Tag: Congolese in America

Communities

How one Congolese refugee’s organizing efforts helped integrate his community into King County
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By Amanda Mancenido, Communities of Opportunity

Floribert Mubalama knows firsthand that it can be hard to find your footing when you transition to life in America as a refugee or immigrant. I met Mubalama through the Congolese Integration Network (CIN), an organization part of the growing group of partners supported by Communities of Opportunity to strengthen the connections that cultural groups have to their communities.

Mubalama courageously shared his story to help affirm that isolation is a common experience for many refugees and immigrants and that becoming involved with cultural community organizations can break that isolation and help people thrive emotionally and economically.

Continue reading “How one Congolese refugee’s organizing efforts helped integrate his community into King County” →
Communities

American lives taking shape: For refugees from the Congo, life in Spokane is one of hope, heartache
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By Shawn Vestal 

Veronique Changa Changa recalls the night that she and her family began the long, long journey from the Congo to Spokane.

The 22-year-old burn scars on her leg remain to remind her.

Continue reading “American lives taking shape: For refugees from the Congo, life in Spokane is one of hope, heartache” →
Immigration

Congolese refugees become newest Habitat homeowners in Lexington
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A mother and daughter are excited for a fresh start after receiving the keys to their new Habitat for Humanity home on Sunday.

Alphosine and her daughter Esther are originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, but they were living in a refugee camp in Uganda before coming to America.

Continue reading “Congolese refugees become newest Habitat homeowners in Lexington” →
Events

Inaugural Congolese Diaspora Impact Summit to take place in NYC Sept. 21
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Congolese and Congolese-Americans living in America want to change the narrative around the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They’ve launched the inaugural Congolese Diaspora Impact Summit (CDIS), which will take place in New York City on September 21st; in the midst of the United Nations General Assembly.

Continue reading “Inaugural Congolese Diaspora Impact Summit to take place in NYC Sept. 21” →
Immigration

Congolese Asylum-Seeker Reunited With Family After Almost Two Years Apart
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By Max Rivlin-Nadler

An asylum-seeker from the Democratic Republic of Congo was reunited with his family in San Diego on Sunday after almost two years in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.

Continue reading “Congolese Asylum-Seeker Reunited With Family After Almost Two Years Apart” →
African Politics, Communities

Complexities Of Conflict In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo Come Up In Arizona
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By Matthew Casey

The new president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) took office in January. Al Jazeera reported that his first message was one of reconciliation in the vast and diverse country located in sub-Saharan Africa.

Refugees living in Phoenix say Félix Tshisekedi, the new president, got more specific at the end of June, calling for an end to conflict in parts of eastern DRC. The area is home to people named Banyamulenge, an ethnic minority with Rwandan ancestry.

https://africans-in-america.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/c83e1-matt-casey-congolese-08122019.mp3
Continue reading “Complexities Of Conflict In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo Come Up In Arizona” →
Ancestry

A DNA test connected two distant cousins — and filled out a family history that slavery erased
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By María Elena Romero, Producer Joyce Hackel

Jean Kapenda always hoped to help African Americans to find their African roots. That dream came true in a very personal way. Kapenda, a criminal justice professor at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, has been interested in genealogy and ancestry for a long time. A few years ago, he did a swab and sent it to a genetic testing site. 

After getting the results, Kapenda, who is originally from Democratic Republic of Congo, has been able to trace hundreds of relatives in the Americas, most of them the descendents of people enslaved and sent on ships across the ocean.

Continue reading “A DNA test connected two distant cousins — and filled out a family history that slavery erased” →
Uncategorized

Miss African Roots Will Deepen The Conversation About African Heritage In America —Cindy Makita
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By Newton-Ray Ukwuoma

Meet the new Miss African Roots 2019, Cindy Makita. Born and raised in South Africa, Cindy Makita has a Congolese heritage. She moved to Miami, Florida in 2014 to attend Florida International University. In 2018 she graduated Magna Cum Laude, as a Worlds Ahead Graduate and as an Honors student.

Miss African Roots is a unique, bi-annual pageant competition which promotes a sense of community, confidence, and pride for the motherland of Africa within the United States.

Continue reading “Miss African Roots Will Deepen The Conversation About African Heritage In America —Cindy Makita” →
Immigration

U.S. dream pulls African migrants in record numbers across Latin America
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Marilyne Tatang, 23, crossed nine borders in two months to reach Mexico from the West African nation of Cameroon, fleeing political violence after police torched her house, she said.

She plans to soon take a bus north for four days and then cross a tenth border, into the United States. She is not alone – a record number of fellow Africans are flying to South America and then traversing thousands of miles of highway and a treacherous tropical rainforest to reach the United States.

Continue reading “U.S. dream pulls African migrants in record numbers across Latin America” →
Communities

Soccer matches welcome asylum seekers in Portland
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By Rob Wolfe

They may be separated by language – Portuguese for Angolans, English for Rwandans, French for the Congolese – but all of Greater Portland’s African immigrant communities do share one means of communication: soccer. Or, as they are more likely to call it, football.

To welcome newly arrived asylum seekers, the Congolese Community of Maine teamed up with players from several other African countries for an afternoon of soccer in Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood.

Continue reading “Soccer matches welcome asylum seekers in Portland” →
Immigration

When 100 Congolese Asylum Seekers Showed Up, This Shelter Made Room
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A shelter in Buffalo, New York, operated by health center, Jericho Road, has been providing recent arrivals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo medical aid, legal services, and educational opportunities.

By Talya Meyers

Continue reading “When 100 Congolese Asylum Seekers Showed Up, This Shelter Made Room” →
Immigration

Maine Needed New, Young Residents. African Migrants Began Arriving by the Dozens
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By Kate Taylor

Through the winter, the families streamed into Portland, bringing stories of violence and persecution in their home countries in central Africa. Portland’s shelter for homeless families soon filled to capacity, so the city put mats on the floor of a Salvation Army gym for 80 more people. Then that, too, wasn’t enough. This month, 250 migrants from Africa arrived in this northeastern city of roughly 67,000 residents in the span of just a week, overflowing the overflow space and forcing Portland to hastily convert a basketball arena into an emergency shelter. Continue reading “Maine Needed New, Young Residents. African Migrants Began Arriving by the Dozens” →

Communities

Renga for the West: The US Through the Eyes of Congolese Refugees
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Experience day jobs, road trips and high school pep-rallies in the US through the eyes of Montana’s newest residents.

Continue reading “Renga for the West: The US Through the Eyes of Congolese Refugees” →
Sports

Three Africans help Toronto Raptors Win NBA finals
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There has been wild celebrations all over Canada as Toronto Raptors became the first team from the country to win the NBA finals. Three Africans were pivotal in helping Raptors beat Golden State Warriors in Game 6 to to win the championship for the first time in their history.

Raptors President, Masai Ujiri from Nigeria, Pascal Siakem from Cameroon and Serge Ibaka from Congo DR are among the African contingent that have brought joy to Canada.

Continue reading “Three Africans help Toronto Raptors Win NBA finals” →
Uncategorized

Congolese asylum-seekers given taste of home
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By Jessie Degollado – Reporter, Misael Gomez – Photojournalist

SAN ANTONIO – Congolese asylum seekers at both of the city’s Migrant Resource Centers are being treated to home-cooked meals provided by the local Congolese, including Dr. Patience Miller, an OB-GYN, and her husband, Bosco Miller, an adjunct professor of religion at the University of the Incarnate Word.

Continue reading “Congolese asylum-seekers given taste of home” →
Immigration

City searches for French speakers as hundreds of Congolese asylum-seekers head to San Antonio
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Roughly 350 migrants from the Congo are expected to arrive in San Antonio in the coming days leaving the city scrambling for French-speaking volunteers.

Continue reading “City searches for French speakers as hundreds of Congolese asylum-seekers head to San Antonio” →
Communities

A house of their own: Congolese refugees launch African church in Missoula
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By Martin Kidston

When Hategeka Gilbert and Joel Kambale arrived in Montana from the Democratic Republic of Congo in late 2016, neither knew just where to start their new life.

Their English was poor if they knew it at all, and even the grocery store was foreign. It was early in Missoula’s refugee resettlement efforts, and for those who came seeking a new beginning, navigating life in America didn’t come easy.

Continue reading “A house of their own: Congolese refugees launch African church in Missoula” →
Diplomacy

Congo D.R President Felix Tshisekedi meets with Secretary Pompeo’s during U.S. visit
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Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met recently with Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi in Washington, D.C.

They discussed the future of U.S.-DRC relations following the country’s historic transfer of power earlier this year and expressed their common interest in partnering to deliver a better and more prosperous future for the Congolese people.

Continue reading “Congo D.R President Felix Tshisekedi meets with Secretary Pompeo’s during U.S. visit” →

New to the USA

Congolese KHS students share immigrant experiences at Truman
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By Jessica Karins

Immigrants who arrive in the United States on a diversity visa, randomly selected from among their county’s applicants, often come to the country the promise of a job and without being assigned a place to live, as refugees often are. With all of the U.S. to choose from, many recent immigrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo have chosen to make their home in Kirksville, Missouri.

Truman State University education students had a chance to hear the perspectives of students who are travelled a particularly long distance to Kirksville in an event at Violette Hall.

Continue reading “Congolese KHS students share immigrant experiences at Truman” →

New to the USA

Congolese refugees learn job skills, New Hampshire customs in internship program
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By MICHAEL COUSINEAU

Buloze Rusesera fluffed pillows in Room 322 at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel attached to the Grappone Conference Center.

She sported a purple ski hat promoting “Colorado,” though she’s never been there. She only came to New Hampshire in November after fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo and spending time teaching at a refugee camp in Burundi.

Rusesera, 21, is one of six Congolese refugees participating in a hospitality training program to help them learn English, American customs and job skills.

Continue reading “Congolese refugees learn job skills, New Hampshire customs in internship program” →

Health

U.S. hopes to send more experts to Congo as Ebola outbreak rages
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By Lena H. Sun

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hopes to send experts to Congo in the next few weeks to train international and local personnel in the fight against a raging Ebola outbreak that has killed nearly 600 people and is far from under control, the CDC director said Thursday in an interview.

Because of the worsening security situation, the CDC experts would not be based in the epicenter of the outbreak, in conflict-ridden parts of eastern Congo. Armed attacks against Ebola treatment centers in North Kivu province have increased in recent weeks. One attack took place hours before CDC Director Robert Redfield and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived last week as part of a WHO delegation to assess the situation on the ground.

Three CDC personnel are on temporary assignment about 200 miles south of the epicenter, in the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, Redfield said.

Continue reading “U.S. hopes to send more experts to Congo as Ebola outbreak rages” →

Movies

Djimon Hounsou set to play Congolese Nobel Peace Laureate in new film
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By Mildred Europa Taylor

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Oscar-nominated actor, Djimon Hounsou, will kickstart shooting the much-anticipated biopic ‘Panzi’ this summer.

The Beninese-American actor and model who is best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in “Blood Diamond,” is set to portray the role of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Denis Mukwege, in the film “Panzi”.

The film will be directed by actress-turned-director Marie-Helene Roux, Variety reports.

Mukwege was jointly awarded last year’s Nobel Peace Prize with Iraqi Yazidi human rights activist Nadia Murad for “their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”

Denis Mukwege. Pic credit: mediacongo.net

Continue reading “Djimon Hounsou set to play Congolese Nobel Peace Laureate in new film” →

Asylum, Immigration

Congolese top list of refugees accepted in US
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Last year, the U.S. accepted the smallest of refugees since the modern resettlement program began in 1980.

According to the latest number from the Migration Policy Institute, 22,491 refugees settled in the U.S. in 2018, that’s just under half of the 45,000 person ceiling set by the government.

Although Texas still leads the nation in resettlements. Last year 1,692 refugees came to the Lone Star State, according to the National Immigration Forum. That’s a 77 percent drop from 2015 when 7,479 refugees were settled, according to Refugee Council USA.

The sharp drop is the result of executive actions by the Trump administration, which wants to limit the inflow of refugees to the U.S. The 45,000 admission cap was the lowest since the Refugee Act of 1980 was approved.

Continue reading “Congolese top list of refugees accepted in US” →

Health

US, Congo seek partnerships in the fight against Sickle Cell disease.
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By Judy Kuriansky

Jacqueline Mikolo and the Director of the Sickle Cell Center of Brazzaville Congo arrived in Washington D.C. to meet with the U.S. National Institutes of Health and with leaders at the Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) to discuss the serious problem of sickle cell disease worldwide.

The Congolese Delegation, including the Minister of Higher Education, Bruno Itoua, also met with the Ambassador of the African Union to the United States, H.E. Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao, to focus on funding.

The AU Ambassador, a Ghanaian national, is very familiar with health, as a family medicine doctor and previous Chair of the African Union-African Diaspora Health Initiative — where she was involved in mobilizing African Diaspora health professionals to address healthcare needs of the African continent.

The meetings build on many years of exchanges and advocacy about sickle cell disease between the United States and the Congo, explained Minister Mikolo.

Continue reading “US, Congo seek partnerships in the fight against Sickle Cell disease.” →

Uncategorized

Congolese Family Pleads For Help With Dad’s Asylum Case
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By Jean Guerrero

The family of Constantin Bakala gathered in downtown San Diego on Thursday to submit a petition with the federal government, with nearly 500 signatures, asking for their father not to be deported.

As soon as Friday the father of seven from the Democratic Republic of Congo may be returned to a country where he fears he’ll be killed. The family fled home in 2017 after they were tortured and poisoned because of Bakala’s calls for democracy, according to the family.

After a harrowing journey through some of Latin America’s most dangerous countries, including a shipwreck where they lost important documents for their asylum case, the family was separated upon arrival in the U.S. through the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Bakala was put in detention while his wife and kids were released on parole. His asylum petition was rejected, his family says, because he couldn’t get an attorney from inside detention until months into his case.

Continue reading “Congolese Family Pleads For Help With Dad’s Asylum Case” →

Uncategorized

US places Visa Restrictions on multiple Congolese officials
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The United States of America has placed travel ban on some top government officials of the Democratic Republic of Congo over alleged electoral fraud.

The restrictions was announced in a statement released in Washington DC

According to the statement, those sanctioned by the US Government include President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s National Independent Electoral Commission,  Mr Corneille Nangaa; Vice President of CENI, Mr Norbert Basengezi Katintima; Advisor to the President of CENI, Mr Marcellin Mukolo Basengezi; President of the DRC’s National Assembly, Mr Aubin Minaku Ndjalandjoko; and President of DRC’s Constitutional Court, Mr Benoit Lwamba Bindu.

The statement read, “The United States stands with the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo following that country’s historic transfer of power.

Continue reading “US places Visa Restrictions on multiple Congolese officials” →

Music

Meet Gilbert Mulamba: The Congolese musician who records with US luminaries
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By Lins Honeyman

Last October saw the release of the long-awaited second album from Congo-born, Dallas-based pianist, arranger and producer Gilbert Mulamba.

The release’s inlay card describes the project as “a mosaic of cultures, sounds and grooves for the ultimate worship experience” and, with recording having taken place in the US, Congo, France, South Africa, Mexico, Haiti, Israel, China and as many more countries, it’s a truly international affair.

Impressively, Gilbert secured cameos from big name artists such as Joel Kibble of Take 6 fame and Grammy-winning saxophonist Eric Marienthal whilst Dove-nominated pianist Ben Tankard and CeCe Winans’ bass player Thaddaeus Tribbett also lent their substantial talents – all of which adds to the rich tapestry of sound contained within the album’s 13 mostly instrumental tracks.

Continue reading “Meet Gilbert Mulamba: The Congolese musician who records with US luminaries” →

Uncategorized

The Congolese-American activist who scaled the Statue of Liberty isn’t backing down from taking on Trump
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By Chidinma Irene Nwoye

As a child in the Congo-Brazzaville, Therese Patricia Okoumou loved climbing things, particularly houses. No one else, not even her brothers, joined her in these escapades; feats that decades later came in handy as she scaled New York City’s revered Statue of Liberty on July 4, 2018, in protest of President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy.

By doing this, Okoumou became the first woman in history to successfully climb Lady Liberty’s pedestal but she could spend up to 18 months behind bars for doing so.Last December, a federal district court in Manhattan found Okoumou guilty of three misdemeanors: disorderly conduct, trespassing, and interfering with government agency functions.

Each charge carries a sentence of up to six months in prison. Ruling in The United States of America v. Therese Okoumou, Magistrate Judge Gabriel Gorenstein asserted that Okoumou’s political motivations did not override the law.

Continue reading “The Congolese-American activist who scaled the Statue of Liberty isn’t backing down from taking on Trump” →

Sports

Thirteen Africans among NBA stars for 2018
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The National Basketball Association announced recently that 108 international players from a record-tying 42 countries and territories are on opening-night rosters for the 2018-19 season. Among them are 13 players from Africa.

This marks the fifth consecutive season that opening-night rosters feature at least 100 international players and that all 30 teams have at least one international player.

The record for international players (113) and record for countries and territories represented (42) were set at the start of the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons respectively.

The most-represented countries among the 108 international players on opening-night rosters are Canada (11 players), Australia (record nine players), France (nine players), Spain (seven players) and Germany (record six players), followed by Croatia, Serbia and Turkey (five players each).
Opening-night rosters also feature 13 African-born players and a record 65 European players.

The Dallas Mavericks have an NBA-high seven international players.
The Utah Jazz and L.A. Clippers each have six.
The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs field five each.
The NBA’s 73rd season started with a doubleheader as part of Kia NBA Tip-Off 2018.

In the opening game, the Celtics hosted the 76ers in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals.
In the second game, the Thunder visited two-time defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors at 4:30.

A record 26 former Basketball Without Borders campers are on opening-night rosters, including Joel Embiid (76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011), Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets; Canada; BWB Global 2015), Dario Saric (76ers; Croatia; BWB Europe 2010) and Ayton (BWB Global 2016).
BWB is the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach programme that has seen more than 55 former campers drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents since 2001.

In addition to the 108 international players on 2018-19 opening-night rosters, there are six international players from five countries on “two-way” contracts.

For the second consecutive season, NBA teams can sign up to two two-way players to NBA contracts.
These contracts allow two-way players to be with their NBA parent team for up to 45 days, spending most of the season in the NBA G League.

International player milestones and storylines for the upcoming season:
· There are 11 international players on opening-night rosters who have been NBA All-Stars: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece), Luol Deng (Minnesota Timberwolves; South Sudan), Goran Dragic (Miami Heat; Slovenia), Embiid, Al Horford (Celtics; Dominican Republic), Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies; Spain), Pau Gasol (Spurs; Spain), Kyrie Irving (Celtics; Australia), Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks; Germany), Tony Parker (Charlotte Hornets; France) and Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks; Latvia).

Nowitzki will set an NBA record for most seasons played with one team (21), breaking a tie with Kobe Bryant, who spent 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. Nowitzki will tie the NBA record for most seasons played overall (21), joining Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett and the Atlanta Hawks’ Vince Carter, who is also beginning his 21st season.

As part of the NBA.com 2018-19 GM Survey, Antetokounmpo was voted the No. 1 player with whom general managers would want to start a franchise. Murray was voted the No. 1 player most likely to have a breakout season.
Pau Gasol needs 15 points to pass David Robinson (20,790 points) for 38th place on the all-time scoring list and 105 points to pass Bob Pettit (20,880 points) for 37th place on the all-time scoring list.

Tony Parker needs 306 points to pass Bob Lanier (19,248 points) for 50th place on the all-time scoring list.
Yuta Watanabe (two-way player for the Grizzlies; Japan; NBA Global Camp 2018) is seeking to become the second Japanese player to play in the NBA (Yuta Tabuse; Suns 2004-05).

Continue reading “Thirteen Africans among NBA stars for 2018” →
New to the USA

Congolese refugee finds ‘miracles’ like washing machines in Buffalo
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A hundred years old Congolese refugee  who was recently resettled in the United States finds modern home appliances to be “miracles” in the city of Buffalo, New York. This entertaining story is told by By Mark Sommer of The Buffalo News Continue reading “Congolese refugee finds ‘miracles’ like washing machines in Buffalo” →
Telling the story of African immigrants living in the Americas
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