{"id":4873,"date":"2021-03-25T23:57:09","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T03:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/?p=4873"},"modified":"2021-03-25T23:57:09","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T03:57:09","slug":"warrendale-the-still-growing-arab-american-neighborhood-of-detroit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/warrendale-the-still-growing-arab-american-neighborhood-of-detroit\/","title":{"rendered":"Warrendale: The Still-Growing Arab American Neighborhood of Detroit"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jena Brooker<\/strong> \u2013 Yemeni American News<\/p>\n

In the last decade the Arab-American population in Warrendale has continuously grown, and with it, it\u2019s new residents face a variety of challenges. Drive along Warren on the Detroit side and you can visually see the increase in the Middle Eastern population, Wojciech Zolnowski, executive director of the International Institute said. A few of the challenges this increasing population face include: language barriers, education, affordable and safe housing, and maintaining their cultural identity.<\/p>\n

Primarily the population is Yemeni, Zolnowski said, but with a mix of Syrian and Iraqi refugees as well. Anne Roth, director of grants at the International Institute, said the amount of Arab-Americans in the area will be growing even more because of, \u201cthe new administration and the increased cap on refugees and the ongoing conflicts in Yemen.\u201d According to the Institute\u2019s recently released Warrendale Community Integration Project<\/a>, 14% of Warrendale residents are \u201cforeign born.\u201d The exact number of Arab-Americans in the neighborhood is unknown as the U. S. Census counts Middle Eastern people as \u201cwhite\u201d- for Warrendale that number is 28%.<\/p>\n

Five years ago, many Syrian refugees moved to Detroit. \u201cWarrendale was the best area for them to come to, because it already had refugees from the Iraqi war,\u201d said Sufian Nabhan, director of the Islamic Center of Detroit. The general Detroit area at the time, Nabhan said, did not have schools with teachers that spoke both Arabic and English.<\/p>\n

Language is a major challenge for new residents. \u201cThat is the deterrent for individuals to advance in a career,\u201d Zolnowski said. Additionally, native residents of the city may hold prejudice against those who cannot speak English, which can create tension. \u201c<\/strong>Sometimes people look to those who don’t speak the language as bad people or terrorists,\u201d Nabhan said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To help them, the Islamic Center of Detroit and International Institute offer free English classes. During COVID-19 they meet online, with 15-20 people attending each class. In the class they learn about American history and culture, how to do day to day activities like shopping, and how to navigate working with their children\u2019s schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be able to dialogue and to speak and interact with your neighbors is very important,\u201d Nabhan said. With the language classes, he said, neighbors can get to know one another and share cultures. \u201cWe can at least build the bridge in the neighborhood, where you can live in peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Additionally, knowing English gives new residents more autonomy and agency to be active citizens in their communities. Director of immigrant affairs for the city of Detroit, Roberto Torres, said, \u201cThat really brings in a lot of their families that have decision-making within policies and rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

Navigating the language barrier while learning English is a balance for new immigrants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s the importance of retaining the culture,\u201d Torres said. Retaining what it is, he said, \u201cThat makes us unique as an immigrant population.\u201d<\/p>\n

For some older residents in the neighborhood, they may want to be welcoming to newer residents but don\u2019t speak Arabic or don\u2019t know what\u2019s appropriate or not in Arabic culture, which presents challenges Zolnowski said. A possible solution for that, and other challenges, is the creation of a cultural center. \u201cIt could be easily overcome by creating the sense of transparency, communication and a place where people can come and share their experience,\u201d Zolnowski said.<\/p>\n

The need for a cultural center was identified as the top priority during the planning process for the Community Integration Project- a plan to improve the quality of life for all Warrendale residents. Both the newer and older residents are interested, Zolnwoski said, \u201cIn establishing some sort of cultural center, a cultural hub, where the diverse population has an opportunity to get to know each other, but also assist each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eight additional priorities were identified in the plan as well: community beautification, understanding cultures, increasing the population, employment opportunities, strategic investment, youth engagement, social services, and climate change.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have challenges, like most neighborhoods in the city, of crime, lack of city services, blight, lack of skills and education,\u201d Roth said. According to their report, in the Warrendale neighborhood, 46% of the population live below the poverty line. The median income in Warrendale is $23,149, compared to $43,702 for Wayne County. Newer residents may lack entrepreneurial skills to obtain livable wage paying jobs, Roth said.<\/p>\n

During COVID-19, many Arab immigrants were not eligible for COVID-19 relief, just one example of the many public services that may not be available to immigrants and non-citizens. The city worked with the Open Society foundation and other community partners to provide $700,000 in relief to Arab-American families.<\/p>\n

The abundance of relatively affordable homes in Warrendale makes the neighborhood attractive for immigrants. But not all of the houses are safe and up to date. As a part of the city\u2019s refugee resettlement program, they plan to announce in the next few months money for housing revitalization and development to address this issue. Torres said it will be in the millions of dollars.<\/p>\n

Sally Howell, associate professor of history at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and director of the Center of Arab American Studies started an initiative to increase conversations around Arab-American immigrants in Detroit.<\/p>\n

Growth in different neighborhoods of the city, like Warrendale, is driven by immigrants, Howell said in a Q&A, but their contributions aren\u2019t often recognized.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city isn\u2019t really investing here, and we\u2019re calling attention to the history of these spaces and how Muslims are investing in them,\u201d she said. She, Razi Jafri and Osman Khan created a six-part art, music, and discussion traveling exhibit to share the stories of Arab-American immigrants in Detroit. \u201cWe\u2019re asking the public to reflect on why Muslims and Arab Americans are so absent from this discourse,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Zolnowski says it\u2019s on organizations like the International Institute, other nonprofits, and the Yemeni press to communicate to the immigrants themselves, \u201cYou have to be part of the conversation, you have to be part of building the future.\u201d For example, around issues like engaging with politicians about relief for families of Yemen refugees. \u201cIt requires a village to make those changes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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