Dr. Roger W. Anderson, Independent Scholar, Monterey, California
Not Ukrainians or Afghans, Syrians or Guatemalans…the largest group of refugees settling in Northeast Ohio came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
According to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, nearly 3,000 refugees from the DRC arrived in Ohio in 2023. (Ohio’s population is 12 million, so adding 3,000 refugees increased the state’s population by .03%.)
Overall, most refugees coming to Ohio are opting for one of the five following counties: Franklin (Columbus), Cuyahoga (Cleveland), Summit (Akron), Hamilton (Cincinnati), and Montgomery (Dayton).
While not everyone in the DRC is a French-speaker, French is one of the four official languages of the country along with Swahili, Kituba [Kikongo], Lingala, and Tshiluba, and approximately 77 million of its 96 million citizens are French-speaking.
Studies within Ohio demonstrate that refugees and immigrants are overwhelmingly positive to both the regional and state economies. A 2019 study in Franklin County/ Columbus found that 8% of the area’s population was comprised of immigrants and contributed a whopping $2 billion in local, state, and federal taxes in that year alone. Similarly, a 2013 study of Northeast Ohio refugees found that in return for the $5 million spent by resettlement agencies, refugees contributed $50 million to the regional economy.
Not only is “immigration the sincerest form of flattery” (per Jack Paar), but it is hugely beneficial to an economy.
Designing Assignments Involving (Francophone) Newcomers
Knowing this, French instructors across Ohio can inspire their learners. Contacting local refugee resettlement agencies and inquiring about needs and volunteer opportunities is a great place to start.
Even smaller, more modest assignments can be geared towards welcoming these newcomers to Ohio. Having students writing letters in French to Francophone newcomers (or any newcomers, for that matter) can be a wonderful assignment.
At the university level, I implemented such a letter-writing assignment in English as a year-end project aimed at developing students’ intercultural competence and metacognition (e.g. their reflection on their learning). Students reflected on their two semesters of studying the French language and cultures, then wrote a letter to an anonymous Francophone newcomer offering tips and insights. For a fuller description, check out this article in the Intercultural Connector of the World Council on Intercultural and Global Competence:
“Dear Newcomers Letter”: An Intercultural Capstone Assignment
After asking which students wanted their letters forwarded to actual refugee agencies, I did just that. The local agencies were thrilled to receive them, with one mentioning that they would be wonderful, unsimulated English language practice for those newcomers developing their English as an additional language. Of course, this assignment could be replicated in a variety of ways, written in French, for example, or Spanish, or English for newcomers beyond Francophones. This is just one modest idea, but I’m sure Ohio’s incredibly inventive language instructors can create even more engaging pedagogies that fit within the constraints of their teaching contexts.
Additional Investigations
By the way, why are so many people fleeing their homes in the DRC, crossing an ocean, and coming to a country where they know no one and don’t speak the language?
Moreover, how is your purchase of a new i-Phone connected to modern-day slavery in the DRC? Hint: the DRC world’s largest producer of cobalt, which is used in all lithium-ion batteries.
Other questions to explore: what/how many languages do these newcomers use? How are they able to maintain their various linguistic abilities? What is valued in their cultures? What is considered unacceptable? What is the historical memory of the people of the DRC in American President Eisenhower ordering the assassination of their first Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in 1961?
Other French classes should focus students’ attention on Haiti, currently in dire straits. One point of departure may be the school run by Governor Mike Dewine’s family, which recently closed due to the uptick in violence.
Such investigations may make for wonderfully informative assignments for Ohio’s learners, which could be disseminated to help inform Ohioans broadly as they welcome these newcomers.
Sources:
https://www.cleveland.com/business/2013/10/refugees_to_cleveland_are_well.html
The Cardinal 