Black Immigrants In Ohio

Black immigrants have been methodically making their mark in Ohio for decades.

Cincinnati immigrant Shema Asifiwe, a former Illustrated Memoirs participant, provided the cover art for the Ohio Immigrant Alliance’s “Black Immigrants in Ohio: A Demographic Data Brief.” This is the latest installment from “Behind Closed Doors: Black Migrants and the Hidden Injustices of U.S. Immigration Courts,” a multi-year research project led by Nana Afua Y. Brantuo, PhD for the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. 

This demographic data brief is a snapshot in time, relying primarily on available Census data, which is a couple years behind today’s reality. As the brief explores, official data collection methods fail to capture the full richness and contributions of Black and African diaspora immigrants, which has led some communities to attempt to collect data about themselves to paint a fuller picture.  

According to the OHIA report, Black migration to Ohio was led by African Americans during the end of formal slavery and the Great Migration. It continued through successive international movements of people from Africa, the Caribbean, and other regions seeking the same things everyone needs — opportunities for education, jobs, and a safe place to raise their families.

View Shema’s artwork and read the report here.