Source: SEYMA BAYRAM AND EMILY MILLS | AKRON BEACON JOURNAL | 12:04 pm EDT August 15, 2021
All communities in Summit County saw a percentage increase in their Asian populations from 2010 to 2020 except for Fairlawn, which saw a 0.6% decrease, and Clinton and New Franklin, which saw no change. In Akron alone, the Asian population grew by 139.3%, from 4,218 to 10,093. Cuyahoga Falls saw the largest increase — 347.6% — as its Asian population increased from 573 in 2010 to 2,565 in 2020, followed by Reminderville (344.5%) and Boston Heights (200%).
Akron 2020 census results: Akron's population dropped by 4% between 2010 and 2020
Daniel Torma, director of refugee resettlement at the International Institute of Akron, echoed Tso’s sentiments.
“My reaction was positive. I’m not too surprised at the 2020 data, especially based on my work in refugee resettlement,” he said.
Since 2010, the International Institute of Akron has resettled 4,196 people from Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Ukraine, Liberia, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The former Akron chapter of World Relief, which was forced to shutter its doors in 2019 following significant cutbacks to refugee resettlement under the Trump administration, had also resettled many people, including from Bhutan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, before its closure.
Of the new arrivals the International Institute of Akron has resettled since 2010, the majority — 2,538 — came from Bhutan, with significant additional numbers coming from Myanmar (575); the Democratic Republic of Congo (442); Afghanistan (275); and Iraq (255).
“I am very happy,” Manorath Khanal, a leader in the local Bhutanese community and president of the Bhutanese Community Association of Akron, a non-profit organization that supports Bhutanese refugees as they integrate into the Greater Akron community, told the Beacon Journal upon hearing the census results.
“It was a great privilege and honor that the U.S. government was able to resettle the Bhutanese refugees in general in Akron and throughout the country,” Khanal said. “Many of our people are citizens now, and we are very proud citizens of this country, so we have more responsibilities for the development of this country."
Bhutanese people are drawn to Ohio for a number of reasons, including job and educational opportunities and family reunification, Khanal said. But the growth of the Bhutanese population in Summit County is also a testament to their hard work, Khanal said, as many members of the community have successfully established their own businesses, from restaurants and grocery stores to gas stations, home-care businesses and more.
“Our community wants to give back,” Khanal said.
On Sept. 12, the Bhutanese Community Association of Akron will host a community celebration at its new headquarters. The event will feature live traditional dance performances and music and is open to the public. (For more information, see the association’s Facebook page or email bcakronorg@gmail.com).
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