Columbus' growing Liberian population aims to start community center on Southeast Side

Alpha Tongor meets a new Liberian every week.

Not that he's surprised: The native of the West African nation who is executive director of the nonprofit Liberians in Columbus, Inc. said the local community consists of 10,000 people and is growing.

But his dream is to have a permanent place to welcome — and assist — members of the community.

That's why his organization's biggest goal is building a 14,000-square-foot community center on an acre of land on Kimberly Parkway, off South Hamilton Road in the Eastland neighborhood.

In 2019, Liberians in Columbus bought the land for $55,000 using private donations. Then, in September 2021, they launched a fundraiser with a goal of $1.5 million to build the center and pay for operating costs for the first year.

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Tongor, 38, of Groveport, envisions it as a space where Liberians and anyone else in need will be able to go for wellness programs, access to resources like rental assistance, kids' activities, fellowship, job skills training, help with food insecurity and more.

So far, the group has about $28,000 and is seeking the support of the city, county and state, Tongor said.

"We're serious about this," he said. "We don't want handouts. We want partnership because we can bring value to this side of town."

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In July, the organization started renting space in an office building at 4300 Kimberly Parkway — adjacent to the land it owns where the community center will stand — in hopes of helping more people as it fundraises.

Tongor said Columbus has become an attractive destination for immigrants from Liberia, drawn here from places like Philadelphia, Minnesota and New Jersey for better jobs, lower cost of living and hopes of economic prosperity.

"We are known as a magnet city," said Tongor, who owns two businesses with his wife.

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But not all Liberians living locally are experiencing economic prosperity, and that's something he and his organization want to change.

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While Liberians have been coming to Columbus for three decades — since a civil war began in the nation in 1989 — they face challenges that can get in the way of success, according to a 2015 Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services study.

Among the barriers are a lack of college education, few special skills, poverty and many who were aging and had little access to health care and resources, Tongor said.

Because of the report, Liberians in Columbus, which dates back to 1986, switched its purpose to being more than serving as a social group, according to Tongor, who became the leader of the group in 2018.

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"That economic issue really kind of opened our eyes to question what we're doing as leaders in our community," he said. "We started changing the vision for the organization, the mission, what it stood for."

Since then, the nonprofit has hosted community events and food giveaways, distributing more than 10,000 pounds of food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And the county followed up on the study by partnering with area agencies to increase investments in afterschool programs, summer camps and paid summer jobs for youth, according to an email from Bart Logan, spokesman for Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services.

He said the department stays in touch with Liberians in Columbus to keep abreast of community needs and additional opportunities for the county to provide support.

Abigail Williams, 74, came to central Ohio from Liberia in 1979 and joined Liberians in Columbus in the 1980s.

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As she has aged and had health problems, members of the group have been indispensable to her, she said. They make sure she gets food when she needs it, members take her to community events, and some call or stop by to check on her regularly.

"They have been very, very nice," she said. "They're always looking out for us, all our people."

She said she's excited for the community center, calling it a "blessing."

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Ohio Rep. Latyna Humphrey, a Democrat who represents Eastland, thinks it could be a blessing for the whole area. She has been helping Liberians in Columbus apply for funding opportunities through the state and elsewhere.

"It is an asset desert," Humphrey said of the Eastland area.

"This community center is going to completely uplift that area," she continued. "It's going to be a connector, and it could have the potential to be a foundation for something different that can catapult community members into different spaces."

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dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Liberians in Columbus: Immigrants plan center near Eastland