the resettlement organizations that helped them find work and housing in the bay area.