African Communities Together, which connects African migrants to key legal, employment, and governmental services—hopes those who seek its help feel at home. But ACT’s Community Navigator Sophie Kouyate feels New York City isn’t as apt at playing host.
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“People need to understand that African communities need to be comfortable to talk to someone,” said Kouyate. “When they’re coming here, they are my son, they are my uncle. When it’s a senior, that’s papa…[the migrants that] come today, we already have something for them to eat. The bread and the mayonnaise and the egg, that’s what we do in Africa.
Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition—of which ACT is a member agency—says that Black migrants, like African asylum seekers, face additional disparities even in an already difficult predicament. An asylum seeker named Marie Noel sought ACT’s assistance with obtaining her IDNYC card and health insurance. She says she initially left Cameroon with her brother for Brazil due to an abusive marriage, but soon found out her spouse had followed her to the South American nation. She showed photos of conspicuous burn marks all over her arm and torso from having hot water poured over her.
Buses, shelters and legal cases are only a fleeting first step for the African migrants. Asylum seekers cannot currently work until their applications have been pending for over 180 days.
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