Dubuque is home to one of the largest populations of people from the Marshall Islands in the midwest and they are preparing for a day of cultural celebrations Saturday.
Maitha Jolet helps organize the celebration in Dubuque for what’s called Manit day. “We are kind of losing our Manit right now, and that is why we want to celebrate the Manit Day every September of each year,” he says. He says preserving their heritage remains essential, and Manit Day is the centerpiece.
The U.S. tested nuclear weapons on the Marshall Islands following the Second World War and the damage remains. “Most of the islands in the Marshall Islands are contaminated with radiation, and people are sick and we don’t have any resources or hospitals to provide,” Jolet says. Immigrants were drawn to the area to attend seminary school in 1970s, but he says many Marshallese now come to the Dubuque seeking work and healthcare.
He estimates the city has around 1,500 Marshallese residents. The celebration features a barbeque of traditional foods, dancing, and intergenerational storytelling.
(By Gavin McGough, Iowa Public Radio)
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