Tragedy in Tucson hits close to home for Congolese immigrant
theGRIO REPORT - Judge John Roll presided over Joseph Mbangu's wife's naturalization ceremony in 2006, and he cast his first vote for Rep. Giffords that same year...
The recent tragedy in Tucson hits close to home for Congolese immigrant Joseph Mbangu, who sought asylum in the city after he and his family fled conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2000.
Mbangu fondly remembers his wife Christine’s naturalization ceremony that Judge John Roll presided over in 2006, and recalls casting his first vote for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in her Democratic campaign for Congress that same year.
“I believed in her message of change, and she really convinced me,” Mbangu told theGrio. “She was coming out of state senator, and did a very great job, and was the only candidate that stood out to me,” he said.
Mbangu’s vote for Rep. Giffords also stands out in his memory because he said it was his first experience voting in a democratic system.
“She stands for what she believes in, in Tucson, the only Democratic bastion in Arizona,” Mbangu said. “She’s a very strong woman.”
He said he was so inspired by Rep. Giffords’ public service and stance on the war in Iraq that he campaigned for her that year.
“She came from a great family. Her father also employed many people in Arizona,” Mbangu told theGrio.
Mbangu said if he hadn’t relocated to New York with his family to pursue his passion for law, he might have been among those greeting Rep. Giffords on that fateful day at the supermarket, a half-a-mile away from where he used to live he said.
“She was the kind of person who would call your name and greet you, and wouldn’t forget you after the victory,” Mbangu said.
Hundreds of Arizonians attended public mass at St. Odilia Catholic Church in Tucson on Tuesday night in remembrance of six people who were killed, including Judge Roll, in Saturday’s shooting.
President Barack Obama is expected to deliver remarks at a memorial service in Tucson this evening.
