Coloring Book - Coming Soon!
“Ohio is my second country.” That is what Birane Wane, a Columbus father, said to a reporter after he was deported to Mauritania during the first Trump administration. He was talking about feeling like your life was left somewhere else, and that it is possible to be “from” more than one place.
High school student and artist Shema Asifiwe, language expert Manuel Chinchilla, PhD, and the Ohio Immigrant Alliance are preparing to publish the “Ohio Is My Second Country Coloring Book” in late spring 2026. Shema drew the pictures for this book by asking immigrants to tell him about their native places. Contrary to stereotypes we often hear about other countries, these are not constantly bleak or war-torn landscapes. There is vibrancy, beauty, and many happy memories, even in places that are experiencing conflict. His friends from all over the world were eager to participate.
The coloring book will be available for sale at the Ohio Immigrant Alliance’s Bookshop.org page, and in select independent bookstores. It will also be featured at our June 13 concert at the Columbus Arts Festival. The book includes lessons on each of the depicted languages, and a guide for how to use it in your community. Sign up here to be the first to know when it comes out!
This book is for everyone. Children and adults. Schools, libraries, and community groups. Individuals. It contains drawings of scenes from France, Guatemala, Ghana, Nepal, India, Rwanda, Algeria, Burundi, El Salvador, and other places. The final image is one of Shema and his friends — young people who were born all over the world, but now live in the same home, Cincinnati. The illustrations were drawn with varying detail so that people with different motor skills can enjoy coloring.
Migration is an act of being human. People have always moved for safety and opportunity, since the beginning of time, and they always will. Ohio is home to people from many different countries. They bring with them courage, commitment to family, and the desire to make a positive impact. It takes tremendous strength to start over in a new country. Ohio benefits from new residents who are helping our state succeed. This book celebrates them and teaches the rest of us about the places they left.
Whether you use this book in a social studies or art class or community group; give it as a gift; or color on your own, we hope you enjoy “Ohio Is My Second Country” and help spread the message that migration is human and Ohio is home. Sign up to be notified about the book release here.
