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Christian Gooley
“Life in America is living, life in Mali is surviving,” Sophomore Abdoulaye Check Kanté said when reflecting on the difference between America and his home country: of Mali, Africa.
Kanté moved to Kansas City about a month and a half ago to live with a host family. Moving away from his family in Mali wasn’t a choice — it was a necessity.
Kanté was born in Baltimore, Md. in Jan. 2005 and at 7-months-old, his family moved across the Atlantic to Mali.
A year ago, the Mali government was overthrown by jihadists, turning Mali from a country of peaceful neighborhoods to a terrorist breeding ground. For young men like Kanté, there was basically no choice — you were joining the jihadists .
Kanté’s father was terrified that his son was going to be forced to undergo the jihadist’s horrifying recruiting group, according to Kanté’s host father, Paul Beirne.
Standing at 6’7”, Kanté was the ideal target for the jihadists. For him, there was no way to escape the jihadists without escaping Mali.
“If 15 boys lined up, Kanté would be the one chosen due to his size, and that was his biggest threat,” Paul said.
Kanté took six days before arriving in Kansas City to visit his two sisters living in New York. He is not the only person in his family that has come here for a better life and to better themselves as a person.
The relationship between Kanté’s birth family and his host family began years before they sent him to America. His host mom, Tammy Beirne, is a doctor who sets up and builds clinics in Mali to help sick kids without healthcare access. Kanté’s birth father assists in setting up the tents in preparation for Tammy’s arrival. He plans to stay until he is done with college.
“Kanté had the realization that he needed to get out of Mali in order to obtain a good education so that he can help his family back home, and positively affect the world the way his father and Tammy do.” Paul said.
Kanté’s cousin, Boi Malobalitie, is a senior at Rockhurst High School and also lives with the Beirnes. Paul Beirne is a teacher at Rockhurst and his family assumed that Kanté’s would be attending as well.
“Rockurst did not end up accepting Kanté. At that point we were lost until someone told me that public school would be perfect for him,” Paul said.
This was a huge letdown for his cousin and for his host family according to Boi. They felt stuck with nowhere to go because they were unsure about public school.
“This made me really sad. I was excited to be able to go to school with Kanté,” Boi said
However, all this was surely a disappointment for both the Beirnes and Boi, but all they could do was keep their positive mindset. After all, anything was better than the dangers Kanté faced in Mali.
“Every time a door closes, a new one opens,” Paul said. “That was our mindset during this time.”
Paul has been long-time friends with basketball coach and weights instructor Shawn Hair, so he gave Hair a call to ask about Shawnee Mission East’s culture and if it would be the right place for Kanté. Coach Hair immediately invited Kanté to East, becoming his biggest supporter in the transition.
Though Kanté was still disappointed about Rockhurst, he went that week to tour the school with Hair because he was excited to learn. The kindness of the other students and the quality of the sports equipment stood out to him. Paul and Kanté were more than happy with how the visit went.
“We got there and immediately East seemed like the perfect place for him,” Paul explained. “The thing I was shocked by the most was how nice and welcoming the students were. 15 cross country kids introduced themselves right away.”
During their walk back to the car following the visit, Kanté looked to his host dad and said “Mr. Beirne, I want to be a Lancer.”
“I love East and I am so happy to go here, and all the teachers are amazing and care so much about me,” Kanté explained.
Kanté decided to begin his East involvement immediately by trying out for the soccer teem just a week after settling into the school. He made the JV team and has already formed strong friendships with his teammates. Now, he’s being invited to pool parties and saying “what’s up” in the hallways. His true passion is basketball, and he plans to try out at the end of the fall.
“We love those boys and truly we get more from them than they get from us,” Paul said. “They are the nicest young men you will know.”
Kantè may miss his family, but he’s happy to be here with the chance to be great.
“I miss my family everyday, but I know that I can get a better education here, and my family is very happy I am here,” Kantè said.
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