PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Distribution
From: African Services Committee
Contact: Catharine Bufalino, (212) 222-3882

Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2008

(New York) Tuesday, June 10, 2008– With Senator Barack Obama becoming the first black person to win a major party’s nomination for president, it is an exciting time for the American story. It is also a meaningful moment for Africans in the U.S. at a time when immigration is an uncertain part of that part of that story.

Bakary Tandia, a newly naturalized citizen originally from Mauritania, and a policy advocate at African Services Committee, an immigrant support organization in New York City, says, “Part of what makes America unique is its history of immigration. Immigrants’ hopes and dreams are integral to America’s hopes and dreams for itself. And they help make possible things a previous generation couldn’t have imagined were possible.”

Senator Obama’s Democratic nomination for president is the most dramatic outcome of the first contemporary wave of African migration to the U.S., which began nearly 30 years ago, soon after his father arrived in the U.S. as a graduate student from Kenya.

Sharon Makoriwa, a Kenyan who recently graduated from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service as an Oprah Winfrey Scholar, says of Obama’s success, “I think it shows the potential for immigrants of engaging fully in our communities. Immigrant children often can achieve things here in the U.S. that they may not have been able to achieve in their parents’ native countries.”

But tapping into opportunity can be a challenge for immigrants, including access to the most basic services like health care and education. For generations, immigrant networks and support groups have facilitated this process, helping newcomers build strong communities and an enabling them and their children to realize their hopes, dreams and aspirations.

Makoriwa adds, “Racial tensions exist, but there is space for recognition of talent. The individual spirit in the U.S. allows each person to pick his or her path and pursue it as aggressively as they want.”

On his last trip to African in 2006, Senator Obama gave a speech at the University of Nairobi in which he recalled his first trip to Kenya and learning about how his father grew up: “I began to understand and appreciate the distance he traveled--from being a boy herding goats to a student at the University of Hawaii and Harvard University to the respected economist that he was upon his return to Kenya.”

He went on to say that his father lost his job as a Kenyan government economist due to political and interethnic tension. “In many ways, my family’s history reflects some of the contradictions of Kenya and indeed the African continent as a whole,” Obama said.

For immigrants who came to the U.S. because of limitations like these, the possibility of an Obama presidency raises hopeful expectations for the U.S. policy toward African nations.

Hilary Njoya Tikum, age 28, lives in the Bronx, has a master’s degree in international business law, and has worked with victims of torture and human rights abuse in his home country of Cameroon. He expresses the enthusiasm of many States-side Africans when he says, “As an African in the U.S., what more could you ask for? We take pride in his accomplishment, and its our belief that he’ll represent our interests. He has seen poverty, malaria first hand.”

On the possible impact in Africa of Obama’s nomination, Tikum adds, “He can be a vehicle of change even on the continent. Not everyone can be president, but hope, aspiration and ambition make many things possible.” He says African newspapers across the continent, which he has been reading online, are asking what Obama’s victory might say about what seems politically impossible in their own countries.

But Obama has encouraged Africans to take control of their countries’ destinies and said, in the same 2006 speech in Kenya, “As a Senator from the United States…I will do my part to shape an intelligent foreign policy that promotes peace and prosperity. A foreign policy that gives hope and opportunity to the people of this great continent. But Kenya must do its part. It cannot wait for other nations to act first.”

With Obama’s success, we are reminded of all that an open and welcoming America means, not only around the world but for America itself.

It is crucial to continue to eliminate barriers to opportunity and ensure the American Dream is possible for all, especially newcomers who are anxious to take up the responsibilities and contribute to their adopted country. Greater support for programs that facilitate integration and civic participation for immigrants can make this possible and multiply the impact of all potential leaders.

Alpha Kassogue, an immigrant father originally from Mali now raising two school-age daughters in New York City, says “Obama’s success validates what I hoped would be possible for my children in the U.S.” Mr. Kassogue, who was a GOP supporter until now, adds that he is leaning towards changing his political affiliation, because of Obama’s potential to positively impact the lives of immigrants.

The African immigrant community in the U.S., along with millions of others, will be watching history unfold and looking to hold Senator Obama accountable to his promise of expanding opportunity and equality for all, for which America has always stood.

About African Services Committee:
African Services is a nonprofit organization established by and for African immigrants in New York City. Since 1981, they have provided health, housing, legal, educational, and social services to over 10,000 newcomers each year from across the Diaspora. They are also leaders in the global fight against AIDS, working to expand HIV testing, treatment, care and support for African communities around the world. www.africanservices.org

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