His Excellency Momodou Lamin Bah, Ambassador of The Gambia to the United States, met with hundreds of Gambian diaspora community in Washington State at Shoreline City Hall Saturday evening in a community town hall organized in partnership with the Northwest Seattle Gambian Association.
The four-hour event featured welcoming remarks from local leaders and a wide-ranging dialogue on diaspora engagement, cultural preservation, education opportunities, and consular services.
The Northwest Seattle Gambian Association’s President, Sona Sankareh, opened the gathering by expressing gratitude for the ambassador’s visit and noting that the organization works to unite Gambians across Washington state, and that the visit of Embassy officials is an opportunity to engage in dialogue with Gambians in Washington.
Shoreline Mayor Chris Roberts reaffirmed the city’s commitment to its diverse residents. “Shoreline is a very welcoming community; it’s part of our values,” Roberts said. “We are here to serve our communities and want you to feel comfortable so we can serve you better.”
State Senator Jesse Solomon from Shoreline highlighted the size and contributions of Shoreline’s Gambian population while pushing back against the current national political climate. “These are very strange and uncomfortable times in our country – a time of rejecting people – but this is not the value of Shoreline,” he told the crowd. “We are a nation of immigrants, and I want to assure you that you are all welcome here.”
Ambassador Bah praised the long-standing US–Gambia relationship that began with diplomatic ties in August 1965. “America has done so much for Gambians,” he said, pointing to generations of Gambian students who studied in the US, many of whom later contributed to both nations.
He urged the diaspora to remain law-abiding citizens and positive representatives of Gambia, while stressing the importance of passing culture and religious tolerance to the next generation – values he described as central to Gambian society.
Bah also revealed that Shoreline Community College is becoming an essential educational gateway for Gambian immigrants pursuing university degrees and called on local officials to expand educational and resource opportunities for the community.
Embassy First Secretary Saikou Ceesay announced the creation of a new Diaspora Directorate at Gambia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and encouraged attendees to register on its online portal so the government can better tap diaspora skills and expertise. He noted that the current administration has given unprecedented recognition to the diaspora’s role in national development, particularly in health and skills-transfer initiatives.
Consular and immigration attaché at the Gambian Embassy in Washington, DC, Ousman Lowe detailed services available to Gambians in North and South America, including emergency travel documents, visas, document authentication, and consular ID cards.
During an extended question-and-answer session between the community and visiting Embassy officials, concerns about immigrants and changes to the immigration process were raised, along with difficulties Gambians face in renewing their national and travel documents, and data on the number of Gambians living in the United States.
In response, Ambassador Bah acknowledged the lack of precise data on Gambians living in the United States and urged every community member to register with the embassy to help build an accurate picture of the diaspora.
The event closed with community members expressing appreciation for direct access to their ambassador and local elected officials, many of whom described the gathering as a powerful affirmation of belonging during a challenging national moment.
As a token of appreciation, the Northwest Seattle Gambian Association awards a Certificate of Appreciation to the Ambassador and embassy staff for their service to the Gambian people and for visiting Seattle to engage with the Diaspora community.
