When Marvel dropped their film, Black Panther, in 2018, it was met by an immense celebration from the Black community that unsurprisingly caused the film to bank over a billion dollars in ticket sales. Black Panther became the top grossing superhero film ever, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The storyline of King T’Challa protecting his fictional kingdom, the technologically advanced society of Wakanda, from outsiders resonated with the comic book fanbase, many of whom tried to submit their passports to visit the exclusive African destination.
While the possibility of traveling to an imaginary Wakanda is not plausible, chef Nyanyika Banda created a cookbook to provide enthusiasts with a culinary trip to the mythical nation, Today reports.
Banda, a Malawian American who earned Culinary Degree from Madison College in 2012, concocted 70 recipes to make up “The Official Wakanda Cookbook” and did so within three months, it is now available since April 12.
“I definitely felt a combination of pressure and pride,” said Banda to The Washington Post. She is also a freelance writer. “The lore of Black Panther and what Wakanda means now socially is so important, not just for Black Americans but to people of African descent around the world.”
Before signing on with Marvel to work on the project, Banda consumed various Black Panther comics and immersed herself in fan-created websites to gain a deeper understanding of the characters and the country of Wakanda rather than solely relying on the film.
Jennifer Simms, Banda’s editor at Insight Editions, the publisher of the Wakanda cookbook, didn’t want the recipes to represent a generic Africa, “We wanted to make sure we weren’t trying to represent Africa as having one food culture,” she says.
Both women worked closely with Marvel’s team to produce dishes that upheld the storytelling of the comic book.
“We would talk about whether or not they felt like it would be a part of Wakanda,” said Banda. “I wanted there to be integrity within the dish, but also have integrity in terms of storytelling.”
Through her research, Banda’s recipes reflected the folklore of Wakandan culture. For instance, Wakanda boasts a lake, so Banda considered creating fish dishes. According to the Marvel comics, Wakanda is situated in sub-Saharan Africa, where food items like cassava, mangoes, and meat from goats would be plentiful. Also taken from the film where tribal leader M’Baku barks at the CIA agent character and threatens to feed him to his children but quips that he’s a vegetarian, inspired Banda to develop dishes that included eggplants and herbs.
For the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s all-female military warriors, Banda was motivated to invent a smoked mushroom jerky, “I imagined it would be something that would be fueling but that would carry well,” she says, The Washington Post reports.
Banda also designed a savory sweet and spicy oxtail with cassava dumplings, okra fritters, basbousa, a creamy cake, and a tamarind cola to wash down the Wakandan cuisine, according to Today.
“I think that’s such a beautiful part of (Wakanda) being this fictional place,” she remarked. “Definitely, the impact that ‘Black Panther’ has socially right now for us, and this time and age was always something that I was like taking consideration to when thinking about the recipes.”
Every other Tuesday, a working group of Mayan women meets to review the organization and progress of their food saving and production project in Uayma, in the state of Yucatán in southeastern Mexico. CREDIT: Courtesy of the Ko’ox Tani Foundation
UAYMA, Mexico , Apr 26 2022 (IPS) – Every other Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. sharp, a group of 26 Mexican women meet for an hour to discuss the progress of their work and immediate tasks. Anyone who arrives late must pay a fine of about 25 cents on the dollar.
The collective has organized in the municipality of Uayma (which means “Not here” in the Mayan language) to learn agroecological practices, as well as how to save money and produce food for family consumption and the sale of surpluses.
“We have to be responsible. With savings we can do a little more,” María Petul, a married Mayan indigenous mother of two and a member of the group “Lool beh” (“Flower of the road” in Mayan), told IPS in this municipality of just over 4,000 inhabitants, 1,470 kilometers southeast of Mexico City in the state of Yucatán, on the Yucatán peninsula.
The home garden “gives me enough to eat and sell, it helps me out,” said Petul as she walked through her small garden where she grows habanero peppers (Capsicum chinense, traditional in the area), radishes and tomatoes, surrounded by a few trees, including a banana tree whose fruit will ripen in a few weeks and some chickens that roam around the earthen courtyard.
The face of Norma Tzuc, who is also married with two daughters, lights up with enthusiasm when she talks about the project. “I am very happy. We now have an income. It’s exciting to be able to help my family. Other groups already have experience and tell us about what they’ve been doing,” Tzuc told IPS.
The two women and the rest of their companions, whose mother tongue is Mayan, participate in the project “Women saving to address climate change”, run by the non-governmental Ko’ox Tani Foundation (“Let’s Go Ahead”, in Mayan), dedicated to community development and social inclusion, based in Merida, the state capital.
This phase of the project is endowed with some 100,000 dollars from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the non-binding environmental arm of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), formed in 1994 by Canada, the United States and Mexico and replaced in 2020 by another trilateral agreement.
The initiative got off the ground in February and will last two years, with the aim of training some 250 people living in extreme poverty, mostly women, in six locations in the state of Yucatán.
The maximum savings for each woman in the group is about 12 dollars every two weeks and the minimum is 2.50 dollars, and they can withdraw the accumulated savings to invest in inputs or animals, or for emergencies, with the agreement of the group. Through the project, the women will receive seeds, agricultural inputs and poultry, so that they can install vegetable gardens and chicken coops on their land.
The women write down the quotas in a white notebook and deposit the savings in a gray box, kept in the house of the group’s president.
José Torre, project director of the Ko’ox Tani Foundation, explained that the main areas of entrepreneurship are: community development, food security, livelihoods and human development.
“What we have seen over time is that the savings meetings become a space for human development, in which they find support and solidarity from their peers, make friends and build trust,” he told IPS during a tour of the homes of some of the savings group participants in Uayma.
The basis for the new initiative in this locality is a similar program implemented between 2018 and 2021 in other Yucatecan municipalities, in which the organization worked with 1400 families.
María Petul, a Mayan indigenous woman, plants chili peppers, tomatoes, radishes and medicinal herbs in the vegetable garden in the courtyard of her home in Uayma, in the southeastern Mexican state of Yucatán. CREDIT: Emilio Godoy/IPS
Unequal oasis
Yucatan, a region home to 2.28 million people, suffers from a high degree of social backwardness, with 34 percent of the population living in moderate poverty, 33 percent suffering unmet needs, 5.5 percent experiencing income vulnerability and almost seven percent living in extreme poverty.
The COVID-19 pandemic that hit this Latin American country in February 2020 exacerbated these conditions in a state that depends on agriculture, tourism and services, similar to the other two states that make up the Yucatán Peninsula: Campeche and Quintana Roo.
Inequality is also a huge problem in the state, although the Gini Index dropped from 0.51 in 2014 to 0.45, according to a 2018 government report, based on data from 2016 (the latest year available). The Gini coefficient, where 1 indicates the maximum inequality and 0 the greatest equality, is used to calculate income inequality.
The situation of indigenous women is worse, as they face marginalization, discrimination, violence, land dispossession and lack of access to public services.
More than one million indigenous people live in the state.
Women participating in a project funded by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation record their savings in a white notebook and deposit them in a gray box. Mayan indigenous woman Norma Tzuc belongs to a group taking part in the initiative in Uayma, in the southeastern Mexican state of Yucatán. CREDIT: Emilio Godoy/IPS
Climate crisis, yet another vulnerability
Itza Castañeda, director of equity at the non-governmental World Resources Institute (WRI), highlights the persistence of structural inequalities in the peninsula that exacerbate the effects of the climate crisis.
“In the three states there is greater inequality between men and women. This stands in the way of women’s participation and decision-making. Furthermore, the existing evidence shows that there are groups in conditions of greater vulnerability to climate impacts,” she told IPS from the city of Tepoztlán, near Mexico City.
She added that “climate change accentuates existing inequalities, but a differentiated impact assessment is lacking.”
Official data indicate that there are almost 17 million indigenous people in Mexico, representing 13 percent of the total population, of which six million are women.
Of indigenous households, almost a quarter are headed by women, while 65 percent of indigenous girls and women aged 12 and over perform unpaid work compared to 35 percent of indigenous men – a sign of the inequality in the system of domestic and care work.
To add to their hardships, the Yucatan region is highly vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis, such as droughts, devastating storms and rising sea levels. In June 2021, tropical storm Cristobal caused the flooding of Uayma, where three women’s groups are operating under the savings system.
For that reason, the project includes a risk management and hurricane early warning system.
The Mexican government is building a National Care System, but the involvement of indigenous women and the benefits for them are still unclear.
Petul looks excitedly at the crops planted on her land and dreams of a larger garden, with more plants and more chickens roaming around, and perhaps a pig to be fattened. She also thinks about the possibility of emulating women from previous groups who have set up small stores with their savings.
“They will lay eggs and we can eat them or sell them. With the savings we can also buy roosters, in the market chicks are expensive,” said Petul, brimming with hope, who in addition to taking care of her home and family sells vegetables.
Her neighbor Tzuc, who until now has been a homemaker, said that the women in her group have to take into account the effects of climate change. “It has been very hot, hotter than before, and there is drought. Fortunately, we have water, but we have to take care of it,” she said.
For his part, Torre underscored the results of the savings groups. The women “left extreme poverty behind. The pandemic hit hard, because there were families who had businesses and stopped selling. The organization gave them resilience,” he said.
In addition, a major achievement is that the households that have already completed the project continue to save, regularly attend meetings and have kept producing food.
It was about five years ago that Patrick Lyoya first stepped into Restoration Community Church, a small United Methodist congregation just outside Grand Rapids, Mich. He was a new face, but he had a familiar story.
Like most of the congregation, Lyoya belonged to a sprawling African diaspora in Grand Rapids who came to the United States seeking safety and a better life. In Lyoya’s case, his family arrived as refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014. They had escaped war and fear of persecution, and after more than a decade in a refugee camp, they seemed to have finally found a haven in Michigan.
America meant opportunity for the family, so when Banza Mukalay, the pastor at Restoration Community Church and himself a refugee from Congo, met Lyoya, he could sense a promising life ahead.
“He was a very young [man] who had the future, he had something in it,” Mukalay said. “You [could] see him just trying to look for himself how he [could] be better in the future.”
That future came to a sudden and tragic end earlier this month when Lyoya was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids police officer after he was pulled over for allegedly driving with an unregistered license plate. Video of the April 4 traffic stop released by the Grand Rapids police showed a brief foot chase followed by a struggle over the white officer’s Taser. The video ends with the officer shooting Lyoya in the back of the head while he was facedown on the ground. Lyoya was 26.
The harrowing video of Lyoya’s final moments has spawned days of protest in Grand Rapids over the death of yet another Black man at the hands of law enforcement. Nearly two years after George Floyd’s murder sparked a nationwide reckoning over racial injustice and police misconduct, Lyoya’s case, for many, represents a measure of the steep challenges that persist.
Yet for those who knew Lyoya, he is not a symbol. They knew him as a son, a brother and a father — a person of faith whose life was inextricably shaped by war. They remember him as someone who was quiet and kind, someone who loved music and soccer, but someone who loved his two children above everything else.
He worked hard and brought others joy
Lyoya was born in Congo — the first of Peter and Dorcas Lyoya’s six children. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press last week, his parents remembered him as a kid who always brought them joy.
“He is the type of person that you will love to be around,” Dorcas Lyoya said, adding that he excelled at putting her “in a good mood to make me laugh.”
Lyoya was born at a moment when war was just beginning to split their nation — a conflict with roots in the genocide in neighboring Rwanda and which ultimately resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. The war would end in 1997, but only one year later a new conflict would erupt. Known as the Great War of Africa, it would last until 2003 and cost an estimated 3.8 million lives by one count.
War took the family from their home, and for 11 years they lived in a refugee camp, according to Robert Womack, a member of the Kent County Board of Commissioners in Grand Rapids who has been helping organize a funeral service for Lyoya scheduled for Friday. They were living in Malawi when they won asylum to live in the U.S., arriving in 2014 as part of a wave of refugees settling in Michigan from Congo.
In Grand Rapids, Lyoya’s parents landed odd jobs to make ends meet. Dorcas worked in a laundromat; Peter worked in a nursing home.
Lyoya, who was just entering adulthood around the time of the family’s U.S. arrival, soon went to work too. He worked in a small manufacturing plant helping to make auto parts, his father told theDetroit Free Press. He also worked at a turkey farm, according to Womack, as well as at a vacuum cleaner and appliance store.
Ramazani Malisawa, 33, says he worked with Lyoya at the appliance store for about six months starting around 2018. Malisawa, who is also from Congo, says they would often eat lunch together and talk about their lives in Africa and how it was they arrived in the United States. But he says these talks would only happen around lunch, because when it came to work, Lyoya was intensely focused.
Bill Pugliano / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Dorcas Lyoya (right), the mother of Patrick Lyoya, cries at a news conference held last week in Grand Rapids to respond to the videos of her son’s killing.
“When he is working, he was not talking,” Malisawa said. “He was just focused on the work. He was a good worker and worked hard.”
It’s not that he was in love with the job, Malisawa said, but that it was important for him to be able to one day afford to send his two young daughters to school. He said he remembered Lyoya once telling him: “My kids, they will know we had a father, and our father — he worked hard.”
Outside of work, Lyoya enjoyed soccer, music and dancing. Womack said Lyoya would even teach Congolese dance traditions in clubs around Grand Rapids, and he shared the story of one local club owner who once watched Lyoya giving lessons.
“They said basically it was just peaceful and a joy,” according to Womack. “And even though some of the Americans that worked there didn’t understand the language, they said the vibe was just priceless … the vibe of joy in watching Patrick and his friends laugh and smile and dance.”
Lyoya also found community through his faith. Mukalay, the pastor at Restoration Community Church, said Lyoya wasn’t like many of the young adults he meets at the church.
“Some young people, they just come and then one day, two days, one month and then they quit or they just drop out,” Mukalay said. “He was ready to continue with us for a long time. So that’s why I say he was a young [man] who had the decision to do something better in life.”
His death has devastated the refugee community
Community leaders like Womack and Mukalay said Lyoya’s death has been particularly painful for the city’s Congolese population — a community that came to the U.S. to escape violence and felt they had found safety after years of war. It’s a grief, they say, that has forever changed their view of America.
“The difference between the Congolese families and some of the African American families who’ve been affected by state violence is the fact that the Congolese families are hurt and shocked that this could happen in the United States of America,” said Womack. “When I deal with African American families, they are hurt and mad, but they’re never shocked.”
Mustafa Hussain / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
A woman wears a sweater with an image of Patrick Lyoya as protesters march for Lyoya in downtown Grand Rapids on Saturday.
It’s a sentiment Lyoya’s mother shared with reporters during an April 14 news conference when the family called for criminal charges to be brought against the officer who killed her son. The shooting is under investigation by the Michigan State Police, but authorities have not released the name of the officer.
“I thought that we came to a safe land, a haven, a safe place,” she said, speaking through an interpreter. “And I start thinking now, I’m surprised and astonished to see that my friend — it is here that my son has been killed with bullets.”
“I was thinking it was my son who would bury me,” she said, “but I am the one burying my son.”
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
Soulja Boy is an American hip-hop artist, producer, and savvy entrepreneur. He joined the game in the mid-2000s and has grown to become one of the biggest rappers in the game. He rose to international fame following the release of his 2007 debut single, Crank That (Soulja Boy), which peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Keep reading to learn more about Soulja Boy’s net worth, career and personal life.
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DeAndre Cortez is a veteran rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. Photo: @Greg Doherty Source: Getty Images
Big Draco loved rapping from a young age and was lucky to have a father who supported his dreams. By the time he was 17, he had one of the biggest rap songs. He is also one of the first rappers to use social media platforms to promote his tracks.
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Soulja Boy’s net worth
Big Draco has an estimated net worth of $30 million in 2022. Photo: @souljaboy Source: Instagram
The rapper has an estimated net worth of $30 million in 2022. He earns from music, acting, and various entrepreneurial ventures. He owns several assets, including a mansion in Agoura Hills, California, and a collection of expensive cars.
Draco had a passion for hip-hop since childhood. His dad had a recording studio in their family home, where he nurtured his son in various aspects of the art. He started uploading his songs on SoundClick in 2005 and later joined YouTube and other streaming platforms.
The rapper released his breakout track, Crank That (Soulja Boy), in March 2007. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 by September that year and remained on the chart for seven weeks. It even won him a Grammy nomination and became the first single of any hip-hop artist to sell more than three million digital copies.
The hip-hop star released his first independent album, Unsigned & Still Major: Da Album Before da Album, in March 2007. Draco’s major studio debut album, Souljaboytellem.com, came out in October 2007. He followed it up with several other albums, Eps, and mixtapes, including;
Big Draco 1, 2, and 3 (2021 to 2022)
Young Drako (2018)
Loyalty (2015)
All Black EP (2013)
The DeAndre Way (2010)
iSouljaBoyTellem (2008)
King Soulja series
DeAndre founded his record label, Stack on Deck Entertainment (SODMG), in 2004. Several artists, including 24hrs and Lil 100, are signed to the Los Angeles-based label. Way is currently signed to Virgin Music since 2021.
Big Draco made his debut in the rap industry in the mid-2000s. Photo: @Paras Griffin Source: Getty Images
Soulja Boy’s movies and TV shows
The rapper has appeared in several movies and television shows, including;
Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood (2014 t0 2016) as himself
Draco was born on 28th July 1990 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. His family relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, when he was six, and he later went to stay with his dad in Batesville, Mississippi, when he was 14. Soulja Boy’s parents are Tracy and Carlisa Way.
Way had a younger brother called Deion Jenkins, who met his sudden demise in March 2022 in a car crash. His other siblings include John Way and Tracy Lee Jenkins.
Soulja Boy memes
Draco’s influence goes beyond rap. In 2019, he claimed his comeback was the greatest of all time compared with rapper Drake and his reaction to people thinking otherwise inspired online memes.
What is Soulja Boy’s new name?
The artist’s initial stage name was Soulja Boy Tell’ Em, but he later decided to go with Soulja Boy. His other moniker is Big Draco. Soulja Boy’s real name is DeAndre Cortez Way.
His greatest song is his 2007 debut single, Crank That (Soulja Boy). The track was number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for seven weeks in September 2007. Rolling Stone magazine listed it at number 21 on the list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.
Who is Soulja Boy in a relationship with?
Rapper Draco is expecting a baby boy with his girlfriend Jackie (right). Photo: @hairdesignsla Source: Instagram
The rapper is in a low-key relationship with the hairstylist and cosmetologist Jackie. He shocked fans in March 2022 when he uploaded a video on Soulja Boy’s Instagram revealing that they would soon be parents to a baby boy. The artist has been linked to several ladies in the past, including Keri Hilson, Diamond, Teyana Taylor, Lil Mama, Nia Riley, and adult model Rubi Rose.
Soulja Boy has been in the hip-hop industry for over 15 years, and his impact on the game is still being felt. His savvy entrepreneurial skills have also placed him at the top and contributed to his growing net worth.
Briefly.co.za published the biography of Stelle Ciccone, one of Madonna’s adopted twins from Malawi. Stelle and her twin sister Estere lost their mother when they were a few days old, and their father decided to take them to an orphanage because he did not have the means to care for them.
In 2017, when the Queen of Pop visited Malawi, their father agreed for her to adopt the twin girls. Madonna has two other kids that she adopted from Malawi, in addition to her two biological kids.
“This is our 35th year,” said David Acey, executive director. “We can hardly believe it has been 35 years. The time has flown by. We hit a snag in 2020 COVID-19 pandemic restrictions shut everything down.
“But all that is behind us now. This is our year of rebirth and renewal. It will be a more colorful, more joyful experience because everything is open again.”
David Acey and Yvonne Acey have shepherded the Africa in April International Cultural Awareness Festival for 35 years, serving as ambassadors throughout the year at multiple events. (TSD Archives)
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The Aceys wanted to create a festival that would celebrate an African country each year. Not only an educational experience, but the event was designed to teach African Americans about their “countries of origin.”
The couple envisioned strengthening the bond between “us and our homeland.
“We are so thrilled about what the festival has become,” said David Acey. “People call from all over the country, and they come to Memphis from other countries — Germany, Switzerland, England. Pandemic restrictions have lifted, and this 35th festival is our renaissance, a year of renewal.”
Slated from Wednesday through Sunday, April 20-25, 2022, the 35th Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival will honor the Republic of Malawi.
Located in southeastern Africa, Malawi’d capital is Lilongwe, which is located Malawi’s on the Lilongwe River of the landlocked nation.
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Malawi is a country of nearly 46,000 sq. mi., with about 19.5 million in population. It has been dubbed “The Warm Heart of Africa” because of the friendliness of its people. English is the official language, although other Africa dialects are used in various regions.
Malawi is bordered by Zambia on the west, Tanzania on the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest.
“This year, we wanted to honor a country we had never honored before and one that is little known to most of us,” said Yvonne Acey, associate executive director.
“Malawi is largely under-developed, rural country that depends largely on agriculture. But the culture is rich in dance and mask-making. We hope that bringing attention to Malawi this year will help open up more economic opportunities for its people.”
The flag of Malaŵi. Officially the Republic of Malawi, the African nation was formerly known as Nyasaland. It has an estimated population of 19,431,566 (as of January 2021). The name Malawi comes from the Maravi, an old name for the Chewa people who inhabit the area. The country is nicknamed “The Warm Heart of Africa” because of the friendliness of its people.
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David Acey said presenting the festival this year in its rightfully designated month of April is “thrilling.” Last year, COVID-19 restrictions prompted the festival’s move to August.
“Last year, we were Africa in April in August,” said David Acey. “We honored the Republic of Botswana. We decided to have the festival in 2021 because I just couldn’t cancel the festival two years in a row.
“This year, 2022, the pandemic is finally past, and everything is open again. Definitely, this is our renaissance after a very long and dark night.”
On Wednesday afternoon, the festival will kick off with the traditional International Entrepreneur’s Luncheon at the Holiday Inn-University of Memphis, 3700 Central Ave., 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Friday is “Children and Seniors Day & Parade,” which begins at 10 a.m. The parade will come down world-famous Beale Street and wind its way to the historic Robert R. Church Park at 4th and Beale Streets. Vendors and activities will be staged and situated throughout the park from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m., with emphasis on children and seniors.
Saturday in Church Park, vendors and activities will be set up from 8 a.m. until 12 midnight. Saturday is Health, Wellness & Community Day.
Sunday is International Music Day in Church Park, from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. A day-long schedule of music groups and spectacles will celebrate a wide variety of music, from gospel to jazz, and everything in between.
“As always, we invite people of every race and culture to come out and enjoy the festival,” said David Acey.
“Each year, there are unique experiences in store for those who attend. We expect this 35th festival to be extra special. All are welcome.”
About 4.6 million, or one in 10, Black people living in American are immigrants, according to a January report from Pew Research Center.
Although they are only 7% of the non-citizen population, Black immigrants make up 20% of deportations on criminal grounds, according to a 2018 Black Alliance for Just Immigration report.
When the Lyoya family arrived in the United States in 2014 after facing years of war and persecution in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the refugees thought they had finally made it.
They were living in Malawi when they won asylum to live in the U.S., part of a growing number of refugees from Congo in Michigan.
“They told us that in America, there’s peace, there’s safety, you’re not going to see killing anymore, that it was basically a safe haven,” Dorcas Lyoya said in Congolese during an interview with the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, through a translator.
Lyoya’s death and others like it can rattle the sense of security of Black immigrants and refugees who came to the U.S. to escape violence only to find themselves vulnerable to the same brutality and racism African Americans encounter from police as well as the additional specter of federal immigration authorities, immigration advocates told USA TODAY.
“It’s shocking to Black migrants who have this vision of the United States as the land of the free and the home of the brave,” said Nana Gyamfi, executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. “There’s a notion that police here are going to be different.”
Patrick Lyoya’s death brings fear in growing Black immigrant community
Although refugee admissions hit a record low in 2021, over the past two fiscal years people from the Congo became the the largest group of refugees to settle in Michigan, according to data from the U.S. State Department.
Grand Rapids is home to the largest Congolese refugee population in the state thanks to employment opportunities as well as family and social connections like churches, saidChris Cavanaugh, director of Samaritas’ New American Resettlement program in West Michigan.
Samaritas helps refugees meet many of their immediate needs and offers a cultural orientation on what it means to live life in America, he said. But they didn’t talk much about the racial implications of being Black in America until George Floyd’s murder sparked a nationwide racial justice protest movement in 2020, which Cavanaugh said a number of Congolese refugees joined.
In the wake of Lyoya’s death, Cavanaugh said Samaritas is hoping to support refugee communities by providing resources to help them access services in their native language including during interactions with law enforcement.
“Certainly the Congolese community is feeling some fear, kind of scared over what happened and I would say rightfully so,” Cavanaugh said. “Those maybe who have much less English skills are just more apprehensive about getting pulled over or how they’re supposed to respond in certain situations.”
A history of violence, from Amadou Diallo in 1999 to Botham Jean in 2018
Many Black immigrants and refugees are surprised when they encounter violence from both police and immigration officials, said Gyamfi.
“We have to deal with the violence that police inflict on us because we’re Black,” Gyamfi said. “And then the additional violence that then often is inflicted on us by ICE in this immigration enforcement system because of our migrant status.”
But Black migrants have long been subjected to the same racism and brutality that disproportionately affects Black Americans.
Protests broke out for several weeks in 1999 after Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo was killed by four white police officers in New York City who said they thought his wallet was a gun. All four officers were acquitted of second-degree murder charges. That same year Patrick Dorismond, a 26-year-old Haitian American, was killed by police sparking another wave of protests in New York.
‘Double-barreled racism’ embedded in immigration laws, law enforcement
Black immigrants are also disproportionately detained and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Bill Ong Hing, a law and migration studies professor at the University of San Francisco.
“Embedded in the immigration laws are these anti-Black aspects beginning with the visa system,” Hing said. “They face this double-barreled racism when it comes to law enforcement.”
“The way that most Black migrants end up getting deported is through contact with the police,” Gyamfi said. “There is an awareness that this can happen and there is a lot of anxiety around any type of police contact.”
Hing, founder of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, said more immigration advocacy organizations began paying attention to this issue in the wake of Floyd’s death. Personal experiences of racism and high-profile cases like Lyoya’s have also started to shift the way Black migrants view themselves.
“They may start out seeing themselves as different from African Americans, but realize that the mainstream, including the police, treat them like any other Black person which is not good,” he said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Contact Breaking News Reporter N’dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg
