Stories

  • Immigrants, refugees are part of North Hill’s past, present

    By Kaitlyn Finchler As a city established in 1825, Akron’s earliest residents were Irish and German immigrants. Fast forward to the 1860s reconstruction era, immigrants made up 14% of Ohio’s population. Twenty years later, immigrants came from countries such as Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Italy. Akron was a hot commodity for immigrants because the city…

    Immigrants, refugees are part of North Hill’s past, present

  • Building communities across cultures

    By Anthony Elder Cindy Mathias, member of Grace Church and volunteer for the International Welcome Center, noticed two newcomers –– both a bit nervous, even hesitant –– before a Sunday service in 2018. Those unfamiliar faces belonged to Congolese refugees, Jean and Joseph, both new to the United States, struggling to various degrees to communicate.…