The Somali population in Columbus, Ohio

1
The Somali population in Columbus, Ohio

• A presentation by Students for Community Cultural
  Awareness

2
Introduction to the Organization

• Students for Community Cultural Awareness was
  formed this year
• Its purpose is to raise cultural awareness about
  immigrant populations in the Columbus community
• Currently the organization is focusing on the
  Somali population as it is the largest
  immigrant/refugee population in Columbus.
• The organization has held events such as movie
  discussions, informational presentations such as
  this one, and two Conversation Nights aimed at
  promoting inter-cultural communication

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Historical Context of the Somali Immigration
Movement
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The Somali Population in ColumbusIntroduction

• The Somali population began to come to Ohio in
  1994
• Since 1994 the yearly number of Somalis
  immigrating has continued to increase.
• Issues facing Somali refugees in Columbus
• Diaspora
• Prejudices or Discrimination, especially in the
  community
• Language barriers
• Religious intolerance
• Lack of services- housing, education, ESL classes

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The Somali Population in ColumbusBasic Statistics

• Columbus is the countrys second largest
  settlement of Somali refugees. Minnesota is
  first and Seattle is third.
• According to the Somali Community Association of
  Ohio
• 35,000 Somali refugee/immigrants live in
  Columbus
• 7 of Somali persons speak English well enough to
  get a job
• 75 of Somalis are eligible for citizenship
• 15 have become citizens
• 99.9 of Somalis are Muslims
• 80 of Somalis live with their families
• A large amount of families are headed by women
  (33)

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History of the Immigration MovementWhy did
Somalis leave Somalia?

• In 1991, the president of Somalia, Siad Barre was
  ousted from the position by a militant, Mohamed
  Farah Aideed.
• Aideed formed a pseudo-government with eight
  ministers who essentially became warlords of
  their areas and caused a civil war
• The UN came into Somalia in response, but their
  efforts were seen as damaging and Somalis became
  resistant
• Since 1991, 350,000-1 million Somalis have been
  killed

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Somali Refugees

• Somalis have left their home country due to
  political and civil unrest in their country.
• There are 350,000 Somali refugees in the world
• Somali refugees are resettled in Kenya, Yemen,
  United Kingdom, United States, Ethiopia and other
  countries.
• In 2005, 30,000 Somali refugees came to the
  United States

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Why Columbus?

• When Somalis first began immigrating to the
  United States the main two states were Virginia
  and Minnesota.
• Somalis who were living in Virginia began to look
  for a new place to live because the cost of
  living was so high and there were few jobs.
• Several Somalis moved to Columbus because of the
  availability of warehouse and factory jobs.
  Also, rent prices were much cheaper.
• Word spread through families and friends and soon
  Columbus became one of the foremost destinations
  for Somali refugees.

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Basic Social and Cultural Norm Information

• A lot of the social and cultural norms of the
  Somali population comes from being Muslims which
  I will discuss later
• Social and Cultural Norms
• Opposite-sex contact
• Emphasis on family unit, care for extended family
• Hard work, sending money to family in Somalia

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Current State of Affairs

• Employment, Health, Education, City Adaption

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Employment

• A major issue for Somali refugees is finding
  employment.
• Many Somalis own their own businesses or work at
  warehouse jobs in Columbus
• Global Mall on Morse Road
• Some people in the community are concerned that
  the Somali population is taking all of the
  available jobs in Columbus
• In 2006, Franklin Countys unemployment rate was
  4.8 (at the time the states unemployment rate
  was 5.1)

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Health Care

• Many Somali refugees are unable to receive the
  medical attention that they need due to the high
  costs of health care and the lack of culturally
  competent services
• Columbus Hospitals and Health Care facilities
  have begun to address the need for translation
  services

13
Education

• Columbus Public Schools have been overwhelmed by
  the increase in Somali students over the past
  several years
• Nearly every school in Columbus has an ESL class
  that serves Somali students
• According to Columbus Public Schools website 3
  of students parents speak another language
  besides English (around 2000 students)
• Many ESL teachers do not speak Somali and are
  forced to teach the students without any use of
  their primary language

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City Adaption

• Mayor Coleman has created the New American
  Initiative under the Community Relations
  Commission
• According to its website the purpose of the
  initiative is to give all immigrant and
  refugees living in Columbus access to city
  services and programs to help improve their
  lives.  This initiative gives equal opportunity
  to all refugees and immigrants and allows them to
  become responsible, productive residents of
  Columbus
• The commission is looking at problems with
  housing, language barriers, health care,
  education, and discrimination
• This is the first city wide initiative to look at
  problems facing Somali refugees in Columbus

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Columbus Perception

• Events and attitudes that have shaped the current
  perception about the Somali population

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How are Somalis seen in Columbus?

• Two Sides to the Issue
• Most Columbus residents are welcoming and
  accepting of the Somali population.
• However, there is a significant amount of the
  population who does not want the Somali
  population to live in Columbus.
• This may stem from misconceptions about public
  assistance, job opportunities, and cultural and
  social norms.
• The next several slides focus on the negative
  occurrences that have happened in Columbus but it
  is important to look at the attitudes of Columbus
  residents.

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Somalis in ColumbusWhat is the public perception?

• Somali accused of plot to blow up Ohio mall
• By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff    June 15, 2004
• WASHINGTON -- A Somalia native living in Ohio as
  a refugee allegedly plotted with an Al Qaeda cell
  to blow up a Columbus-area shopping mall,
  according to an indictment unsealed yesterday and
  announced at a news conference here by Attorney
  General John Ashcroft.
• Mentally ill Somali immigrant fatally shot in
  confrontation
• Associated Press Dec. 30, 2005 1200 AM
• COLUMBUS, Ohio - A deputy shot a mentally ill
  African immigrant to death when he lunged with a
  knife at officers who had come to take him to a
  psychiatric center, authorities said.
• Black Hawk Down
• This movie is about the UN American Troops who
  were killed in Mogadishu (the capital of Somalia)
  (2001)

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Quotes from an Online Forum

• The somalis hunt in the city parks and have
  killed the deer and roasted them in the shopping
  center parking lot, over an open fire.
• The deadly, cancerous African gene pool slowly
  and steadily continues to spread everywhere
• Will someone please tell me how are these
  people coming here? Who is paying their way here
  and who decides who comes, how many and where
  they go? Where they should go is Manhattan Island
  and all the plush towns in the smug Northeast
  where they think mass immigration and diversity
  is great. Bob L.

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Why do these opinions matter?

• The racist and misinformed quotes from the online
  forum are hurtful, but they also demonstrate the
  work that needs to be done in Columbus to promote
  cultural awareness and understanding.
• Without acknowledging that many Columbus
  residents are unhappy with the Somali population
  living in Columbus then we cannot properly
  address the needs of the population

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Islam
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Islam

• As stated previously, Somalis are 99.9 Muslim
• For Americans it is hard to understand fully the
  importance of Islam to Muslims because of the way
  that we view religion as a separate part of our
  lives
• However, for most Muslims there is no separation
  between their religion and their sense of self
  and culture.
• Islam has very set rules and duties that Muslims
  must follow

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5 Pillars of Islam

• Shahadah Its basic tenet is "ašhadu 'al-la
  ilaha illa-llahu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muhammadan
  rasulu-llah
• This means I testify that there is none worthy
  of worship except God and I testify that Muhammad
  is the Messenger of God."
• Salah Ritual prayer that must be made five times
  a day facing Mecca
• Zakat Giving to those in need
• Sawm Fasting during the month of Ramadan
• Ramadan occurs once a year and the month and day
  varies from year to year. The sight of the
  crescent moon marks the start of Ramadan. In
  2007, Ramadan will be in September.
• Hajj It is expected that all Muslims make the
  pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their
  lifetimes

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Why is Islam a factor in the Cultural
Understanding of Somalis?

• One of the largest components of cultural
  awareness of the Somali population is their
  religion
• Many people are unaware of the religious
  practices such as praying five times a day which
  has led to some problems
• After September 11th many Americans placed the
  blame on Muslims and because of their close
  proximity, Somalis in Columbus were sometimes
  targeted.
• The Islamic Center in Columbus has never gone
  more then two weeks before some sort of vandalism
  has occurred on their property.

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Ohio States Role
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OSUs Involvement and Reaction

• Currently estimates of the number of Somali
  students attending OSU are 200.
• Estimates of Columbus States Somali student
  population are around 2,000.
• The African Language department this year began
  to offer Somali language courses on a limited
  basis
• Few departments and centers on campus have
  organized programming or services to specifically
  address the Somali population
• Research has also been slow to start regarding
  the Somali population

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Why is Ohio State behind?

• Compared to the University of Minnesota and
  Columbus State, Ohio State is behind in
  addressing the needs of Somali students and
  recruitment of Somali students to attend.
• Why?

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OSU Students Involvement

• I believe that a lot of the lack of services and
  programming at Ohio State stems from students
  having a low interest in the population.
• Prior to the creation of this student
  organization the only organization that was
  looking at issues of immigrant populations in
  Columbus were individual ethnic groups such as
  the Somali Student Association
• Why doesnt the average OSU student care about
  the Somali population?

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Why do OSU Students have a lack of interest?

• Many students are flat-out unaware of the
  population.
• Most of the Somali population lives in Northeast
  Columbus and if students are not driving to these
  areas they might not be aware
• Stemming from the lack of awareness, there are
  few University sponsored programs and information
  given to OSU students about the Somali population
• Some students may not realize the significance of
  the population, i.e. that the population will
  most likely be a part of their future if they
  chose to remain in Columbus

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Students for Community Cultural Awareness

• I created this organization this year to address
  these concerns.
• Many OSU students are interning, working, and
  volunteering in Columbus and are unaware of the
  population.
• SCCAs purpose is to promote cultural awareness
  of the Somali population for several reasons
• Promoting cultural diversity and tolerance
• Increasing the professional development of OSU
  students
• Increasing OSUs attractiveness for Columbus
  immigrant/refugee population high school students

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What Next?

• Next year SCCA will be hosting the following
  events
• Autumn Quarter- Film screening series during the
  months of September, October, and November,
  membership drives
• Winter Quarter- Working with Somali refugees,
  professional development conference
• Spring Quarter- What does it mean to be a
  refugee? Informational session
• Fundraising for the Friends of Dadaab

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The Big Picture

• The purpose of SCCA is to increase cultural
  awareness
• The only way that can be achieved is by having
  students, faculty, and staff work together to
  ensure that Ohio State values immigrant
  populations in Columbus and is working on
  promoting cultural awareness as well as increased
  access to OSU
• What can you do to help?
• Join the SCCA
• Attend New American Initiative programs
• Encourage OSU to welcome the population

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Thank you for your time!If you have any
questions or feedback please do not hesitate to
ask!

• Contact
• My e-mail address smith.5215_at_osu.edu
• Organizations address s4cca_at_yahoo.com
• Organizations web-site www.geocities.com/s4cca