SPRINGDALE — The Marshallese population in Northwest Arkansas isn’t heavily engaged locally, despite efforts by schools and nonprofit agencies trying to make connections between the islanders and other residents, according to area officials and Marshallese representatives.
AT A GLANCE
Republic Of Marshall Islands
Northwest Arkansas is home to almost 10 percent of the Marshallese living in the U.S. The Republic of the Marshall Islands is one of a group of nations collectively referred to by the U.S. Census as Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. Other nationalities included in the Pacific Islander designation are:
Samoan
Tongan
Tahitian
Tokelauan
Guamanian (Chomorro)
Marianna Islander
Siapanese
Palauan
Carolinian
Kosraean
Pohnpeian
Chuukese
Yapese
I-Kiribati
Fijian
Papua New Guinean
Solomon Islander
Ni-Vanuatu
Other Polynesian, Melanesian, or Micronesian Islander
Source: Staff Report
Nearly one in five Marshallese living in the U.S. lives in Arkansas, and more than half of those live in Washington County, according to U.S. Census data released Tuesday.
“I think it’s important that the city provide opportunities of involvement to everyone and to let the Marshallese and others know those opportunities are out there,” said Doug Sprouse, Springdale mayor. “Getting them comfortable to the point where they want to engage in the community could take some time, but it’s not something that can be forced from either side.”
The 4,467 residents who indicated Marshallese origins on the 2010 Census put Washington County sixth among all counties in the U.S. for percentage of population that was either Native Hawaiian or from the Pacific island group of nations. Islanders account for 2.2 percent of the county’s population, and nearly all those are Marshallese, according to census data.
Many Marshallese are first- or second-generation residents and come from a background far different than Northwest Arkansas, said Kevin Harkey, a volunteer at the Marshallese consulate office.
“Several years ago, we identified the need to bring more services to the Marshallese in terms of legal, medical and social services that they just didn’t know about or know how to use,” Harkey said. “Now, thanks to our Gaps in Services programs, we can get Marshallese some of the things they need to operate in American society, things they either didn’t know they would need or that they didn’t know how to get.”
The Springdale School District has dedicated two community liaisons to the Marshallese community, and officials have gone to Marshallese church services to connect with parents who might have educational questions, said Mary Bridgforth, district coordinator for English as a second language program.
The district has also adapted a Family Literacy Program, originally designed for Spanish-speaking households, to improve the English skills for the parents of Marshallese students.
The Marshallese population is still not diverse with 88 percent of U.S. Marshallese indicating their heritage as only Marshallese instead of some combination of Marshallese, other island groups or other races, according to census data.
One reason is many Marshallese in the region were born on the islands, and the younger generations are just now reaching the age range of marriage, Harkey said.
“It’s just a timing thing where those who would intermarry just aren’t at the right age yet,” he said. “I expect we’ll see more of that, but we’re also seeing more people moving here from the islands as well.”
The overall Marshallese population in the U.S. boomed from less than 7,000 in 2000 — the first time census data broke out Pacific Islanders by nation of origin — to just more than 22,000 in 2010. Arkansas has the second-most Marshallese of any state, behind only Hawaii. Because the Marshallese make up only a small fraction of Pacific Islanders, however, Arkansas doesn’t make the top 10 states for islander population.