New Immigrant Group LIVES UNITED
When I was still young, I remember that my Dad really only had one activity that he attended away from home and work, the “Casino Society.” I thought they probably played cards, and maybe they did, but it turns out that this was more than a chance to bring all of his buddies from his old German neighborhood together. It was a mutual benefit society, formed in the late 1800’s by immigrants who pooled their money in small, monthly amounts in order to raise money to buy insurance policies with sick benefits and death benefits for their families. Pretty smart. You might have a story like that in your family, too.
I was thrilled last Saturday to meet the men who lead The Somali-Bantu Community of Kentucky. Here we are again, another generation of new immigrants working hard to raise their families and improve their community by supporting each other.
What was especially impressive to me was how democratic their decision making is! You may know that Somalia is in a raging civil war, pulled apart between dangerous internal clans and warlords, ideologies, and external political forces. The Bantu are a small ethnic minority among Somalis, but those who have come to Louisville are now the largest Bantu community in the United States, and they are unified. Somali-Bantus have successfully created an election process that represents each of five Bantu tribes equally. The elected representatives then choose one local President and officers to speak with authority on their behalf and participate in the national organization of Somali-Bantu associations.
As in so many other communities, it’s the act of helping that marks real leaders. On a daily basis,
people who hold full-time jobs elsewhere and must care for their own families are also collaborating, negotiating, translating, intervening, persuading, defending, and enjoying a community that shares values, vision and hopes for the future.
As neighbors, civic leaders, and social service providers let’s be heartened by new immigrants who, like so many others before, are improving lives by mobilizing the caring power of the community. When you need a community partner, I encourage you to meet the members of the Somali-Bantu Community of Kentucky.