It is not easy for immigrants to rise to a position of power when the system has traditionally excluded them, said to Mohamed Ali, who is running for the Columbus City Schools Board of Education. Popular destinations for immigrants –– Columbus, Dublin and Whitehall, for example –– see an even higher concentration of foreign-born populations.īut candidates said that there are barely any immigrant officials serving on local city councils or school boards. In Franklin County, approximately 11% of all residents are foreign-born, census data show. I want to have a seat at the table.”īarriers for immigrants to break into central Ohio politics “We are tired of not having a voice and not having the agency that we know we all rightfully have.
“On the heels of a Trump presidency, it felt like four years of othering, four years of people not feeling like they belong here,” she said. And leaders of immigrant communities are ready for a change. This is the largest number that the county has seen, according to Sam Shim, founder of the Ohio AAPI Democratic Caucus. In previous years, there was usually just one or two - if any, he said.ĭuring the past four years, the lack of local political representation by new Americans has been compounded by the rise of anti-immigrant sentiments on the national level, according to Barroso de Padilla. Reunited: Somali father back with family in Columbus after years of separation due to 'Muslim ban' On Tuesday, the group, all running as Democrats, gathered at an event for new American candidates sponsored by the Ohio Asian American and Pacific Islander Democratic Caucus and the Franklin County Adelante Democrats. With Election Day coming in just a few months, Lourdes Barroso de Padilla is not alone in her hope to become one of the few elected officials in central Ohio with an immigrant background. At least seven first-time candidates who are immigrants or children of immigrants are eyeing a seat at city councils and school boards in the county. Trump-era anti-immigrant rhetoric inspiring campaigns by new Americans or their children
MOHAMED ALI COLUMBUS CITY SCHOOLS FULL
“Just by using my name - my full Latina name - I’m making a statement,” she added. It doesn't change just because I'm now on a public platform. “People are always going to bristle at things that are different,” said Barroso de Padilla, who is running as a Democrat. “Being an immigrant and a woman of color, I’ve had to deal with this my entire life. At a rally, a resident told her, upon merely exchanging their names, that their values would not align.
She has heard people question whether a first-generation immigrant is capable of representing the city. She said she regularly receives offensive comments about her ethnicity on social media. The daughter of two Cuban refugees, she has seen how her name –– and the cultural identity that it represents –– have repeatedly come up during her campaign for a seat on the Columbus City Council. The implication, she knew, was that it might just be too hard for voters to read her full Latina name.īarroso de Padilla was caught off guard, but not surprised. When Lourdes Barroso de Padilla went to fill out the required forms to run for political office, a Columbus city employee asked her how she would like to shorten her name for the ballot. It is a useful education to have.Watch Video: Immigrant candidates gather to promote their campaigns It was three years of painful and gruesome time but it was worth every bit. And I have never regretted going to law school. Knowing local politicians, knowing about what is going on in the local politics. Politics is the best way you can bring about change in the community. I have always been active in politics in the community.
MOHAMED ALI COLUMBUS CITY SCHOOLS CODE
Now you kind of see and understand the value of having a law, the value of having legal code and knowing the terminology and laws that prevent people from committing crime and making sure things are established as in constitution. Looking back to Somalia, the civil war started in 1991 and no central government for a while, it’s been difficult. While a lot of my school mates then, struggled with what they wanted to do, I already knew what I was going to do. I have always wanted to be in politics even when I was young.
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