KNOXVILLE, Tenn — Bridge Refugee Services says Knoxville has one of the largest Sudanese populations in the country. As more people move to East Tennessee from countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Ethiopia, the African population in the region is growing.
Many of those newcomers now work at the University of Tennessee Medical Center within its nutrition and food services department. The team serves about 50,000 patient meals each month. A few years ago, staff members say the department had three African team members. Now, it employs more than 30.
As the African population has grown, employees and leaders said those workers are making an impact by sharing their language and culture with their teams. In recent months, the hospital started offering English language classes each Wednesday during the workday…