Utica — Seven years ago, the first Somali Bantu refugee arrived in Utica, starting a new life for himself and bringing more culture to the Mohawk Valley.
Today, the story of the Bantu presence continues. On Thursday, the nonprofit Mohawk Valley Somali Bantu Community Association celebrated the opening of its new office at 309 Genesee St.
“We decided to open the office to help our community because there is a lot of need on the language barriers, employment, case management and resources for families.†Executive Director Sidi Mwalimu said.
The plan to open an office began evolving about two years ago, when organizers wanted to ensure that their relatives and other Bantu refugees knew where to find needed services.
“We will be like a bridge for the outside and our community,†he said.
According to Mwalimu, Bantu families have a hard time communicating in English and reading documents. The nonprofit group will help refugees read their mail, fill out forms and complete daily routines such as paying bills and going to appointments.
“When they need a job, we can help them with job searching, interview preparations, and training on how to find a job.†Mwalimu said. We are also authorized to work with any refugee in Utica, so whoever comes in the door and has refugee status, we can help them.â€
Assist on medical call
The extent of need for arrivals from overseas is highlighted in a recent blog entry by consultant George Wright on the Web site of the Institute for Social and Economic Development in Washington, D.C. Wright, who writes about issues related to Bantu in the United States, had made a swing through Upstate New York, where several cities have burgeoning Bantu populations.
He wrote about a Somali Bantu resident who had a late-night health complication and called 911. The dispatcher contacted the Somali Bantu Association, and Mwalimu arrived to accompany the woman in the ambulance and assist her during much of her care.
“I tell this story not simply because Sidi provided humane assistance to his fellow community member in her time of need,†Wright wrote. “I also tell this story to highlight the value of bridging case management as a vital service to refugees, who may be beyond their initial resettlement period, but who often have difficulty fully operating in American society without linguistic and cultural assistance.â€
He noted that the Somali Bantu Association “operates on almost no financial support and yet the organization is recognized by local emergency services agencies as essential to their effective provision of service.â€
Refugee center helps out
The Bantu are just one of the myriad groups that have arrived in Utica escaping political, ethnic or religious persecution in their homelands. Newcomers have hailed from Vietnam, the former Soviet Union, Bosnia, Somalia, the Sudan, Myanmar (Burma) and many other countries.
For Mwalimu, getting the office space was possible because of the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees.
“We really appreciate them because they gave us a very good space,†he said. “We sat down, met with the Refugee Center, requested a space and they accepted us.â€
According to refugee center Senior Director of Programs and Services Shelly Callahan, providing the Bantu group with an office will continue the cultural exchange process in the Utica area.
“We enthusiastically support them and look forward to partnering with them as they go forward with their association,†she said.
The new office is located near the Mohawk Valley Latino Association, an arrangement that Callahan hopes will bring about teamwork between different cultures in the area.
“We are hopeful that they all can work together and collaborate on this and be sort of an incubator for ethnic community organizations,†she said.
“Our tagline is, ‘many cultures, one community,’†she said. “I think the good help and well-being of each ethnic community really informs the help of the overall community.â€
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Observer Dispatch
