Agency Would Help Immigrants to Adjust
By Yolanda Woodlee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Mohamed Bangura knows firsthand what it's like to move to the District from Africa with a biology degree and experience as a school principal and still have to settle for a job washing dishes.
Bangura, now a teacher in Fairfax County, said he does not want to see other Africans experience the same frustration, depression and isolation that he felt because of cultural differences.
"I needed something neither money nor time could buy," said Bangura, of his experiences 16 years ago. "I needed the support of dedicated minds to guide me as I transitioned into a new and different society."
He was one of 45 residents, community activists and advocates who testified recently at a hearing before the D.C. Council's Committee on Government Operations in support of legislation to establish an Office of African Affairs.
Council member Vincent B. Orange Sr. (D-Ward 5), the committee's chairman, introduced a bill to create the office and a Commission on African Affairs. Orange said that committee members favor the bill and that he hopes the council will vote on it in February so that it can be included in the 2007 budget.
The office would try to ensure that the city's African community receives a full range of health, education, employment and social services. The commission would advocate, advise and lobby the mayor, the council and the office's director on policies affecting the community.
The office would be likely to have a three-member staff, including a director, and an annual budget of $200,000 to $300,000, similar to that allocated for the city's Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs, Orange said.
Ronald R. Collins, director of the city's Office of Boards and Commissions, said the bill closely resembles the legislation that established the Office on Latino Affairs and the Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs. The mayor supports the "intent and thrust" of the proposed legislation, Collins said.
The Office on Latino Affairs has 11 staff members and a $4.5 million budget, while the Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, which serves a smaller population, has seven staffers and a $500,000 budget, according to city officials.
Volunteers who help African immigrants resettle in this area say the fast-growing population, which was more than 9,000 at the time of the 2000 Census, faces challenges such as unemployment, cultural isolation, inadequate education and a lack of information about services.
"You could find doctors, lawyers, nurses, accountants and specialists in many different fields working as a cashier or parking attendant or driver . . . below their capacity," said Shemeles Arega, an Ethiopian who works as an employment specialist with the Newcomer Community Service Center at 1628 16th St. NW. Nearly 90 percent of the center's clients are African, he said.
"There are a number of African community members in the city with serious health problems like HIV who don't get the necessary treatment and services for their problem because of the cultural influence and lack of awareness," Arega said. "They don't want to expose their problem and seek treatment."
Many African residents of the District seek services from community-based organizations, such as the African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation at 1525 Newton St. NW and the Ethiopian Community Development Council at 901 S. Highland St. in Arlington.
The Rev. Amare Kassaye, of Debre Selam Kidist Mariam Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Northwest Washington, said 150 church volunteers tutor and counsel children, raise money to fund programs for the needy and give spiritual guidance to parishioners.
"We would like the city to acknowledge our existence, and we ask the city government to start funding some of these important services so we can improve the services and continue to provide them," Kassaye said.
Orange said he is committed to establishing the office in memory of Wondimu Mersha, a close friend who died a few years ago.
"I used to go around with him in the African community to drum up support," Orange said. "I know this is what he wanted."
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