Women of the Year: In a time of uncertainty, Becky Rempe has become an anchor for Spokane refugee and immigrant families

Last year, Becky Rempe launched “The Migratory Space,” a podcast where immigrants and refugees recount the journeys that brought them to Spokane.

One episode features a family who immigrated from Jordan. Another tells the story of an Ethiopian woman who spent 15 years in a Kenyan refugee camp, where she gave birth to two children.

The podcast gained momentum, but Rempe halted production shortly after President Donald Trump took office in January, as fear and uncertainty swept through local immigrant and refugee communities.

Still, she has remained hopeful and determined to ensure their stories are heard.

“Honestly, the immigrant, refugee community is the most positive group of people around,” Rempe said. “I think a lot of their energy rubs off on me.”

Years before moving to Spokane in 2009, Rempe taught English in Vietnam from 2003 to 2005. There, she said, she learned about the people of Vietnam – a culture and place that she had only ever thought of as a war and not a country.

“I was intrigued by such a unique people and place, and when I had the opportunity to teach abroad, I decided to go to Vietnam – and this was so humbling for me,” Rempe said.

“Even though the Vietnamese people were gracious and kind when I tried to speak Vietnamese, they rarely understood what I was trying to say, especially for the first six months. I really developed empathy for those who are learning another language, especially as an adult,” she said.

Eventually, in 2019, she became director of Barton School , where she has partnered with multiple organizations across Spokane County, including World Relief, Manzanita House and the International Rescue Committee.

In this role, she said she has grown and learned a lot about leadership and working in a community environment.

She explained that much of what has come out of her time at Barton School has been a natural response based on what she sees and hears from the immigrant and refugee communities.

“I really wanted to work in a place where I was working with my immigrant and refugee neighbors,” Rempe said.

What she did not realize was just how her persistence and empathy would shape her work at a moment when it is especially needed.

A selfless leader

A few months into the second Trump presidency, Rempe began accompanying immigrants to their Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-ins.

One of the first check-ins she attended was for a young mother. Rempe sat beside her in the waiting room, holding paperwork that spelled out who would care for the woman’s children if she did not return home.

“When the ICE officer first came in and saw us with her, he said, ‘What are you doing here?’ And we replied, ‘We’re her friends,’ ” Rempe said. “I felt like all we could do was be a calm caring presence next to her while silently screaming prayers and sending positive thoughts and loving energy to her.”

For others who work alongside her, Rempe brings a steady and fearless presence to Barton School. Judy Noel, who volunteers at the school, said she has seen firsthand how Rempe’s calm, welcoming presence helps immigrants and refugees feel safe as deportations rise.

“She worked in Vietnam, teaching English for quite a while, so she has a good sense of what it’s like to try and learn a new language and so many of what she does are not just lessons. They’re more establishing a tone of, ‘We want you here, and we’ll do what we can to help you meet your goals,’ ” Noel said.

That spirit has carried into Rempe’s partnership with Manzanita House, where she and Teresa Schock, community engagement coordinator for the nonprofit, have helped launch a community language club, where people can learn Spanish and Arabic. Schock first met Rempe in 2020 at the Spokane Regional ESL Conference.

With Barton School focused on teaching English and Manzanita House dedicated to welcoming immigrants and refugees, Schock said their goals aligned almost immediately.

“You know, there’s not a lot of free tutoring English gigs in Spokane. Certainly, there’s the community colleges, but for free tutoring, it’s Barton,” Schock said. “And so a lot of people have gone through Barton who are trying to learn English, and Becky’s just this ideal person to, kind of, put her hand on your arm and say, ‘You can do this, and we’re here with you.’ She’s definitely that person.”

Rempe has joined the club as a learner herself, working on her Spanish because so many of the families she serves speak it at home. For her, it is not just curiosity; it is about connection.

“I love it so much. I love it for our volunteer teachers who join the clubs, and also for anyone in the community who wants to learn a little bit of a language,” Rempe said.

“My hope is, that when someone in Spokane overhears someone else speaking another language, they can offer up their little suitcase of that language and say, ‘Hey, how are you doing? Welcome to Spokane,’ ” she said.