Ndiath on National Shutdown

On January 29, OIA’s Demba Ndiath spoke at a press conference at the Columbus Liberation Center about our endorsement of the January 30 National Shutdown. Below are his prepared remarks. Share this compilation video on IG and TikTok.

Thank you all for being here — community leaders of faith, student and campus groups, healthcare workers, small business owners, advocates, and neighbors from across Columbus.

We stand here today because our communities are in pain — and too many lives are at stake.

What began as a bold call from the Somali Student Association at the University of Minnesota — to declare January 30th a “day of no business as usual” — has now captured national attention. It has ignited a National Shutdown movement calling for no work, no school, no shopping — to say “No!” to ICE’s unchecked surge and violence.

This movement is rooted in real fear and real loss. The fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal immigration enforcement agents has sparked outrage and protest across the country. These were ordinary people — one an ICU nurse, the other a U.S. citizen — whose deaths have shocked communities and raised urgent questions about how enforcement operations are being carried out.

Here in Columbus, we understand the weight of this moment — because we see it in our own neighborhoods. And at the center of this urgency are the Somali and immigrant-owned businesses that are the lifeblood of our city.

Let me be clear:

Somali entrepreneurs and immigrant small business owners contribute every single day to Ohio’s economic vitality — they employ our neighbors, pay taxes, rejuvenate commercial corridors, and create opportunities where few existed.

Somali healthcare providers — nurses, medical assistants, home health workers — are on the frontlines caring for our families when they are sick, when they are vulnerable, when they need help.

We are grateful for Somali leaders like Representative Ilhan Omar, whose courage and voice represent not just Minnesota, but the dignity and strength of immigrant communities everywhere. Our hearts go out to her after recent attacks on her person and her leadership — we stand in full solidarity with her.

And so today, we say clearly:

We respect and honor the Somali community — not only for what you contribute — but for who you are: pillars of resilience, compassion, hard work, and community building.

But we cannot stop at respect.

We must act.

Last year, I warned that the direction of this country’s immigration policy was steering us toward something far beyond normal political disagreement — I warned there was a risk as serious as civil war.

Because when a nation begins to kill its own people, when peaceful protestors are shot, when immigrants and citizens are arrested based on how they look or where they come from — that isn’t normal. That isn’t justice. And it certainly is not America as we should know it.

Today, we see:

The killing of U.S. citizens in protests against enforcement operations.

The fear gripping families who now hide from federal agents.

The chilling reality that anyone — Black, Somali, Haitian, immigrant, or native-born — can be targeted.

We are here because we refuse to accept this nightmare as our future.

We are here because Ohio stands for humanity, dignity, and justice.

And we are here because we believe — as we do at the Ohio Immigrant Alliance — that immigration is not a privilege — it is a basic human need, a shared aspiration to provide safety, opportunity, and a better life for our families.

Everyone who makes Ohio their home should not merely be tolerated — they should feel at home here.

They should be protected. They should be valued. They should be safe.

And so on Friday, January 30th, we join the national call to action to SHUT IT DOWN — not to break this country — but to wake it up. Not to destroy, but to defend.

No work.

No school.

No shopping.

Because the fight for justice cannot wait.

Because community safety is not a luxury — it is a right.

Because Black, Somali, Haitian, immigrant, and U.S.-born families — we are all in this together.

Let today be the day we stand as one.

Let today be the day we say: Enough.