Sunday, April 30, 2017

The Good News Volume 1, Issue 10

For the week of April 23rd to 29th, here is the Good News:

**Best news of the week**
On Monday, it was announced that a citizen committee in Ireland voted to amend their harsh anti-abortion laws in the direction of decriminalization. Ireland has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe, and this is a great first step. For the sake of all Irish women, I hope this keeps progressing.
For more, read the story here.

Monday:
African countries get the first doses of a new malaria vaccine.
Read the story at BBC.com.

A caterpillar could be the solution to getting rid of plastic waste.
Read the story at BBC.com.

Tuesday:
A Federal Judge ruled that Trump's Executive Order against Sanctuary Cities cannot be upheld.
Read the story at CNN.com.

Oslo, London and Amsterdam lead a push for green transport.
Read the story at Reuters.

Wednesday:
A study shows youth violence in the US is declining.
Read the article at Science Daily

Paul Allen donates money for housing for Seattle homeless.
Read the article at The Seattle Times.

Thursday:
Bloomberg starts fund for Coal communities who need job retraining.
Read the article here.

Saturday:
World War II veteran comes out as transgender at 90.
Read the whole article here


Feel free to link anyone you'd like to this. And if you have any Good News links in the coming week that you'd like to share, feel free to send them my way. I can definitely use more.


American Immigrant Highlights: Sudan

Sudanese Americans generally refers to those who came here from North Sudan. South Sudanese refer to themselves as South Sudanese Americans. The South Sudanese began to come here first, attempting to escape the Sudanese civil war in the 1980s and 90s. The northern Sudanese began to arrive in the US in the 90s, coming from the refugee camps created in the neighboring countries because of the Sudanese civil war. Because of the difference in tribes in their old country, and the different journeys the two groups went through to get to America, they see themselves as distinctly separate groups. There are ten distinct Sudanese tribes, and they see themselves either as Sudanese or South Sudanese depending on which tribe their people are from. The lines grow a bit blurry because of the Civil war in Sudan, which led to the division of the country, and the dividing line between the two groups in the US today.

There are over 100,000 people in the US who are South Sudanese, and more than 42, 000 who are Sudanese, as of 2013. Significant population centers for both groups include New York; Detroit; Des Moines, Iowa; Alexandria, Virginia; Washington DC; LA; San Diego; and Omaha, Nebraska.

Because most Sudanese people arrived in the US so recently and because of political strife in their original nations, they have created many groups dedicated to helping each other in their new country, or to helping Sudan recover from the ravages of war. The New Sudan-American Hope was founded in 1999 in Minnesota to help Sudanese adjust to their new homeland. In 1997, the Southern Sudanese Community Association was founded to provide education and help in learning English and understanding US culture and monetary issues. The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation was created to help provide scholarships for South Sudanese immigrants. There is also the Sudanese American Public Affairs Association, aiming at improving the visibility and stability of the Sudanese American people, and improving their relationship with the US government. The Sudanese American Medical Association is a group of medical professionals of Sudanese descent who work to better medical care both within and outside of the US.

Sudanese food is influenced by Arabs and spice traders and several other influences that passed through the country. Particularly they were influenced by the Egyptians, Yemeni, Indians, and Ethiopians. Stews and porridge are very common there, as are fish dishes in the south. For meat aside from fish, they tend to use goat, beef, or chicken. They are fond of coffee, which is often strong and sweetened and spiced with ginger or cinnamon. They also enjoy fruit and herbal teas. They have a cake called bisbosa, which is a semolina cake soaked in syrup. They have a carrot salad called Salaat Jazar, as well as a yogurt salad made from vegetables and yogurt called Salaat Zabidi. Kissra is their staple bread, which is made from durra or corn, and served with one of their many stews. Southern cuisine is more complex, as more of the influences passed through the southern part of the country over the centuries. They are particularly fond of using peanuts in their cooking, as a sauce, thickener, even a dressing.

Notable Sudanese and South Sudanese Americans:


  • Nawal M. Nour, gynecologist
  • Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, professor
  • Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh, imam
  • Oddisee, musician
  • Lopez Lomong, track and field athlete
  • Mari Malek, model and philanthropist
  • Guor Marial, track and field athlete
  • Ger Duany, actor and model
  • Sinkane, musician
  • Khigh Dhiegh, actor
  • Ramey Dawoud, musician


Like Lybia, there just are not many well-known Sudanese yet in the US. Mostly because they are so new to the US. However, they are here to stay, and I am sure this list will grow quickly over time.

In truth, there is a lot of mixing between the two groups, and the division is quite recent. That makes it little confusing to understand the differences between them, so hopefully I haven't mixed them up too much. I apologize if I have.

Sources
Sudanese Americans
South Sudanese Americans
Sudanese Cuisine
Sudanese Food
About the Food of South Sudan

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