Omar Bah

Omar Bah grew up in a small village in The Gambia, where he was one of the few children to attain a high school education.[1] At the age of 21, while the country was under the control of dictator Yahya Jammeh, Bah sought to become a human rights lawyer to fight political corruption and injustice. However, he could only complete two years of the necessary law program in The Gambia, as students had to travel abroad in order to attain the full degree.[1] Instead of pursuing his legal studies abroad, Bah “decided to combine the legal skills he had acquired with his passion to help the community, and became a journalist” in 2000, specializing in court reporting and seeking to strengthen the freedom of the press.[1]

In May 2006, Freedom Newspaper’s website and emails were hacked by the government and Bah’s identity was exposed, which led to The Gambia Police Force declaring a national manhunt to find him, as they circulated his name and photograph in the media.[3] On May 29, 2006, at the age of 26, Bah undertook the dangerous journey to escape the country, first passing through Senegal with the help of human rights activists from the Media Foundation for West Africa to arrive at a refugee camp in Ghana, where he was accepted to be resettled in the United States.[1] After spending a year at the refugee camp, Bah arrived in Rhode Island on May 24, 2007 and began his journey to resettlement with the help of the Dorcas International Institute (formerly the International Institute of Rhode Island), the largest immigration service in the state.[4] He began working as an escrow representative at Rhode Island Housing and taking evening classes at The University of Rhode Island’s Providence Feinstein Campus. Bah’s wife, Teddi Jallow, joined him in the U.S. in 2009.[5]

Despite the challenges of navigating his new life in the United States, Bah found it easier than most refugees because he could already speak, read, and write English as a result of his former career as a journalist. He began volunteering at various organizations to help newly arrived refugees. After a few years, he worked with several refugee community leaders to establish the Center for Refugee Advocacy and Support, which brought to light the cultural nuances and social determinants of health affecting refugees in Rhode Island. The Center partnered with various health and educational institutions to promote integration, cultural bridge-building, research, and social services for refugees.

In 2017, Bah was able to return to The Gambia after a decade-long exile. His trip was an effort to reconnect with his home country and bring a sense of closure to his life in exile.

Bah spoke out against Donald Trump's muslim ban in 2018.[11] In an opinion piece published in The Providence Journal, he wrote, “As this administration rejoices about this ruling, let us remind them of the millions of people suffering across the globe, who ask for only one thing — to be helped to survive, to eat and drink, to live in safety. Let us remind them that such policy is not a true representation of the American spirit of utmost goodness. Let us remind them that our voices will be strong and unwavering.”[11]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Bah focused his and the RDC’s efforts on assisting refugees with food security, financial assistance, and public outreach. The pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities and placed the refugee community at the highest risk of exposure. In response to such struggles, Bah and the RDC continued offering online English classes; made hundreds of calls each week to help clients access health and employment resources; delivered over $100,000 worth of food, supplies, and cash assistance to refugee families; kept the community informed about social distancing, vaccination, unemployment benefits, and more.[12] Over the course of 2020, the Refugee Dream Center saw a rise in clientele, totaling over 2,000 refugees and immigrants, compared to 300 in the previous year.[8]

In August 2021, Bah launched a private limited company called Attuned and Inclined LLC to offer trainings and interventions on trauma-informed care, cultural attunement, diversity, organizational development, leadership, youth mentoring, and mental health. Bah also established his focus on survivor leadership through two new initiatives: the Global Survivor Leadership Institute and the Dr. Omar Bah Foundation. The former will host an annual global conference and fellowship that amplify the voices of trauma survivors. The latter will offer direct services and interventions on leadership, human rights, health care, education, and basic needs for communities around the world.

Bah received a national diploma in law from The Gambia Technical Training Institute in 2001. He earned a certificate in journalism at The Gambia Media Training Center in 2004. In 2010, Bah earned a bachelor's degree in communication studies with a minor in political science from The University of Rhode Island and a certificate in community economic development from Roger Williams University.[18] He received a master's in public administration from Roger Williams University in 2014 and a master’s degree in counseling psychology in global mental health from William James College in 2016. Bah also completed trauma treatment certification from Harvard Medical School through the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma in 2013, after which he started practicing trauma-based therapy.[6][19] He attained a doctoral degree in organizational leadership and psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology from William James College in 2020.

Starting from 2017, Bah began to conduct research with a focus in survivor leadership. He interviewed a group of trauma survivors to formulate a set of four distinct qualities that characterize a survivor leader: voice, post-traumatic growth, service to humanity, and education. As part of the faculty for Harvard Medical School’s Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recovery Certificate Program in April 2021, Bah presented his research study on trauma survivor leadership featured in the Harvard Medical School news article, “Global Impacts Trauma, health equity, human rights focus of HMS certificate course.” Bah analyzed 46 participants’ “physiological response to thinking about and narrating trauma, resilience, belonging, and experiencing a sense of well-being in life.” In examining the factors that may explain the resilience of trauma survivors, Bah found that “community leaders who have suffered trauma have stronger resilience, greater well-being, and healthy physiological responses when discussing their trauma.”[20]

• 2011 Healthy Housing Advocacy Award, Rhode Island Department of Health
• 2015 ‘Rhode Islander of the Year’ Award, Rhode Island Monthly Magazine
• 2016 John F. Kiffney Public Service Award, Providence Newspaper Guild
• 2017 Fellow, Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities, Rhode Island College
• 2017 Red Bandana Award, Red Bandana Fund
• 2018 Refugee Congress Honor as the Delegate from Rhode Island and Founding Member of the Refugee Congress Advisory Board, UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)
• 2018 Fellow, Vermont Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND), Association of University Centers on Disabilities
• 2019 Community Service Award, Oasis International
• 2019-2022 Fellow, Culture of Health Leaders, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• 2021 Young Alumni Achievement Award, Roger Williams University

• Bah, Omar (2014). Africa’s Hell on Earth: The Ordeal of an African Journalist. Tate Publishing & Enterprises. ISBN 978-1629022789.

• Bah for Congress
• Refugee Dream Center profile
• Official congressional campaign website
• Interview with Omar Bah on thepublicsradio.org
• Omar Bah on Twitter