Unique Clarkston School Is Reader's Digest Nice Place Finalist

DEKALB COUNTY, GA — Reader’s Digest has revealed the 50 “Nicest Places in America,” the result of a national crowd-sourced effort to uncover places where people are kind and treat each other with respect. For the third annual search, and over a submission period of 31 days, Reader’s Digest collected more than 1,000 stories of places across America where people are kind and civility is winning. From these submissions, Reader’s Digest editors and a panel of judges selected 50 finalists, one for every state. From now through July 21, people can vote on which of these finalists will get a cover story in the November issue of Reader’s Digest magazine. Nine others will also be featured.

The finalist in Georgia is The Fugees Family in Clarkston, a non-traditional school that uses soccer to help refugees learn, all the while boasting 100% college acceptance rate. Luma Mufleh sought asylum in the U.S. because she’s both Muslim and gay. She’s grateful because America gave her freedom, and with the help of her community she’s giving back.

A former soccer player, Luma started a free, organized team for refugee boys about 15 years ago. She then started a school with support from her community, many faith groups, and donors. Luma’s Fugees Family is a growing network of schools that helps refugee children excel in school while dealing with their traumatic experiences and mastering the English language. Her flagship school is in Clarkston, also the city in which U.S. Senate candidate Ted Terry serves as mayor.

Clarkston has come under fire from conservatives who see the community as a sanctuary city for terrorists. Back in 2015, Conservative America named Clarkston as one of the top 18 terrorist sanctuary cities.

Clarkston also got a lot of negative national attention for its Brannen Hill complex, which was christened the "worst community in America" by the Deen Media Center. The rundown condominium complex was home to numerous immigrants and refugees and gained national attention for its harsh conditions. It was home to about 400 refugees, mainly from Somalia, who settled there due to the proximity of a nearby immigrant community.

Here are the complete stories of the finalists, along with the hundreds of other nominees. "This year we sifted through over 1,000 stories of places where people stick together because of kindness, and these are the best from each state," said Reader’s Digest Editor-in-Chief Bruce Kelley. "In doing so, we learned something amazing, which is that no matter what's going on in the news or social media, the truth is that there's goodness all around us. We hope these stories lift spirits and inspire all of us to be better neighbors, friends and family."

This year’s search brought in a record number of submissions with a final tally of 1,077 stories, nearly three times that of 2018.