Omar Bah

Omar Bah is a Gambian journalist and refugee residing in the United States and is the founder of the Refugee Dream Center in Rhode Island.

Biography

Omar Bah grew up in a small impoverished town in Gambia, where he was one of the few children to finish a high-school level education.[1] Gambia was under a dictatorship at the time, and at 21 Bah decided he wanted to be a human rights lawyer to fight injustice; however it was not possible to complete the necessary degrees in Gambia, so he switched to journalism.[1] He was kidnapped and beaten nearly to death in a Gambian jail for writing about the country's brutal dictator in the press.[2][3] Bah decided to flee for his life, going first to Senegal and Ghana, before being accepted as a refugee to the United States.[1] He arrived in Rhode Island in May 2007, followed his wife, Teddi Jallow, three years later.[1][4]

Bah earned a bachelor's degree in communication studies in 2010 from the University of Rhode Island.[2] He also received a master's in public administration from Roger Williams University and one in counseling psychology from William James College, where he now teaches.[5][6]

Bah had a difficult time adjusting to life in the United States, but found it easier than most because he could already speak, read, and write English as a result of his former career as a journalist. Bah did not understand how the United States expected refugees to become self-sufficient after only six months when so many didn't know any English before arriving.[1] He started the Refugee Dream Center in Providence, Rhode Island in 2015. The organization was founded to help support refugees with education, job opportunities, counseling, youth programs, and more.[2][4]

Bah has served on various city and state boards and committees.[3] He has advocated in Washington for “a robust U.S. refugee resettlement program”[3] and has lectured around the country.[2] He also represents Rhode Island at the Refugee Congress of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees."[5] In 2017, Bah was able to return to Gambia as part of a United Nations mission after dictator Yahya Jammeh lost power, but was threatened by Gambian First Secretary Isatou Badjie, who had worked under Jammeh.[7]

In 2018, he spoke out against Donald Trump's muslim ban,[8] and during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States, Bah focused his efforts on delivering supplies to refugee families in need.[1]

Awards
  • ‘One of Rhode Islanders of the Year 2015’ award[5]
  • 2016 John F. Kiffney Public Service Award[5]
  • 2017 Red Bandana Award[6]

Publications
  • Africa’s Hell on Earth: The Ordeal of an African Journalist

References
  1. Prinz, Annika (14 July 2020). "How Omar Bah, Founder of RI's Refugee Dream Center, Is Helping Community During Coronavirus". Go Local Prov.
  2. "Omar Bah '10". The University of Rhode Island.
  3. Ziner, Karen Lee (15 June 2013). "Refugee journalist Omar Bah to speak with Rhode Island Senators Reed, Whitehouse". Providence Journal.
  4. McGinnis, Lindsey (6 April 2020). "Their past was a nightmare. For many refugees, the Dream Center offers hope". CS Monitor.
  5. Omar Bah: Founder & Executive Director of the Refugee Dream Center, Inc. Brown University - Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Studies
  6. Omar Bah hprt-cambridge.org. Jan 28, 2015
  7. Ahlquist, Steve (19 June 2017). "Omar Bah's return visit to Gambia marred by threats". RI Future.
  8. Bah, Omar (15 July 2018). "My Turn: Omar Bah: American greatness rests in compassion". Providence Journal.
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