February has left as quickly as it came. Still, our work in the immigrant and refugee community is ongoing, with the resettlement of 50 refugee arrivals in Akron this past month and providing our additional services to the greater immigrant community. We look forward to sharing more about our work this past month, ways to get involved, and more below.

Immigrant Spotlight: Barthelemy’s Social Justice Journey

Barthelemy's story is one of resilience, leadership, and a commitment to social justice. He is a testament to the power of perseverance and the impact one person can have on their community.

In our latest blog post, you can learn about Barthelemy's work with international and local refugee organizations.

Read his story at: https://www.iiakron.org/blog/2024/2/23/immigrant-spotlight-barthelemys-social-justice-journey

Outreach in the Community

One of our work's greatest joys is the opportunity to go out into the greater Akron community and educate and advocate for refugees and immigrants.

On February 17, IIA’s Eka Anthony spoke with the Akron Torchbearers to discuss his work as a young leader in the immigrant community. Eka shared his experience coming to Akron as a refugee, working his way up to a case management role at IIA, and what motivates him to make an impact in his community. The Torchbearers left the discussion feeling inspired by Eka’s work and leadership in Akron’s immigrant community.

On Sunday, February 25th, the Girl Scouts of Copley-Fairlawn hosted their World Thinking Day event, featuring presentations from over a dozen troops about various countries of their choosing. As part of this event, the Girl Scouts decided to collect household donations for IIA clients. IIA Communications Specialist Liv Randall spoke to the girls about refugees and how IIA assists them in settling in Akron.

We’re grateful to everyone in the community who wants to learn more about Akron’s refugee and immigrant community! Education and understanding are excellent steps in making Akron a welcoming place for all.

Black History Month Business Spotlights

For Black History Month, we’ve recommended two African-owned businesses to support in Akron! Although February has come to an end, it’s always a good time to support our local businesses and restaurants to uplift our immigrant community. Check out our recommendations below!

Recommendation Corner: Race-ing Fargo

This month, for IIA’s recommendation corner, we want to spotlight Race-ing Fargo, a book written by feminist anthropologist Jennifer Erickson that tells the story of the lives of resettled refugees in North Dakota. Race-ing Fargo details the individual stories of Bosnian Muslims and South Sudanese refugees who reveal their experiences fleeing from their home countries and growing accustomed to American culture. Erickson’s book tackles the many hardships of refugee programs, citizenship, language barriers, and the sense of belonging. Race-ing Fargo also speaks on the many effects of globalization, such as neoliberalism, and how its aspects are ingrained in America’s Immigration policy.

Social Factors describes Race-ing Fargo as “a meticulously researched study about citizenship and diversity practices among residents and newcomers resulting from refugee resettlement and how those played out in, and transformed, the small global city of Fargo, North Dakota—making important contributions to race, immigration, belonging, welfare, and globalization scholarship.”

You can access Race-ing Fargo at any of your local booksellers.

Get Involved

Donations:

As IIA begins to welcome many new immigrant families to Akron this year, we are always in need of donated goods such as hygiene products, cookware, bedding, and more.

To stay up to date on what is needed and to get involved, please visit: https://www.iiakron.org/donation-room.

Hiring:

Interested in working at IIA? We have multiple openings, including Community Support Specialists and Ukrainian/Russian Interpreters.

Learn more about the open positions and how to apply at: https://www.iiakron.org/join-our-team

Thanks for staying up to date on everything IIA, and we look forward to sharing more information soon!