Minneapolis, February 04, 2018 (GCDC) - Super Bowl Sunday, it is this weekend in the US. The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL).
And they call it ‘American football’, though not played with the foot as football (soccer) is the most-watched television event, people across the United States will crowd around the TV, watch the game, and eat a snack and enjoy the shows.
And as we know the Super Bowl always seems to bring the US to a standstill as millions will be tuned in across the United States. Minnesota is known and home of most Gambellans and more Gambella Community members become fans, interested, and attractive to Super Bowl every year and hundreds and thousands expected to be tuned in and watch this Sunday the Eagles play the Patriots in Super Bowl LII., ( 52) big game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
A special team with the city of Minneapolis has been working for weeks to reassure immigrant communities that all the extra muscle is here to keep them safe. Military Humvees, officers in combat gear and the occasional F-16 flying over downtown Minneapolis are all part of the beefed up security measures that come with hosting the Super Bowl.
The team is reaching out through radio and television broadcasts, social media and in-person meetings with elders and community members. The goal is to keep communities informed about everything from security to transportation issues and let them know they can also participate in the fun.
Minnesota has been a welcoming state for immigrants over the last several decades, thanks in part to its social service programs. The state is home to the largest Somali community in the U.S., roughly 57,000 people according to the latest census figures, most of who live in the Minneapolis area. The state also has the second-highest Hmong population, behind California.
The team of community specialists in Minneapolis does outreach in immigrant communities all year, but is working with more partners and intensifying efforts in the lead-up to the Super Bowl. Officials believe they have created a model for future Super Bowls or other large events. Among other things, the team is broadcasting weekly radio programs in Spanish, Somali and Hmong and is contracting with others to share social media messages in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Vietnamese, Oromo, and Lao.