Mayor Anthony Williams signed legislation March 27 creating the District's new Office on African Affairs as a resource for the area's 400,000 African immigrants, including college students, according to Vincent Morris, communications director at the mayor's office.
The office will offer resources to African immigrants dealing with the transition to life in the U.S. such as help with taxes, Social Security and finding employment and housing in the region, Morris said. D.C. government will promote the new office through advertisements on the radio and in African embassies. Office employees will also work with embassies and churches to make sure immigrants are aware of the resources available to them.
"Not everybody realizes where to turn to," he said.
The office will not limit its services to D.C. residents; students who are staying in the area temporarily can use this "clearinghouse" of services, Morris said.
Kinuthia Macharia, a professor of sociology and a native of Kenya, said he thinks the office is a good idea to accommodate the large number of Africans who have immigrated to the area.
"Part of it is because Washington ... happens to be the home of most of the embassies," he said.
Organizations based downtown such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank employ a number of Africans, so many immigrants come here knowing people already, Macharia said.
"People don't migrate blindly," he said.
However, refugees immigrate here who need as much as assistance as possible, and the sooner they get settled, the faster they can start contributing to the local economy and paying taxes, Macharia said.
Since most college have career centers, Macharia said he thinks the office is more for immigrants who are starting businesses and new arrivals who do not have a steady bearing in the U.S than for African students.
"I don't think they would directly benefit from this office," he said.
However, Ayo Dele-Giwa, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, originally from Nigeria, said she would go to the office to explore housing options in D.C.
"If I wanted to live in the D.C. area permanently, I would definitely go there because the people there would definitely understand my situation more than the people on campus," she said.
