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- Lovely imigrantation, CVS sucks
Lovely imigrantation, CVS sucks
Theres also a lovely design company thats giving back to a good cause
The Scarlet Letter
March 03, 2025
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Top of Mind
How Columbus Became a Somali Stronghold
Somali migration to the U.S. began in earnest in the 1990s, driven by civil war and political instability in Somalia. Refugees initially resettled in places like Minneapolis, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., but soon, many began moving to Columbus for more affordable housing, job opportunities, and a growing sense of community.
🔹 1990s: Somali refugees arrive in the U.S., settling in designated resettlement hubs.
🔹 Early 2000s: Secondary migration to Columbus begins, drawn by affordability and warehouse/logistics jobs.
🔹 Mid-2000s: First generation establishes businesses and institutions—halal markets, restaurants, and mosques begin to dot the city.
🔹 2010s–present: Somali-owned enterprises flourish, the population grows, and the community gains political influence.
Today, Columbus' Somali community is not just established, it’s thriving.
Sisters Faisa Hersi, left, and Fareowsa Hersi, right, stand outside the Ohio Statehouse during a Somali Independence Day celebration on Thursday, July 1, 2021 Photo by Columbus Dispatch
Economic & Business Boom
The economic impact of Somali entrepreneurs in Columbus is impossible to ignore. Somali-owned businesses have turned Morse Road and Cleveland Avenue into an economic engine, with hundreds of Somali-run restaurants, trucking companies, retail shops, and real estate firms contributing millions to the local economy.
Somalis have particularly excelled in logistics and transportation, leveraging Columbus’ central location as a national freight hub. Many Somali immigrants have gone from driving trucks to owning entire fleets, a shift that has created wealth and new business opportunities within the community.
Meanwhile, food and retail businesses, like Hoyo’s Kitchen, Darbo Restaurant, and Tawakal Halal Meat, offer traditional Somali flavors while serving a diverse clientele. Somali malls and shopping centers, like Global Mall and Banadir Mall, now serve as cultural and economic hubs where customers can find everything from clothing to international money transfer services.
For a community that arrived as refugees, this level of economic success is staggering. But business is only one part of the equation.
From Business to Politics: A Growing Civic Force
Columbus’ Somali community isn’t just shaping the economy, it’s stepping into the political arena. In recent years, voter registration efforts have surged, and Somali candidates are beginning to make waves.
🔹 Ismail Mohamed, a Somali-born attorney, ran for the Ohio Statehouse, representing a significant step in the community’s political ambitions.
🔹 Community leaders have pushed for better representation on city boards and commissions, advocating for issues like housing, education, and immigrant rights.
🔹 Somali youth are increasingly engaging in local activism, particularly on issues like refugee resettlement and racial justice.
It’s a clear sign that Somalis in Columbus are no longer just building businesses, they are forming policy
Photo by Experience Columbus
What’s Next?
The Somali community in Columbus has already left an indelible mark on the city, but this is just the beginning. With a booming business sector, increasing political engagement, and a rapidly growing population, the next decade could bring even greater influence.
Will Columbus see its first Somali city council member? A Somali-led development project? A cultural district officially recognized by the city? It’s not so much a question of if but more so a question of when.
Scarlet Letter Trivia
Question: How many Oscar winners have hailed from Ohio?
A) 5
B) 8
C) 12
D) 15
Ohio Just Let Big Pharma Off the Hook and Stuck You With the Bill
Congratulations to CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. Ohio’s Supreme Court just handed them a get-out-of-liability-free card for their role in fueling the opioid crisis. The ruling wipes out a $650.9 million settlement that was supposed to help Lake and Trumbull counties recover from decades of addiction, overdoses, and economic collapse.
Instead of being held accountable under public nuisance laws, the same ones used to sue polluters and corrupt landlords, the court decided that Ohio’s Product Liability Act trumps all. Translation: selling boatloads of opioids isn’t a public nuisance, it’s just business.
And that $650.9 million? Gone.
(Walgreens photo: Michael Dempsey | The Jersey Journal) (CVS photo:Staten Island Advance)
A Crisis With a Price Tag and No One Left to Pay It
In case anyone forgot, Ohio has one of the worst opioid death rates in the country. More than 5,000 Ohioans died of overdoses in 2022, and entire communities were economically gutted by an epidemic these corporations helped fuel.
That’s why more than 3,000 lawsuits were filed against opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies across the U.S., leading to nearly $60 billion in settlements nationwide. But Ohio just decided those settlements don’t apply here, at least not when it comes to big-name pharmacy chains.
Local officials are furious.
🔹 David Yost, Ohio Attorney General: “This is a devastating ruling that threatens the ability of cities and counties to hold companies accountable.”
🔹 Peter Weinberger, a lead attorney in the opioid litigation: “This ruling will be used to try and wipe out other opioid cases nationwide.”
🔹 Trumbull County leaders: “That was our money. We needed that money.”
Meanwhile, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart are walking away without paying a dime./
Big Pharma Wins. Ohio Loses Again.
If you’re wondering what happens next, the short answer is nothing good.
🛑 The $650.9 million settlement is in jeopardy.
🛑 Local governments have no clear path to get the money back.
🛑 Expect other states to follow suit because corporations love a legal loophole.
Ohio’s Supreme Court just sent a clear message. If you’re a massive corporation, don’t worry about consequences. Sell all the opioids you want, collect your billions, and if the lawsuits start rolling in, just remind everyone that Ohio courts have your back.
But don’t worry. If your small town still needs money for addiction recovery programs, the state will offer some great thoughts and prayers./
Small Business, Big Impact, Support Local & Fight MS!
Meet Payton Vicknair Designs, a small-but-mighty design studio run by a local artist who’s turning passion into purpose. Every hand-drawn design, every custom logo, every piece of merch? Created with care by a woman who’s been fighting Multiple Sclerosis since the age of 20.
🦋 Why the Monarch? Because just like the butterfly, people with MS keep pushing forward, strong, resilient, and unstoppable.
💥 This March, 50% of all sales go to the National MS Society. That means every purchase isn’t just supporting a small business, it’s fueling research, resources, and hope for those battling MS.
🖌️ Looking for one-of-a-kind designs? Whether you need a fresh logo, custom merch, or a unique piece of art, you’ll get something no AI or corporate factory could ever replicate—because real creativity can’t be mass-produced.
💡 Let’s bring back the small business era! Support local, celebrate creativity, and grab something truly unique while making a difference.
Check out the shop and get something special, because design should have heart, and business should have purpose.
Trivia Answer:
C) 12 Halle Berry, Clark Gable, Paul Newman, Shirley Jones, Dean Jagger, George Chakiris, Allison Janney, Ted Turner, Steven Spielberg, Art Carney, Cliff Robertson, and Dorothy Malone
Big things coming from Us and Mikeys this month!!!
