A more vibrant, inclusive region where everyone belongs

Newsletter | Feb 14, 2024

As we step further into 2024, it brings me great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to each one of you in our inaugural newsletter. We are excited to embark on this journey of connecting, sharing, and collaborating with you towards a more inclusive and vibrant Cincinnati region. We hope this newsletter serves as a useful source of information and a platform to elevate the great work to create a more vibrant, inclusive region where everyone belongs.

In this inaugural newsletter, you’ll get a taste of what we have in store and hope that you will share with us what you want to see in these newsletters. Together, we will share stories of resilience, celebrate successes, and provide current data and information so that you may advocate within your own spheres of influence and get engaged. While the landscape of immigration is ever-changing, the work of organizations large and small remains consistent and committed to welcoming communities from all over the world.

Whether you are an employer seeking to enhance your capacity to recruit and retain immigrant and international talent; a small business owner seeking technical assistance and funding; a service provider looking to improve language access; or a concerned resident looking to better understand current demographic and economic trends, we can be your trusted source and partner.

Thank you for being a part of the Cincinnati Compass community. Here's to a year filled with unity, growth, shared experiences, global connections, and the boundless potential that lies within each of us.

BRYAN WRIGHT

Executive Director

Cincinnati Compass

DATA FEATURE

Population Growth & Inclusive Communities

Immigrants and newcomers are key contributors to a strong regional economy and a diverse, vibrant community. In the Cincinnati region, immigrants and refugees earn $4.1 Billion in household income, contribute $386 Million in state and local taxes, and possess $3 Billion in spending power. More than 48% of immigrants and newcomers have a bachelor’s degree or higher and are highly entrepreneurial. We need to continue to invest in immigrant and refugee talent while attracting talent to the region.

Recently, the Cincinnati region has started to see modest population growth. We know that population growth in the region is driven by immigrants and newcomers, and we must work to grow the population at a higher rate. See the recent State of the Region report from the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s Center for Research and Data.

With job growth outpacing population growth, an aging workforce, and the need to continue innovation to remain competitive on a global market, we must attract and retain global talent. We know that diversity brings innovation, and we must continue to attract and retain immigrant talent. Doing so offers a competitive advantage for businesses through innovation, expansion to new markets, access to new labor pools, and enhance capacity to offer culturally competent and relevant services and products. This is to be coupled with developing local talent already here. Ohio schools are witnessing a notable rise in English learner (EL) enrollment with nearly 70,000 identified EL students. To explore this trend and understand how schools are adapting through innovative strategies.

We must continue to view immigration as an economic and labor policy, policies that combine both centering the humanity and dignity of people who wish to call the Cincinnati region home and the creation of inclusive economic development strategies. Cincinnati Compass can be your partner in developing and implementing those strategies.

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In the Community

Gabi Odebode, Co-Founder of AfroMeals

Gabi Odebode, Co-Founder of AfroMeals and member of Findlay Kitchen, is a partner of Cincinnati Compass, catering each year at our annual event Cincinnati Compass Presents Cincinnati Rhythm. She was recently featured in a series by Findlay Market, Living Legacies. Check out the video to learn more about her background, her passion for cooking, and her vision to share the rich diversity of the African diaspora right here in the Cincinnati region.

WATCH GABI'S VIDEO

Photo Credit: Nick Swartsell | WVXU

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Mauritanians

Recently, Senator Sherrod Brown, Representative Greg Landsman, Representative Joyce Beatty, and Representative Mike Carey introduced the TPS for Mauritania Act. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is greatly needed to provide necessary work authorization and protected immigration status for Mauritanians in the Cincinnati region. The largest Mauritanian community in the US is in Ohio, particularly Central and Southwest Ohio. Having TPS would have a profoundly positive impact locally. The Mauritanian community is deeply embedded in Ohio, woven into the cultural and economic fabric of the state, with community members arriving since the early 1990s. They have served as an anchor community of support for the new arrivals.

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Events & Opportunities

FEATURED EVENT

African Modernism in America

February 10 - May 19, 2024 | Fifth Third Gallery

Explore the vibrant world of African Modernism at the Taft Museum of Art. This groundbreaking exhibition showcases the innovative and dynamic works of African artists from the mid-20th century to the present day. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the richness and diversity of African artistic expression.

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