Ndiho Media

By Paul Ndiho

Africans are among the most rapidly growing immigrant populations in the United States. As they become more integrated into the social fabric of this country, their participation in day to day issues becomes more important.

Pamela Anchang, a Cameroonian – American publisher and immigration activist weighs in on Immigration.
“They’ve given us a bad name, are we going to own it no, are we criminals no, are we bad people, we’re proud people anti we… I want to tell you a story I’m from Cameroon … who knows Cameroon? We’re champions in soccer but guess what I’m here just like you, and we’re one people.”
Pamela Anchang came to the United States from Cameroon nearly years 20 ago, with the dream to earn a living and do better for herself. Today she’s become an icon in LA California as a publisher of the immigrant magazine, immigration activist and an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump’s signature campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration.

“We have an administration that seems to forget and want to penalize immigrants. I am not advocating for illegal immigration, but however, I am saying that we should have a comprehensive immigration reform that would legalize everybody. Ms. Anchang is the editor of The Immigrant Magazine, a Southern California-based news and features website that bills itself as “the voice of immigrants in America,” She has become the voice of the voiceless and made friends across the diverse spectrum of immigrant communities in the Los Angeles area. “I could not be more proud to reignite my immigrant pride.  I’m standing here with my brothers and sisters to say that we’re not criminals.” By becoming more involved in the anti- immigration campaign naturalized citizens like Pamela play a greater role in determining the fate of issues that impact other immigrants, such as comprehensive immigration reform.  “Immigrants feel like this is a land of opportunity. And now we have a president who seems to forget that immigrants build this country’s foundation. Immigrant strive made this country. This country has a lot of history of diversity regarding where we all have come from.” Pamela Anchang and her husband, Charles, started the immigrant magazine project as a print magazine in 2004 because they saw a gap in how the dominant media outlets portrayed immigrants in the United States. “The immigrant magazine started from the vision that I had for myself, talking about myself as an immigrant. I couldn’t find a place or an outlet to speak of these things, and I had that determination to want to do it. It’s all about determination, and that you don’t quit, you find all the avenues.” Over the years, the magazine has adopted a more political tone as Anchang uses it as a platform to call for an overhaul of the country’s immigration laws and a path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants here without permission. “When I started it actually, I thought I would be telling stories, beautiful stories of successful immigrants, but 10-15 years down the road, more than ever, it has become really, a magazine, which captures the immigrant experience in its totality. So whether its advocacy, and being out there in the rallies, and being out there speaking up on behalf of immigrants.” Pamela Anchang says her success as a publisher and celebrity immigration activist has not come easy. But despite the challenges, she is even more determined to keep pushing the envelope and be the voice of the voiceless especially in light of President Trump’s administration travel ban targeting, immigrants, refugees and several majority-Muslim countries.