Arrey Obenson heads a St. Louis–based organization that provides resettlement and integration services for immigrants and refugees — but he does not see his work as limited to Missouri’s second largest city.
“America is at a crossroads, and the work that we do in St. Louis can actually be transformational for America,” he said. “We could set an example for other communities. It would be beneficial for every American if we are able to build a more inclusive society.”
Obenson emigrated from Cameroon more than 20 years ago, facing many of the same obstacles that confront the immigrants he works with today. For example, without a U.S. credit history, he could not get a car loan and struggled to find public transit that would get him to his job. Now, he is vocal proponent of the many benefits that immigrants bring to their communities, arguing that one way to tackle St. Louis’s population decline is to draw more of them to the city.
“Being mindful of what we have gone through as a country in the last four years where we have seen immigrants or people who are not the same as us as almost the enemy, we have an enormous opportunity to make the case that the immigrant is vital for the survival of the American economy, to tell the story of immigrants, and to have a conversation about the kind of America we want,” he said.
A barrister of law in Cameroon, Obenson is also the author of Bridging the Opportunity Gap, which “presents a paradigm shift for leaders, uncovering how to ascend to the next level and transform your organization or business.”
