Congolese Americans are Americans descended from the peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of the Congo, which themselves consist of hundreds of ethnic groups.

In the 2000 U.S. Census, 3,886 people reported Congolese descent. Another 1,602 reported originating from Zaire (now DRC) and less than 300 people reported originating from the Republic of Congo.^[1] Rose Mapendo, who suffered as a result of the war, has helped 2,000 refugees to emigrate into the U.S. through the organization Mapendo International.^[9] So, thousands of refugees from the DRC have been able to come to the United States.^[10] In 2013, roughly 10,000 refugees from the DRC were living in the U.S.^[11]

History

Like other Central/West African groups in the United States, the first Congolese arrived as enslaved people in the modern-day United States as part of the Atlantic slave trade. Congolese were most likely sold in Cabinda in modern-day Angola and were then imported to places such as Louisiana and South Carolina.^[12] However, due to the difficulty of tracing specific ancestry through the Atlantic slave trade and the lack of records on specific geographic origins of slaves, very few descendants of enslaved Congolese today identify specifically as Congolese Americans.

In the 1960s, Congolese gradually began to voluntarily migrate to the U.S. for educational reasons. However, in the 1970s, emigration from the DRC to the U.S. increased after the DRC's dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, chose the U.S., among other countries, as a place of refuge.^[13] However, in the 1980s, the first large wave of Congolese immigrants came to the U.S. for educational purposes. Initially, most of them decided to return home when they finished their studies in the U.S. However, many of them chose to stay in the U.S. due to the worsening political and economic situation in the DRC. The First Congo War (1996-97) in the DRC drove many Congolese to leave their families at home to seek asylum in the U.S. as war refugees. Only a few families migrated to the U.S. together. Some refugees were Tutsi who sought refuge from the Rwandan genocide in the DRC before arriving in the U.S.^[14]

Demography

The modern-day Republic of the Congo and the DRC were both colonized by Francophone powers, the former by France and the latter by Belgium. Thus, many Congolese speak French in addition to English and several Bantu languages. Immigrants from the DRC speak Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo, Bembe, and Tshiluba.^[8] However, recent immigrants are less likely to speak English than the better-educated Congolese migrants before them, and thus, have more difficulty adjusting to daily living in the U.S. Still, U.S. employers do not always accept the professional expertise and education that immigrants received in the Congo. Thus, many educated Congolese have been forced to work in unskilled and low-paying jobs such as dishwashing and taxi cab driving. Most Congolese are Christians.

A significant number of Congolese Americans reside in the Charlotte and Raleigh areas of North Carolina,^[15] in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas (mainly in Arlington, Bedford, Dallas, Euless, Grand Prairie, Hurst, and Irving);^[8] in the Cleveland and Columbus areas of Ohio; and in Iowa, where the Congolese community of DRC this growing due to sending refugees (although quantitatively reduced in the last years.)^[16] There is also a growing population of Congolese in Portland, Maine.^[17] Additionally, most of the refugees in Tallahassee, Florida, are from the Democratic Republic of Congo.^[18]

Since 2001, many refugees from the DRC have resettled in the United States. In 2013, it was estimated that more than 10,000 refugees from the DRC live in the U.S.,^[11] of which more than 3,000 arrived in the U.S. in 2010.^[10] The U.S. had hoped to resettle tens of thousands more from the DRC over the next five years.^[11] There is a growing Congolese refugee population in Memphis, Tennessee, and other cities in the state.^[19] In Kentucky, thousands of Congolese have settled in Louisville and other cities.^[20] In Bowling Green, Kentucky, Congolese refugees already compose a sizable proportion of the city.^[21]

Texas has the highest number of immigrants from the Republic of the Congo at 6,230.^[22] Immigrants from the Republic of Congo took up the largest share of a state's population in Kentucky at 0.041%.^[23] As of 2023, the Top 10 cities with the most immigrants from the Republic of the Congo were as follows:^[24]

Texas has the highest number of immigrants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), formerly known as Zaire, at 5,580.^[25] Immigrants from the DRC took up the largest share of a state's population in Iowa at 0.12%.^[26] As of 2023, the Top 10 cities with the most immigrants from the DRC were as follows:

Organizations

Congolese Community of Chicago aims to facilitate the integration of people of Congolese descent into the American tapestry while running programs to educate others about Congolese culture.^[27]

Congolese Community of North Carolina-Raleigh (COCOM-NC-Raleigh) provides educational opportunities for Congolese children and their families in North Carolina's Research Triangle.^[28]

Congolese Women Association of New England provides immigration counseling, job training, ESL classes, and cultural practice workshops to Congolese women in New England.^[29]

Other organizations include the Salem Gospel Ministries in the DC area, Congolese Community of Houston,^[30] and Congolese Community of Northern California.^[31]

Notable people

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Ota Benga
• Nansha Kalonji
• Hakeem Kashama
• Arthur Katalayi
• Réjane Magloire
• Emmanuel Mudiay
• Dikembe Mutombo
• Joy Reid
• Prince Shembo
• Sandra Uwiringiyimana
• Philippe Wamba

Republic of the Congo

• Dwight Hardy
• Sammus

See also

• Congo Square
• Wanderer
• Congolese people in France
• Congolese people in Italy
• Congolese in the United Kingdom
• Congolese Australians
• Democratic Republic of the Congo–United States relations
• Republic of the Congo–United States relations

References

Further reading

• Beebe, Craig. "Congolese Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2014), pp. 531–541. online

External links

• "Congolese Americans: Finding a Home in New England"