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February 26, 2009

Omeka! program brings cultures together

By TaLeiza Calloway, St. Cloud Times
tcalloway@stcloudtimes.com

This is a woman's world. At least it is during Omeka!

It is a world where guests greet each other with a hug and a smile. It is a world where the welcoming feeling is immediate when these African and African-American women walk into a hostess' home on a Sunday.

As Central Minnesota has become increasingly diverse, programs have risen to help newcomers adapt to the nuances of American culture. But fewer opportunities have existed for social interaction between cultures.

With monthly gatherings in local homes, Omeka!, launched in November, is making those connections for African and African-American women in Central Minnesota.

"Omeka!" is a Swahili word meaning to display; to speak out; to spread out.

In an atmosphere complete with food, music and storytelling, the women share their journeys, cultures and ideas, and they learn from one another.

Debra Leigh, an Omeka! organizer and professor at St. Cloud State University, recognized the division that was developing between African and African-American women in the St. Cloud area. Working with Sister Chrispina Lekule, a student at St. Cloud State University, she traveled to Zanzibar, Tanzania and began researching resources for African women in terms of survival skills, leadership skills and building community.

"We wanted to see what it takes for women to succeed," Leigh said.

Lekule said they also visited different women's groups to see what they were doing to empower themselves economically. Their findings, coupled with the observed cultural division in St. Cloud, led to Omeka!

Building community

In the 1990s, St. Cloud and Minnesota saw a surge in the immigrant population. Data from the Office of Immigration Statistics indicated 13,522 immigrants came to Minnesota from 160 countries — the highest number was from Somalia — in 2002. And, the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimated 3,104 African-Americans lived among St. Cloud's population of more than 66,000.

But there was little evidence of connection between the two cultures.

Getting people together is not new to Leigh. When she started to see that many young African-American women who had come to St. Cloud to attend college did not know how to cook, she would gather them on Sundays. They would go to church in the Twin Cities and come back and share a plentiful meal, she said.

Omeka! was a natural transition.

About 15 to 20 people can attend each time. However, Leigh said they have had more than 30. There are about 65 on the mailing list, she said.

"We just keep inviting and we encourage them to invite others," Leigh said. "We have just been sharing our stories, our journeys, and what we've learned along the way."

Creating connections

Each gathering of the program, offered by Create CommUNITY, centers around a theme.

At an Omeka! event Sunday, the theme was "Cook and Share." Attendees were asked to bring a favorite recipe. Women learned how to make American pies and Somali yellow rice.

Leigh said the idea stemmed from a visioning meeting where women shared what they wanted to learn and discuss. Some African woman mentioned they wanted to learn how to make pie, as it was unfamiliar to them.

Fathiya Mohamed of St. Cloud has participated in Omeka! twice. She also serves as an interpreter for the Somali women.

"People bring food, and we sit around and talk," Mohamed said.

As the women discover similarities and differences, they also share stories that can often be hard to tell, Neema Jangu said. Jangu is assistant coordinator for Create CommUNITY.

"We get to know each other and build relationships," Jangu said. "It connects people."

Jangu also said that often people have one perception when they walk in and another when they leave.

"Bringing people together can change how you think about people," she said. "It's really good."

Jangu said in May or June, organizers hope to include all women of color in Omeka!