The Resettlement Project

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

  • ‘Why do you think we are here today?’ Navigating a new life in Akron, Ohio 

    By Reegan Saunders Rain pours behind stained glass windows past their prime. I sit in a church basement. The lighting is dim, and the room is plain but clean. There are a few round tables and a small screen with a projector.  The room is quiet until people begin to file in. Many of them…

  • Addressing mental health challenges refugee children face

    By Brianna Canada Refugee children not only help to shape their community by helping their parents adapt to American culture, but they also educate non-refugee children and teens about refugee cultures and countries.  School, friends, and being social can be stressful on any child. Refugee children experience a unique set of circumstances that add to…

  • Following the money trail from Washington, D.C. to Akron

    By Trista Bowser and London Green Twenty-four thousand refugees have relocated in Ohio over the past decade, more than all but seven other states. Nonprofit organizations use federal and privately donated funds to resettle refugees. State Refugee Coordinator Jennifer Johnson oversees all the different aspects of refugee resettlement, from how many refugees Ohio receives every…

  • Nepali refugees share their culture in Akron through food

    Restaurants like Nepali Kitchen help add unique flavors to North Hill By Andrew Kuder Akron’s North Hill area is nicknamed “Akron’s International District.” It features restaurants, grocery stores and more businesses from Afghan, Nepali, Karen, Bhutanese, and Vietnamese refugees, among many other groups. A majority of these places are run by refugees, and they offer…

  • Starting over in Akron

    by Kelly Krabill When Fazal Baryalai awoke on a Saturday morning in March after a late night driving Uber customers, his family was already downstairs. Shai tea, an Arabic drink served to visitors, was already in a pitcher on the coffee table waiting to be poured into ornately designed crystal glasses. As I sipped the…