The Columbus Somali Community – The Importance of Inclusion
A growing community in Central Ohio, Columbus’s Somali population is actively looking for engagement opportunities. Whether Ohio or Somalia-born, each member of this vibrant community has a unique connection with Somalia’s culture. As Franklin Co. Metroparks continues its measures to increase equitable engagement, the perspectives and needs of the Somali community will be imperative to consider.
Ohio’s Somali Population
Somalia, a nation located in Eastern Africa, is one the largest sources of incoming Ohio residents. While many reasons have contributed to citizens’ movement, a variety of wars beginning in the 1990s have displaced thousands of people.1 Since then, Ohio has become home to one of the largest Somali populations. In fact, the Columbus metropolitan area has one the highest concentrations of American Somali’s in the entire nation!1
Pictured Above: The flag of Somalia. Image courtesy of ImageHub2
More than 45,000 Somali immigrants have made Ohio their home within the past 10 years.1 More than 60,000 identifying Somalians are proud residents of the Columbus community alone!3
Today, many Somali families live throughout the Central Ohio area. Social and cultural organizations, such as SomliCAN, are actively connecting Ohio’s Somali people to the broader Columbus community.
SomaliCAN
Pictured Above: SomaliCAN’s logo.5 The organization’s leadership board
features prominent members of the Columbus community. SomaliCAN also has an active
Board of Directors. Together, these members meet to plan events
and communicate opportunities. Image courtesy of SomaliCAN.
To better understand the needs of Central Ohio’s Somali community, I spoke with Jibril Mohamed, the philanthropy’s executive director. SomaliCAN is an important resource for Ohio’s Somali population. This organization aims to empower the Somali community by addressing key concerns throughout Central Ohio: limiting high school dropout, increasing job access, establishing scholarships, and connecting with other grassroots organizations.4 SomaliCAN provides extensive translation services throughout the Central Ohio area.4 Currently, the organization dedicates a great deal of its funding to assisting with medical care and support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Often, this has been through the form of patient-doctor translation.4 The health and wellbeing of the Somali community have been the prime concern for SomaliCAN; they are proud of the efforts they continue to make to help those in need.
Overall Considerations – Health and Exercise Opportunities
The Somali-American community faces considerable challenges. However, one of the most prominent noted by Mohamed is the increased occurrence of chronic illness.4 Chronic illness has grown increasingly prominent because of increased time driving and improper food access (fast food, excessive eating, etc.).4 Overall, there is a critical need to improve access to areas fit to support more active lifestyles.
Columbus and Franklin Co. Metroparks are actively being used by the many members of Central Ohio Somali Community, especially during the summer months.4 However, more communication and outreach to Somali people are needed. Columbus Parks has made more efforts than Franklin Co. Metroparks to connect with local organizations in efforts to improve diversity and inclusion.4 However, SomaliCAN is very open to working with Franklin Co. Metroparks to limit barriers and constraints for the Somalian community. After discussing with Mohamed, the following ideas were circulated:
- Increasing awareness of exercise space available at the parks throughout the Central Ohio Somali population. Trails and play areas for all individuals and families are available at the parks! However, many Central Ohio Somali Americans are not aware or feel unwelcome at these spaces.4 Efforts to work with organizations such as SomaliCAN directly will show this population that F.C. Metroparks is dedicated to their needs and improving access!
- Working with Somali organizations to produce/designate farming space. Mohamed noted that many Somali community members are used to working with farmland and prefer to grow their own food.4 However, with limited green space, Columbus does not provide many opportunities. If there is any way F.C. Metroparks could designate small sections for urban gardens, organizations such as SomaliCAN would be very grateful. Doing so would surely increase Somalian park attendance!
- Increasing education resources. SomaliCAN actively works with agencies throughout Columbus to translate reference materials.4 Doing so aids in the Somali population’s understanding and engagement with many Central Ohio opportunities. SomaliCAN would love to work F.C. Metroparks to translate park reading materials. This would improve the overall understanding of park systems.
Pictured Left: People enjoying park trails. Trails are a key means of exercise for park-goers. Organizations such as SomaliCAN are especially interested in improving access to trail areas for the betterment of Central Ohio’s Somali population. Image courtesy of Five Rivers Metroparks.6
SomliCAN is interested in working with Franklin Co. Metroparks to improve diversity and inclusion.
To find out more about SomaliCAN, please visit their website: http://www.somalican.org/home
To contact Jibril Mohamed and other leadership, please email them: info
Acknowledgments
I would like to take this section to thank Jibril Mohamed of SomaliCAN for taking the time to speak with me! He, and the rest of SomaliCAN, are excited to collaborate with Franklin Co. Metroparks on future projects.
References
1 Diversity in Ohio—Ohio Secretary of State. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2021, from https://www.ohiosos.gov/profile-ohio/things/diversity-in-ohio/
3 Massive Somali community opens surprising experiences to Columbus visitors. (2018, October 24). https://www.experiencecolumbus.com/articles/post/massive-somali-community-opens-surprising-experiences-to-columbus-visitors/
4Mohamed, J. (personal communication, April 8, 2021).
Images
2 Imagehub: Somalia Flag HD Free Download | Somalia flag, Somali flag, Somalia. (n.d.). Pinterest. Retrieved April 24, 2021, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/361484307573417834/
5 SomaliCAN – SomaliCAN changes the lives of New Americans for the Better through community development and social change initiatives to facilitate the economic, social and political integration of the Somali community and other immigrant groups in Ohio.Upcoming Events: (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2021, from http://www.somalican.org/
6 Paved Trails. (n.d.). Five Rivers MetroParks. Retrieved April 24, 2021, from https://www.metroparks.org/places-to-go/paved-trails/