“I wrote every day” — Shema Asifwe in the Enquirer
The Cincinnati Enquirer published a beautiful story (with photos) about Shema Asifiwe, the high school artist behind the new “Ohio Is My Second Country” coloring book from the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. The article captures Shema and some of his high school friends, returning to Roselawn Condon elementary school to spend time with the students there.
Shema first learned English and how to draw while a student at Roselawn. His family had recently arrived in Cincinnati from a Burundi refugee camp when the pandemic hit. Writes Patricia Newberry in the Enquirer:
When COVID-19 sent [Shema] home, "everything changed," he said in one of his memoirs. "My teachers became faces on a screen, and my friends turned into small boxes on a computer."
Day by day – working from a makeshift classroom in the garage of his family's Delhi Township home – Shema expanded his English skills by connecting words and pictures in coloring books. "English started to click for me," he said. "Every single day I improved."
"I wrote every day, using words I learned from coloring books and turning them into poems," he said.
The “Ohio Is My Second Country” coloring book is a collaboration with the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. It features 19 drawings of scenes from 16 countries where Ohioans were born. It includes words to learn in 15 languages. Shema interviewed friends, family members, and a school maintenance worker to get the drawings’ details exactly right. The final illustration, which is also the cover, is a self-portrait of Shema and his friends along the Cincinnati riverfront. They hail from different countries and even continents, but Ohio is now their shared home.
The coloring book is available for sale online and at Hexagon Books and Mac’s Backs Books in Cleveland Heights. It has an accompanying playlist and activity guide with ideas for all ages.
Journalists, other content creators, teachers, group leaders, or others who would like a review copy or more details about this book are directed to this press kit and landing page. Free digital downloads are available on the landing page.
For the best price on bulk orders or any other inquiry, contact hotline@ohioimmigrant.org.
Resources
Read the Enquirer story (behind paywall) and view a photo gallery
Download the “Ohio Is My Second Country” press kit
Buy the book and get free digital downloads at ohioimmigrant.org/second-country
Check out the accompanying playlist and activity guide
