Somalis in Minnesota

Martisoor

the Somalis    39 been through a spiritual journey. I call all my friends, relatives , and family alike. As a matter of fact, I connect with people in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia as well, just to say ‘hi.’ It is a time of boundless cheer and bundle of joy because it is simply an Eid. The different kind of food, the conversation , the festive mood all around, and the get-together are all part of the celebration.”38 Martisoor Somalis are reaping the products of the civil rights movement , its seeds sown even before Somalia came into existence . Progressive figures such as Hubert Humphrey, who as vice president was the first high-ranking American official to visit Somalia, in January 1968; Walter Mondale;­ Eugene McCarthy; and Paul Wellstone, who in the 1990s kept that legacy alive by placing immigration issues on his political agenda, made it possible for the largest number of African refugees—Somalis—to be part of the Minnesota blend of today. Minnesotans’ warm spirit and caring courtesy, known as “Minnesota nice,” is acknowledged and appreciated by many Somalis. Mohamoud Ahmed Mohamed, employed at a grocery halal market in Minneapolis , stated, “I feel I am quite at home here. People are warm, friendly, broad-minded, and tolerant—should I go on? And, better yet, employment opportunities are much better here than anywhere else that I am aware of.”39 Others lend support to this notion with their own experience . Hassan Ali Mohamed, who holds a master’s degree in dental hygiene and now lives in Fridley with his family, said that his relocation to Minnesota was “deliberately calculated ,” for he had begun researching which state would offer him the best possible opportunity for raising a family, expanding his education, and finding a job that would pay the bills. Mohamed said, 40    people of minnesota I came to Phoenix, Arizona, in May of 1992, found a good job, registered for classes at a community college, and wanted to get established there. But the hot weather was unbearable, so I moved to Seattle, Washington. In Seattle, I thought to make it there I should rather be armed with an advanced degree. Both transportation and jobs were tough for people like me, an immigrant. Again I moved, this time to Kansas City, Missouri, and worked two janitorial jobs for $4.75 and $5.30 an hour each. I could not continue with that kind of financial strain . . . and could not see a way out for an immigrant like me either . . . For that reason, my move here was deliberately calculated. I looked into several better livability state indexes and concluded that Minnesota was at the top. The main reason for the relocation was for jobs. You could get the same job I had there here but with better wages . . . Now I am in much better shape than minimum wage, I tell you.40 Abdicadir Abucar Ga’al, who lives in Willmar with his family, stressed that Minnesotans went above and beyond the call of duty to see that Somalis were not the targets of misplaced anger during the time he calls the worst days to be a Muslim, as well as a Somali, in the United States: the days and months after September 11, 2001. Listen, the people of Minnesota have not been given their due credit by the Somali community. I will never forget, right after September 11, living in Marshall, Minnesota, how the police would go out of their way to stop us in the middle of the street, asking whether anyone had bothered us. They repeatedly said to us, “Please let us know if you encounter any inappropriate comments or the Somalis    41 mistreatment in any way or shape.” I have to tell you . . . hearing that from a police[man] in Middle America made me believe in the people of this state . . . All I am asking of myself and my family is how can I contribute to that kind of common­humanity and inclusive attitude?41 Southeast Asians who resettled in Minnesota in the 1970s, mostly Vietnamese but also Cambodians, Laotians, AbdicadirAbucar Ga’al’s family. Left to right: Weheliye Ga’al, Ewni Ga’al, Fowsiya Ga’al, AbdullahiAwale, Indhadeq Ga’al, Marryan Ga’al, and Lul Ga’al. 42    people of minnesota Thai, and Hmong—communities that share not only the hardship of war but other social similarities with­ Somalis—had put up ladders that helped...