Before civil war forced Roseline Swarray out of Liberia, she was an international businesswoman, buying and selling gold, diamonds and food.
The Fargo woman and mother of seven now cuts hair out of her home, but if the Immigrant Development Center can secure the funding it needs for an International Market Plaza, Swarray plans to start her own business and open a hair salon in the plaza.
The Immigrant Development Center has raised $715,800 and is asking the North Dakota Legislature for the remaining $250,000 needed to buy and renovate a building at 1345 Main Ave. in Fargo.
Senate Bill 2313, introduced by Sens. Tim Mathern and Carolyn Nelson, D-Fargo, would provide those funds through the state Department of Commerce.
"People from other countries are able to develop their retail skills in a new country with a project like this," Mathern said. "Jobs are created, and the broader community becomes much more sensitive to the positive attributes of other cultures."
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The project would create at least 16 businesses and 57 new full-time jobs, said Fowzia Adde, Immigrant Development Center executive director.
Daniel Granados of Fargo plans to open what he calls a "100 percent authentic" Mexican taco shop in the plaza.
Starting his restaurant, Azteca Tacos, in the plaza surrounded by other businesses would help draw more customers than if he launched it on his own, he said.
For Adde, who has been working on the project for nearly six years, the legislation's passage would be a dream come true.
"After all I went through, after being in a refugee camp for seven years and now being the executive director of the Immigrant Development Center, this is the American dream," she said.
Mathern said this is the first bill introduced by a refugee community in his recollection of 25 years in the Legislature. But, he said moving the legislation through the Appropriations Committee will be a challenge because there are a lot of matters before the committee. Residents are calling for government spending cuts, and there is not as much support for culturally diverse projects as he would like to see, he said.
"I'm hoping that if we can pass it in the Senate, it could develop a little bit of steam to take on the bigger challenges in the House," Mathern said.
If the bill does not pass, Adde said she will remain hopeful and continue to look for funding sources.
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"We know by working hard, it's going to happen," she said.
Funding source
So far, the International Market Plaza project has received funding from: Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation, Otto Bremer Foundation, West Central Initiative, Blandin Foundation, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, local and national Presbyterian churches, the city of Fargo, Architecture for Humanity, North Dakota State University College of Business, and Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corp.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Tracy Frank at (701) 241-5526
