South Sudanese Americans

Last updated
South Sudanese Americans
Total population
more than 100,000 [1]
Regions with significant populations
Omaha, San Diego, Tennessee, Los Angeles, New York City, Alexandria, Washington DC
Languages
Religion
Christianity

South Sudanese Americans are an ethnic group of Americans of South Sudanese ancestry, or South Sudanese people who have American citizenship. South Sudanese Americans can include American descendants to South Sudanese ancestors or South Sudanese immigrants who obtained an American citizenship.

Contents

According to former Ambassador Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth (Head of Mission in Washington DC for Southern Sudan), more than 100,000 southern Sudanese live in the US, [1] whose ancestors (or they) emigrated from their native country, mainly in the 1980s and 1990s. Many South Sudanese have moved to the US since the 1990s as war refugees, escaping civil war in Sudan and the refugee camps in Africa.

History

The first people who migrated to the US from South Sudan arrived in the mid-1980s as a result of the civil wars in Sudan, settling in places such as Chicago. [2]

This migration continued in the 90s, when some South Sudanese were established in other places such as Maine (settling eventually in cities such as Portland and Lewiston), [3] Des Moines (Iowa), [4] and Omaha, Nebraska (where in 1998 there were already established under 1200 people, [5] who eventually would become the main population core of this group). [6]

In 2000, the US Department of State decided to accept some South Sudanese into the US who were refugees of war. In 2001 a group of young South Sudanese refugees (mostly of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups [7] ) moved to the US. They were called the Lost Boys of Sudan, a group that was established that year. [2] Approximately 3800 Lost Boys were allowed to resettle in the US in 2001. [7] These youths mobilized the South Sudanese community of the cities, forming a South Sudanese association and increasing its visibility. They were brought as child war refugees from South Sudan to parts of the US, including Michigan, Chicago [2] and Omaha, dispersed among 38 cities. So, since 2006, the largest population of South Sudanese refugees in the United States is in Omaha, which had then about 7,000 people. [8] (it now has over 9,000 [1] )

Demography

Places of origin and settlement

Since the early 1990s, more than 20,000 Sudanese refugees have been resettled in the United States, with about a fifth of that population constituting the "Lost Boys", i.e., young Nuer and Dinka refugees. [9]

According to former Ambassador Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth (Head of mission in Washington DC, for Southern Sudan), more than 100,000 South Sudanese live in the US. [1] Amongst them are over 30,000 refugees who were settled in the US since the war broke out in 1983, [10] living mainly in Omaha, Nebraska, where over 9,000 South Sudanese live. [1]

Refugees from South Sudan come from the three geographical regions: the Bahr el Ghazal, the Upper Nile, and Equatoria (which includes Juba, the capital of the country). [11] Upper Nile in general has the most refugees because that's where the war mostly was constituted in. (Dinka Bor and Nuer)

According to the 2000 census, the largest Sudanese communities (whether from North or South Sudan, as the 2000 US census did not divide the two groups because in that year the two countries formed one) were in New York City; Detroit; Des Moines, Iowa; [12] Alexandria, Virginia; Los Angeles; and San Diego.

Sudanese Americans communities are also found in other cities such as Greensboro, North Carolina, Dallas, Texas; Flint, Michigan; and the Washington Metropolitan Area. According to the census, the states of Virginia, Washington, Maryland, California, Idaho, Minnesota and North Carolina have the largerst Sudanese populations in the US. [3] Many Lost Boys of Sudan live in North Carolina. [13]

South Sudanese communities are found in Omaha, Nebraska; [8] Anchorage, Alaska; [14] Detroit; Des Moines, Iowa; [4] Alexandria, Virginia; San Diego (where about 1,000 South Sudaneses lived in 2011); [10] Portland, Maine; Lewiston, Maine; [3] Nashville, Tennessee; and Phoenix, Arizona. [1] In Maine live 17 Sudanese tribes (with around 2,000 Sudanese and South Sudanese, between them, the South Sudanese Acholi tribe. [3] There is also said to be more than 30 different tribes from Sudan in Maine. [9] )

Since 1997, many South Sudanese people live in Omaha, Nebraska, [6] [8] a city that since 2006 has had the largest South Sudanese community in the US, since it has job opportunities, a low cost of living and an already established Sudanese community. Many Sudanese residents there have opened grocery stores which sell traditional Sudanese food.

The number of South Sudanese refugees who emigrate to Omaha has decreased due to the official end of the civil war in Sudan as of July 2012. South Sudanese continue to travel to Omaha, because of the South Sudanese community there, as well as for labor opportunities and affordable housing. [6] Moreover, when the economy fell in Nebraska, many South Sudanese from there migrated to other places such as Anchorage, Alaska, where about 1,000 people of South Sudanese origin live. A South Sudanese school was created there that teaches the Nuer and Dinka languages, so that these South Sudanese languages do not get lost in the US.

Work and education

South Sudanese refugees moved to the US fleeing the religious and political persecution, warfare, and starvation which were produced by the Sudanese civil war. [11] Many Sudanese or South Sudanese moved to America also for educational and vocational opportunities or for family reunification. Although many of them had thought about returning to Sudan eventually to fight for the political cause of South Sudan, many of them end up staying in the US permanently to send money to their families and to increase knowledge about the South Sudan situation.

The "Lost Boys" were dedicated to jobs such as accounting, engineering, carpentry and masonry, crop and animal husbandry, social and humanitarian work, and education, but many South Sudanese, despite having those experiences in Sudan, had to devote to food service, retail, hospitals, hotels, and airport security. [2]

According to the Center for Immigration Studies, the Sudanese are relatively well-educated. One-third of them have a college degree and one-third attended college. [3] Thus, some South Sudanese achieved higher U.S. labor positions. Some institutes in places like Chicago prepare some South Sudanese clergy. [2]

Culture

Most of the people of South Sudan in the United States are Christian, as are most people of the country. They are mostly Episcopalians, although some are Roman Catholic. [2] Many South Sudanese tribes also live in the US. Most South Sudanese established in US belong to the Nuer, Dinka and Azande ethnic groups. Other South Sudanese ethnic groups resettled in US are the Anuak, Shilluk, Moru, Madi, [11] and Acholi. [3]

In Omaha live 10 Sudanese tribes (such as the Nuer, Dinka, Bari, Azande and Maban people), [8] [5] In Maine there are 17 tribes (with around 2,000 Sudanese in total, between them, the Acholi tribe). [3]

Most of the Lost Boys of the South Sudan belonged to Dinka people; included, between others, in the United States, Nuer and Mora. [2] [7]

The South Sudanese created community networks and they celebrate May 16, a holiday that commemorates the day in 1983 when the separatists in South Sudan first organized anti-government north. [2]

Organizations

In 1997 was founded The Southern Sudanese Community Association (SSCA), a non-profit organization whose goal is provide an education at a basic level (case management, learning English, household budgeting, understanding currency and money, new cultural ways and social norms, transportation, and driver's education) for refugees in Omaha. Since its founding, the organization has helped more than 1,311 families originating from southern Sudan. [6]

Later, after the Southern Sudanese Community Association and due to the difficulty of South Sudanese Americans to study in universities, a South Sudanese immigrant, Valentino, created the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, which aims to help provide scholarships to aid the educational pursuits of South Sudanese Americans, support educational institutions and community organizations that work with South Sudanese immigrants. This foundation makes grants to American colleges and universities for scholarship funds to assist South Sudanese students enrolled in degree programs. Grants also are given to community organizations that assist South Sudanese refugees during the difficult adaptation period in the United States. [15]

The South Sudanese also created the South Sudanese Community in Alexandria, Virginia, and the Southern Sudanese Community Center of San Diego. [16] Because of the great difficulties faced by the Sudanese in the US, such as language and skill, a group of Sudanese from Rochester, Minnesota founded the New Sudan-American Hope in 1999 to help Sudanese refugees. This helps with various aspects of relocation. Almost a decade later and with members from diverse backgrounds, NSAH still helps refugees in Rochester and also is a source of education about the consequences of the war in Sudan. [17]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonglei State</span> State of South Sudan

Jonglei State is a state of South Sudan with Bor as its centre of government and the biggest city. Jonglei state comprises nine counties: Bor, Akobo, Ayod, Uror, Duk, Nyirol, Pigi, Twic East, and Fangak. Jonglei State is the largest state by area before reorganisation, with an area of approximately 122,581 km2, as well as the most populous according to the 2008 census conducted in present-day South Sudan's second period of autonomy. The boundaries of the state were again changed as a result of a peace agreement signed on 22 February 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinka people</span> Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan

The Dinka tribe are a Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan with a sizable diaspora population abroad. The Dinka mostly live along the Nile, from Bor to Renk, in the region of Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile, and the Abyei Area of the Ngok Dinka in South Sudan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuer people</span> Nilotic ethnic group from South Sudan

The Nuer people are a Nilotic ethnic group concentrated in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan. They also live in the Ethiopian region of Gambella. The Nuer speak the Nuer language, which belongs to the Nilotic language family. They are the second largest ethnic group in South Sudan. The Nuer people are pastoralists who herd cattle for a living. Their cattle serve as companions and define their lifestyle. The Nuer call themselves "Naath".

The Nuer language (Thok Naath) ("people's language") is a Nilotic language of the Western Nilotic group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and in western Ethiopia (region of Gambela). The language is very similar to Dinka and Atuot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Sudanese Civil War</span> Conflict from 1983–2005 for South Sudanese independence

The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and the Blue Nile. It lasted for almost 22 years and is one of the longest civil wars on record. The war resulted in the independence of South Sudan 6 years after the war ended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Sudan Liberation Movement</span> South Sudanese guerrilla organisation (1999-present)

The South Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM) is an armed group that operates in the Upper Nile Region of South Sudan. The group's creation was announced in November 1999 by people of the Nuer ethnicity who were in both the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the government-allied South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF) gathered in Waat. The SSLM was declared to be unaligned in the Second Sudanese Civil War, then entering its sixteenth year. The name "South Sudan Liberation Movement" was decided upon the next year, borrowing from the earlier Southern Sudan Liberation Movement, which existed in the 1980s.

The dozen Luo, Lwo or Lwoian languages are spoken by the Luo peoples in an area ranging from southern Sudan to western Ethiopia to southern Kenya, with Dholuo extending into northern Tanzania and Alur into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They form one of the two branches of the Western Nilotic family, the other being the Dinka–Nuer. The Southern Luo varieties are mutually intelligible, and apart from ethnic identity they might be considered a single language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shilluk people</span> Nilotic ethnic group of South Sudan

The Shilluk are a major Luo Nilotic ethnic group of Southern Sudan, living on both banks of the river Nile, in the city of Malakal. Before the Second Sudanese Civil War the Shilluk also lived in settlements on the northern bank of the Sobat River, close to where the Sobat joins the Nile.

The Murle are a Surmic ethnic group inhabiting the Pibor County and Boma area in Greater Pibor Administrative area, South Sudan, as well as parts of southwestern Ethiopia. They have also been referred as Beir by the Dinka and as Jebe by the Luo and Nuer, among others. The Murle speak the Murle language, which is part of the Surmic language family. The language cluster includes some adjoining groups in Sudan, as well as some non-contiguous Surmic populations in southwestern Ethiopia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lost Boys of Sudan</span> Group of refugees from southern Sudan

The Lost Boys of Sudan refers to a group of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1987–2005). Two million were killed and others were severely affected by the conflict. The term was used by healthcare workers in the refugee camps and may have been derived from the children's story of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. The term also was used to refer to children who fled the post-independence violence in South Sudan in 2011–2013.

Abeed or abīd, is an Arabic word meaning "servant" or "slave". The term is used sometimes in the Arab world as an ethnic slur for Black people, and dates back to the Arab slave trade. In recent decades, usage of the word has become controversial due to its racist connotations and origins, particularly among the Arab diaspora.

Ma'di is a Central Sudanic language found in Uganda and South Sudan. It is one of the Moru–Madi languages. The Madi people refer to their language as Ma'di ti, literally "Ma'di mouth".

Sudanese Americans are Americans of Sudanese ancestry, or Sudanese who have American citizenship. Sudanese Americans may also include children born in the United States to an American parent and a Sudanese parent. Many Sudanese immigrated to the United States in the 1990s as war refugees, escaping of civil war in Sudan. In the 2012 American Community Survey, 48,763 people identified themselves as Sudanese or Sudanese Americans who—or whose ancestors—have emigrated from their native land to the U.S. in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudanese nomadic conflicts</span> Non-state conflicts between rival nomadic tribes

Sudanese nomadic conflicts are non-state conflicts between rival nomadic tribes taking place in the territory of Sudan and, since 2011, South Sudan. Conflict between nomadic tribes in Sudan is common, with fights breaking out over scarce resources, including grazing land, cattle and drinking water. Some of the tribes involved in these clashes have been the Messiria, Maalia, Rizeigat and Bani Hussein Arabic tribes inhabiting Darfur and West Kordofan, and the Dinka, Nuer and Murle African ethnic groups inhabiting South Sudan. Conflicts have been fueled by other major wars taking place in the same regions, in particular the Second Sudanese Civil War, the War in Darfur and the Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of South Sudan</span> Overview of the culture of South Sudan

The culture of South Sudan encompasses the religions, languages, ethnic groups, foods, and other traditions of peoples of the modern state of South Sudan, as well as of the inhabitants of the historical regions of southern Sudan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of South Sudan</span>

South Sudan is home to around 60 indigenous ethnic groups and 80 linguistic partitions among a 2021 population of around 11 million. Historically, most ethnic groups were lacking in formal Western political institutions, with land held by the community and elders acting as problem solvers and adjudicators. Today, most ethnic groups still embrace a cattle culture in which livestock is the main measure of wealth and used for bride wealth.

Ethnic violence in South Sudan has a long history among South Sudan's varied ethnic groups. South Sudan has 64 tribes with the largest being the Dinkas, who constitute about 35% of the population and predominate in government. The second largest are the Nuers. Conflict is often aggravated among nomadic groups over the issue of cattle and grazing land and is part of the wider Sudanese nomadic conflicts.

<i>A Long Walk to Water</i> 2010 novel by Linda Sue Park

A Long Walk to Water is a short novel written by Linda Sue Park and published in 2010. It blends the true story of Salva Dut whose story is based in 1985, a part of the Dinka tribe and a Sudanese Lost Boy, and the fictional story of Nya whose story is based in 2008, a young village girl that was a part of the Nuer tribe. Park used this book as a platform to support Dut's organization, Water for South Sudan. It is a powerful work of fiction that is based on a true story, chronicling the journeys of two young children who are struggling to survive in war-torn Sudan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wunlit Peace Conference</span>

The Dinka–Nuer West Bank Peace & Reconciliation Conference of 1999 was held in what was then the Southern part of Sudan. It is commonly called the "Wunlit Peace Conference" after Wunlit, the village where it was held in eastern Tonj County in Bahr El Ghazal. The conference brought together Nuer from Western Upper Nile and Dinka from Tonj, Rumbek, and Yirol. It is the most prominent and comprehensively documented case of a people-to-people peace process in what is now the Republic of South Sudan.

The disarmament of the Lou Nuer was a forcible disarmament campaign undertaken by the SPLA in Southern Sudan in December 2005. While other groups had been peacefully disarmed, the Lou section of the Nuer in Northern Jonglei State refused to comply. The SPLA organized a force under Peter Bol Kong to forcibly disarm the Lou Nuer, whose White Army resisted until a defeat in the battle of Motot, after which they fled the area.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sudan Envoy Goes from Rebel to Diplomat. Posted by Michele Kelemen on May 21, 2007 6:00 AM.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Encyclopedia of Chicago: Sudanese in Chicago. Posted by Elizabeth E. Prevost. Retrieved September 4, 2012, to 23: 30pm.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sudanese community has diverse makeup. Posted by Tom Bell on March 15, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 23:30 pm.
  4. 1 2 "Sudanese Page - Trinity Lutheran Church". Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  5. 1 2 University of Nebraska: Sudan and Nebraska. The Abbott Sisters Living Legacy Project.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Sudanese Refugess Call Omaha a New Home: A Journey Well Worth It Archived 2013-12-04 at the Wayback Machine . Posted by Ashley B, Nyayena C, Nyayop B, Molly B, and Bridget M. Retrieved November 30, 18:40 pm.
  7. 1 2 3 Lost Boys of Sudan, official IRC website.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Burbach, C. "Rally features Sudanese vice president." Omaha World-Herald . July 22, 2006.
  9. 1 2 NEW ISSUES IN REFUGEE RESEARCH. Written by Lacey Andrews Gale and posted in June 2011
  10. 1 2 Los Angeles Times: Southern Sudanese in Southern California dream of forging a new nation. Posted by Alexandra Zavis.
  11. 1 2 3 "Baylor University - Libraries - Technology for Faculty -- BearSpace" . Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  12. ↑ The Gazette. The Sudan Project: Being Sudanese American in Iowa Archived 2013-12-08 at the Wayback Machine . Posted by Kalle Eko.
  13. ↑ Lost Boy of Sudan Makes North Carolina Home. Posted by Billy Ball, on April 1, 2010
  14. ↑ Why Sudanese-American Children Are Learning Their Parents’ Language. Posted by Annie Feidt on May 23, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2:26 pm.
  15. ↑ VAD: Working with the Sudanese diaspora in the U.S. Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 30, 2011, to 0:08 pm.
  16. ↑ http://www.ssccsd.org/ Southern Sudanese Community Center of San Diego
  17. ↑ New Sudan American Hope. Retrieved November 30, 2011, to 0:43 pm.
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