Togolese Americans

Togolese Americans are Americans of Togolese descent. According to answers provided to an open-ended question included in the 2000 census, 1,716 people said that their ancestry or ethnic origin was Togolese.[1] An unofficial estimate in 2008 of the Togolese American population was more than 2,500.[3]

Togolese Americans

Total population
1,716 (2000 US census)[1] 16,000 (Togolese-born. 2008-2012 American Community Survey Briefs)[2]
Regions with significant populations
Chicago, Atlanta
Languages
Main American English French

History

The first people from present-day Togo who emigrated to what is now the United States arrived as slaves during the colonial period. This lasted until 1859, when Togolese-descended Cudjo Lewis arrived to Mobile from Dahomey.[4] After the abolition of slavery, few Togolese came to the United States.

Demography

Most Togolese who live in the United States are in the country legally and have received diversity immigrant visas,[3] which require them to show that they were not likely to become public charges before receiving the visas.[5] Many Togoleses emigrated to the U.S. to further their education.[3]

Togolese Americans in Chicago

The first Togolese to arrive in Chicago were probably from the former British Protectorate of Togo. There were only a few Togolese Americans in Chicago in the 1970s. The Togolese community, however, grew rapidly in the 1980s, when mastery of the English language and an American education became more valuable because of closer ties between the United States and Togo and the emergence of a free trade zone. During Togo's transition to democracy in the late 1980s and early 1990s, political refugees increased the Togolese presence in Chicago. By the late 1990s, approximately 300 Togolese lived in Chicago and 500 in Illinois.[6]

Organizations

Togolese Americans have established the Association of Togolese Students in America (ATSA) in New York City,[7] the Association of Togolese in Chicagoland (ATC),[8] the Togolese Association of Baltimore (TAB) (in French, the Association des Togolais de Baltimore),[9] Nebraska Togolese Community Association, [10] and Togolese Americans United in New York City.[11]

ATSA seeks to increase awareness of the underserved children in Togo and elsewhere in Africa and to provide advice and resources for Togolese American students.[7] ATC "is as a nonprofit, apolitical, and nonreligious organization" that seeks to, among other things, promote "social, cultural, economic, educational, and scientific integration between members"; encourage "fraternal spirit and promote understanding and mutual acceptance among members"; provide assistance to Togolese Americans that are in need because of health, financial, or legal problems; enhance public awareness in the U.S. of the culture, history, and people of Togo; and combat discrimination, injustice, and disparities in the fields of employment, health, social services, and economic development.[8] TAB seeks to promote godly living and solidarity among Togolese Americans, "develop solidarity activities" throughout the world, and give moral and financial support and assistance to needy members of TAB.[9] Also Togolese Community of Tampa, Togolese Students Community -Florida.

Notable people

Gale Agbossoumonde

Cudjoe Lewis with his wife

• Gale Agbossoumonde, soccer player
• Tabi Bonney, rapper
• Bruce Djite, soccer player

References

1. "Table 1. First, Second, and Total Responses to the Ancestry Question by Detailed Ancestry Code: 2000". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
2. Christine P. Gambino, Edward N. Trevelyan, and John Thomas Fitzwater. Issued October 2014. The Foreign-Born Population From Africa: 2008–2012.
3. "Togolese immigrants work hard to give back to their communities", Quad-City Times, reported by Barb Ickes, 25 May 2008
4. "Question of the Month: Cudjo Lewis: Last African Slave in the U.S.?", by David Pilgrim, Curator, Jim Crow Museum, July 2005, webpage:Ferris-Clotilde.
5. "ilink". USCIS. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
6. "Togolese", Encyclopedia of Chicago, authored by Charles Adams Cogan, Nourou Yakoubou, and Ben Kokouvi Mensah
7. "Association of Togolese Students in America". Retrieved 13 August 2015.
8. Association of Togolese in Chicagoland
9. "Togolese Association of Baltimore". Retrieved 13 August 2015.
10. Nebraska Togolese Community Association
11. "Togolese Americans United". Retrieved 13 August 2015.