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DIVIDENDS
By Carolanne Roberts
L
eslie Connor Beasley knows how to draw a listener into a story, almost as if she’s painting a lush portrait with shades of detail or describing an action movie filled with pathos and drama. But paintings and films are not reality; Beasley’s tales are true. And they are testimony to how a Mississippi State business education can be used for the good of others.
She adds, “Odile stayed on the run and in hiding for a year.” Beasley stops, still overwhelmed at the ability of the human spirit to triumph over adversity. When she connected with Odile, the Congolese family had been transplanted to its new, confusing life in Texas. Open Arms made all the difference. Odile, the first hire, learned sewing skills to produce fashion pieces from recycled t-shirts. Ultimately, she earned enough to obtain a mortgage on her own home. The money earned by employees of Open Arms means more than material goods, Beasley claims. It also means dignity for these women, who come from South Sudan, North Sudan, Congo, Nepal and beyond. “None of them wants to be dependent; each wants to provide for their families,” she says, “And to have a life of dignity and empowerment.” Which leads to another story. “Two of our women from North and South Sudan were widows,” she says. “One was Muslim, the other Christian, and their husbands had been killed in a conflict where the two religions were fighting one another – yet these women worked side by side at Open Arms and helped each other.” Beasley loves the outcomes. “This is a big part of my story and a big part of my heart,” she says, noting that she has always been led to help those in need. “My own family knew it when I was a little girl. I’d say, ‘That’s not fair!’ if I saw an injustice. Later – after I moved past wanting to be a dolphin trainer – I pictured myself running the Red Cross. By college, I chose business so I could take [my business training] into the non-profit world.”
Beasley, at center with husband Robert, and their children (from left) Conner, a U.S. Naval Academy freshman; Luke, a high school sophomore; Kyle, a high school senior, and Lily, a high school freshman. Photos courtesy of Leslie Beasley
M I S S I S S I P P I STAT E U N I V E R S I T Y
“In the middle of the night, Odile’s village got pillaged by rebels, so she ran away into the darkness,” relates Beasley. “She took nothing but her children, got separated [permanently] from her husband and wrapped her own shirt around a relative’s baby – born as they fled – so the small group could keep moving.”
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One such story she shares is about Odile, a woman from the Congo with five children, whom Beasley met and happily hired for her startup venture, Open Arms, that enables refugees in Austin, TX, to earn living wages.
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Open Heart, Open Arms
INTEGRIT Y
FA L L 2 0 1 8
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