More African immigrants call Alaska their home

The Africans who have moved to Alaska prove how much immigrants want to work and make a life for their families. Moving to a new country is one thing, Africans moving to a state with very cold weather is another.    - - Donna Poisl

By MICHELLE THERIAULT BOOTS, THE ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS

ANCHORAGE — On a recent Saturday afternoon, 15 teenage girls lined up on a stage in the Northway Mall with the flags of their homelands: Togo. Nigeria. Ethiopia. Ghana. Sudan.

They were competing to become the first-ever Miss Africa Alaska -- the pageant queen of a growing community of immigrants making their home in Anchorage.

For the talent portion, the girls sang and performed traditional dances. They modeled riotously colorful dresses and polychrome head wraps as their relatives and friends took cellphone videos. Some were born in refugee camps in East Africa. Others were born at Providence Hospital in the U-Med district.
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