Somalis in Minnesota

Somalis as Minnesotans: Small Somalia

the Somalis    63 uncertainty are many, but chief among them is that Somalis have long been suspicious of census takers, for in the past clans understood that power lay in numbers, and none would claim to be from a smaller group. In the United States, Somalis may be hesitant to enumerate who and how many are living at a particular address, fearing landlords may use the information against them. Second, during Siad Barre’s repressive regime, a smaller population meant fewer resources would be allocated to that group. Today in the United States, no organization or entity is collecting data about this community. But the state of Minnesota is in good company: both Canada and the United Kingdom are in the same guessing boat. Canada estimates its Somali population to be between 35,000 and 200,000, and the United Kingdom offers estimates of between 44,000 and 250,000. The census of 2000 placed the number of Somalis in Minnesota at 11,164, but the community believes that number was impossibly low. Figures of 50, 60, 70, and even 80,000 have been tossed around. The latest derivative data from the 2010 census analysis estimated that about 36,000 Somalis live in Minnesota, but the community places that figure at 70,000. As the community continues to grow and as census categories are refined, firmer numbers will be at hand. Regardless of the inscrutable figures, however,­ Somalis in Minnesota are a visible minority whose members are thriving in business, are politically aware, and are patiently pursuing progress.63 Somalis as Minnesotans: Small Somalia “Immigrants are fairly mobile and move about freely, eventually settling where they have family, friends and/or a job.” Judy Stuthman, Chair, Immigration Study Committee of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota 64    people of minnesota Though the Minnesota Department of Human Services has zero entries for Somalis in Minnesota in 1992, the State­ Demographic Center states, “6 Somalis immigrated.” A League of Women Voters study reports that there were two families, and sources for this book asserted that in the first half of the same year there might have been eighteen or fewer Somalis in Minneapolis, mostly self-supporting students . The following year, 1993, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, which keeps immigrant entry data, shows direct arrivals of 121 out of 2,753 nationwide. The figuredippedin1994to73 ,risingtojustbelow600in1996,and thennearlytriplingby1999.Suddenly,accordingtothe2000 census, the number of Somalis in Minnesota was 11,164, a count that may in fact have been dismally low. The Somali community put the count at about 70,000, with an overwhelming majority residing in Minneapolis. But ­ Somalis also have increasingly been moving on to other areas, such as Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Plymouth,Richfield,andSt. Paul. Outsideof themetroarea, Somalis are still in Marshall as well as in Owatonna, Pelican Rapids, Rochester, St. Cloud, St. Peter, and Willmar. And of course, though the community has been growing in size and number, some members have been leaving Minnesota for other areas of the nation and world. Still, Minnesota, particularly Minneapolis, feels like a small ­ Somalia at times.64 From interviews and the available scholarly work, it is evi­ dent that the largest number of Somali immigrants to Table 2 Year Number of Somali Refugees 1991 0 1992 0 1993 121 1994 73 1995 281 1996 538 1997 230 1998 287 1999 1,452 2000 1,964 2001 1,320 Source: Minnesota Department of Human Services the Somalis    65 Minnesota came as a secondary wave. Once the first trickle arrived and people found jobs, the war spread like a wild­ fire. ­So­malisinitiallycametoMin­nesotabecauseofemploymentopportunitiesinpositionsthatdidnotrequireparticu lar skills and language fluency. But Somalis stayed because they found Minnesota’s hospitality to be durable, similar to their own martisoor. Resettlement assistance from social service agencies made them feel welcome. Minnesota further offers a strong set of economic assistance benefits that help refugees begin their new lives. And Somalis have established their own Minnesota identity, which is now an attraction in itself, also creating their own social service agencies to offer basic but essential assistance.65 People who survived refugee camps—now taxi drivers, hotel maids, janitors, teachers, business owners—see their children graduating from colleges, navigating the system like other Americans, and speaking English with an American accent, and they are proud of them. They came, they seized, and they settled. Somalis came to Minnesota when the war about the vibrant...