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The People of Minnesota
Somalis in Minnesota
The story of "Somalis in Minnesota" begins with three sahan, war, and martisoor. Driven from their homeland by civil war and famine, one group of Somali sahan, pioneers, discovered well-paying jobs in the city of Marshall, Minnesota. Soon the war, news, traveled that not only was employment available but the people in this northern state, so different in climate from their A frican homeland, were generous in martisoor, hospitality, just like the Somali people themselves.
The diaspora began in 1992, and today more than fifty thousand Somalis live in Minnesota, the most of any state. Many have made their lives in small towns and rural areas, and many more have settled in Minneapolis, earning this city the nickname "Little Somalia" or "Little Mogadishu." Amiable guide Ahmed Yusuf introduces readers to these varied communities, exploring economic and political life, religious and cultural practices, and successes in education and health care. He also tackles the controversial topics that command newspaper alleged links to terrorist organizations and the recruitment of young Somali men to fight in the civil war back home. This newest addition to the "People of Minnesota" series captures the story of the state's most recent immigrant group at a pivotal time in its history.
Ahmed Ismail Yusuf is a writer and an independent translator. A s a case manager, he works at Community University Health Care Center (CUHCC), a clinic affiliated with the University of Minnesota that serves economically disadvantaged populations.
The diaspora began in 1992, and today more than fifty thousand Somalis live in Minnesota, the most of any state. Many have made their lives in small towns and rural areas, and many more have settled in Minneapolis, earning this city the nickname "Little Somalia" or "Little Mogadishu." Amiable guide Ahmed Yusuf introduces readers to these varied communities, exploring economic and political life, religious and cultural practices, and successes in education and health care. He also tackles the controversial topics that command newspaper alleged links to terrorist organizations and the recruitment of young Somali men to fight in the civil war back home. This newest addition to the "People of Minnesota" series captures the story of the state's most recent immigrant group at a pivotal time in its history.
Ahmed Ismail Yusuf is a writer and an independent translator. A s a case manager, he works at Community University Health Care Center (CUHCC), a clinic affiliated with the University of Minnesota that serves economically disadvantaged populations.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2012
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July 2, 2020Before reading this book I didn’t know much about the history of Somalia and the intensity of their struggles to become a Republic. I had no idea about the wars that were fought between Somalia and Ethiopia, and I had no idea about the civil war that broke out in 1991. The People of Minnesota: Somalis provided great historical context. The book then introduced their cultures three words to trust in their language: Sahan, meaning Pioneer; War, meaning good news and Martisoor, meaning hospitality. This book mentioned the success of people who traveled here becoming Doctors, Lawyers, being involved in politics and running successful businesses which didn’t surprise me. I did find it interesting to know that the prime Minister of Somalia in the sixties, Abdirizak Haji Hussein, is now living in Minneapolis. The book briefly discussed the difficulties the communities faced, hate crimes, landlord abuse, and accusations of terrorism, terrible landlords and what surprised me was the author emphasized these issues as minimal. I wondered if this was because the author had to keep in mind the audience of this book. The audience wasn’t members of the Minnesota Somali community since they already knew many of these stories through sahan, war and martisoor, but the audience was outsiders, like myself, who speak primarily English who wanted to know more. However, I cannot assume what the intent of the author was, the author had every right to be more upset at the actions of white people in Minnesota, but emphasized the successes of the community which is impressive. I can say that after reading this I wanted white people to do better.
This book discussed how after September 11th there was some backlash at the community. The author discussed how police were helpful and had several accounts of people who were approached by cops telling them to not feel threatened by them and to call if people are being hateful towards them. But the book then discussed how they had money writing agencies called Hawalas that helped send money to residents families back home were going out of business, and having their ties cut with banks, because of investigations and people were unable to send money to their families. I was upset reading this because their families were starving out of these fears of terrorism that people of the Somali Community were not even tied to.
The book discussed all the investigations that were going on in the Cedar Riverside community of Minneapolis after a suicide bomber in Somalia, Shirwa Ahmed, who was born in Minnesota was recruited by Al-Shabaab, a jihadist youth group. It reminded me of when I read an article in the star tribune claiming that Cedar Riverside had the largest terrorist recruitment. In my experience I would be in that part of town often because my friend went to Augsburg, or because I would be doing an open mic in that area, the people who were Somalian of the cedar riverside community, who would always tip their servers well, offer to walk me to my car, come to my open mics. It broke my heart to hear they were being called terrorists. I think it is unfair to investigate an entire group on the poor actions of a few. People would say “if they aren’t apart of the terrorist group why aren’t they coming forth and admitting they aren’t. It’s because they’re too afraid to turn them in.” This is treated differently when white people are responsible for massive school shootings we don’t we label them as terrorists, we don’t investigate every white person in the school. There are Christians in the KKK and to say “if Christians aren’t a part of the KKK why aren’t they declaring they aren’t. It must be because they’re too afraid of what would happen to them if they turned them in,” it would sound ridiculous because most Christians have no idea who is involved with the bad actions of the KKK. So I think it is completely hypocritical to think that many people who are Somalian know anything about who is involved with Al-Shabaab. I think we can trust the 99.9% who are saying they want nothing to do with Al-Shabaab and that they have cut ties with the couple people from Cedar Riverside who were and now facing trials.
I also was ashamed of Minneapolis Landlords this book recalled several accounts of people who immigrated from Somalia as refugees, and abused. One account recalled their apartment being:
A dilapidated slum full of mice and cockroaches. It was not long before other relatives also arrived and soon there were five of us! We did so much scraping and cleaning. We succeeded in killing the cockroaches and some of the mice too, with whatever poison we could find. But the mice, died in all the wrong places, where we were not able to extract them. The bad smell would nauseate us for months and months. And even in that kind of an environment, the landlord was abusive and outright arraogant (44).
Another account recalled a landlord coming in and removing an attendant’s window in December and the residents being terrified that their children and them would freeze to death. However I was glad Project 504, a tenants advocate nonprofit created by a lawyer and social worker aimed to assist Somali Minnesotans against predatory landlords, came over to help the residents board up the windows. This organization continues to fight for the rights of Somali-Minnesotan tenants.
The most important aspect of this book was all the success over the past twenty years of the Somali-Minnesotans. When war (good news) went out about jobs in Marshall in Minnesota for a chicken packing company in 1992, Sahan (pioneers) drove from San Fransisco, and South Dakota out to apply, the owners told them to invite more friends to apply and that they could receive overtime, war travelled back to South Dakota and San Fransisco, more people came and were welcomed with Montisoor. When someone was unjustly fired at Marshall the Somali community dissented by quitting and striking for their rights. There has been the founding of Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota run by Saeed Fahia, a scientist with a masters in physics and doctorate in education, it offers advice on immigration. There has been a Gargar Clinic (Urgent Care) opened up specifically to cater to Somali Patients. Dr. Mohammed says:
what is so invaluable about Somali physician’s service to a Somali patient is that the essential doctor patient trust is not only the verbal communication but the cultural language, too. The core of the relationship is that of how a Somali speaks to his/her physician, that he/she tells his/her concern first. The Physician just listen until the patient exhausts his/her list. Somalis are not trained in the dimple direct answer/questions format. And a Somali physician knows that.” (33).
I think it was interesting when the book discussed how businesses were often family owned. And how partners create a company then branch off when it is successful. One of the successful businesses is Afro Deli in Cedar Riverside, they have great curry for a reasonable price. Recently they relocated due to disagreement with the people they were renting the space from. However, Abdirahman Issa Kahin, the owner says “My goal is to develop this business into a franchise that is in league with Chipotle and the Like. I will have fifty restaurants in ten years” (58). Over the past twenty years the Minneapolis Community has flourished with the arrival of the Somali Community.
Through my service in AmeriCorp I will ensure to help educate the community in digitital literacy. We have a heavy population of Somali students who are nice, work hard, are eager to learn, the possibility of where these students could go is endless. Students might work their way up through all the ESL levels and move on to open up their own medical clinics, law firms, become politicians, or even the next president. I feel it is my duty to inform peers who might have negative images about the somali-Minnesotan community. I also think it is very comforting knowing the first Somali-American Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, was elected this past November.
This book discussed how after September 11th there was some backlash at the community. The author discussed how police were helpful and had several accounts of people who were approached by cops telling them to not feel threatened by them and to call if people are being hateful towards them. But the book then discussed how they had money writing agencies called Hawalas that helped send money to residents families back home were going out of business, and having their ties cut with banks, because of investigations and people were unable to send money to their families. I was upset reading this because their families were starving out of these fears of terrorism that people of the Somali Community were not even tied to.
The book discussed all the investigations that were going on in the Cedar Riverside community of Minneapolis after a suicide bomber in Somalia, Shirwa Ahmed, who was born in Minnesota was recruited by Al-Shabaab, a jihadist youth group. It reminded me of when I read an article in the star tribune claiming that Cedar Riverside had the largest terrorist recruitment. In my experience I would be in that part of town often because my friend went to Augsburg, or because I would be doing an open mic in that area, the people who were Somalian of the cedar riverside community, who would always tip their servers well, offer to walk me to my car, come to my open mics. It broke my heart to hear they were being called terrorists. I think it is unfair to investigate an entire group on the poor actions of a few. People would say “if they aren’t apart of the terrorist group why aren’t they coming forth and admitting they aren’t. It’s because they’re too afraid to turn them in.” This is treated differently when white people are responsible for massive school shootings we don’t we label them as terrorists, we don’t investigate every white person in the school. There are Christians in the KKK and to say “if Christians aren’t a part of the KKK why aren’t they declaring they aren’t. It must be because they’re too afraid of what would happen to them if they turned them in,” it would sound ridiculous because most Christians have no idea who is involved with the bad actions of the KKK. So I think it is completely hypocritical to think that many people who are Somalian know anything about who is involved with Al-Shabaab. I think we can trust the 99.9% who are saying they want nothing to do with Al-Shabaab and that they have cut ties with the couple people from Cedar Riverside who were and now facing trials.
I also was ashamed of Minneapolis Landlords this book recalled several accounts of people who immigrated from Somalia as refugees, and abused. One account recalled their apartment being:
A dilapidated slum full of mice and cockroaches. It was not long before other relatives also arrived and soon there were five of us! We did so much scraping and cleaning. We succeeded in killing the cockroaches and some of the mice too, with whatever poison we could find. But the mice, died in all the wrong places, where we were not able to extract them. The bad smell would nauseate us for months and months. And even in that kind of an environment, the landlord was abusive and outright arraogant (44).
Another account recalled a landlord coming in and removing an attendant’s window in December and the residents being terrified that their children and them would freeze to death. However I was glad Project 504, a tenants advocate nonprofit created by a lawyer and social worker aimed to assist Somali Minnesotans against predatory landlords, came over to help the residents board up the windows. This organization continues to fight for the rights of Somali-Minnesotan tenants.
The most important aspect of this book was all the success over the past twenty years of the Somali-Minnesotans. When war (good news) went out about jobs in Marshall in Minnesota for a chicken packing company in 1992, Sahan (pioneers) drove from San Fransisco, and South Dakota out to apply, the owners told them to invite more friends to apply and that they could receive overtime, war travelled back to South Dakota and San Fransisco, more people came and were welcomed with Montisoor. When someone was unjustly fired at Marshall the Somali community dissented by quitting and striking for their rights. There has been the founding of Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota run by Saeed Fahia, a scientist with a masters in physics and doctorate in education, it offers advice on immigration. There has been a Gargar Clinic (Urgent Care) opened up specifically to cater to Somali Patients. Dr. Mohammed says:
what is so invaluable about Somali physician’s service to a Somali patient is that the essential doctor patient trust is not only the verbal communication but the cultural language, too. The core of the relationship is that of how a Somali speaks to his/her physician, that he/she tells his/her concern first. The Physician just listen until the patient exhausts his/her list. Somalis are not trained in the dimple direct answer/questions format. And a Somali physician knows that.” (33).
I think it was interesting when the book discussed how businesses were often family owned. And how partners create a company then branch off when it is successful. One of the successful businesses is Afro Deli in Cedar Riverside, they have great curry for a reasonable price. Recently they relocated due to disagreement with the people they were renting the space from. However, Abdirahman Issa Kahin, the owner says “My goal is to develop this business into a franchise that is in league with Chipotle and the Like. I will have fifty restaurants in ten years” (58). Over the past twenty years the Minneapolis Community has flourished with the arrival of the Somali Community.
Through my service in AmeriCorp I will ensure to help educate the community in digitital literacy. We have a heavy population of Somali students who are nice, work hard, are eager to learn, the possibility of where these students could go is endless. Students might work their way up through all the ESL levels and move on to open up their own medical clinics, law firms, become politicians, or even the next president. I feel it is my duty to inform peers who might have negative images about the somali-Minnesotan community. I also think it is very comforting knowing the first Somali-American Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, was elected this past November.
May 11, 2013
This book provided a basic background of how the Somalis ended up in Minnesota. However, I was hoping for more- deeper personal stories and a more in depth look at their culture. This short book read like a long Wikipedia article.
February 3, 2016
This starts with a brief history of Somalia and the factors that contributed to Minnesota becoming "Little Somalia." I found this book helpful in understanding the history of Somali refugees, their culture, and their resilience.
June 9, 2024
This is a very basic overview of the history of the Somali People in Minnesota. With only 68 pages before footnotes, including photographs and sidebar stories, there really isn't too much meat to this book. There were a few good sidebar stories and a decent overview of the civil war in Somalia, but it left a lot of stuff out. Highlights a lot of positives, doesn't really delve into the negatives too much. Very superficial.
July 28, 2017
The book itself is a great introduction into Somali history and what sparked the geopolitical nightmare that caused the Civil War and outpour of refugees. The footnotes are incredibly useful for further research on the topic of understanding Somalia at a deeper level.
February 20, 2023
I still have much to learn but this was a good step. The entrepreneurial spirit and networking skills are amazing. Mini- testimonials were helpful. It all started with a poultry plant in Marshall, MN!
July 6, 2019
Excellent brief summary on Somalis history and relocation to Minnesota.
January 14, 2026
This is a short and good start to learning about the Somalis in Minnesota. I want to learn more about them because of all the recent controversy; I do not want to express opinions out of ignorance.
May 3, 2013
A quick read at 69 pages before footnotes, Yusuf's book satisfied some of my basic curiosity about the Somali population, such as why many have chosen Minnesota as their home and what happened to make Somalia so unstable. However, even after taking a community ed Somali class and working with vibrant Somalis at a literacy center for years now, I still have so many questions and desire for deeper understanding. Maybe I'm waiting for a mosque cookbook or more personal essays. The book has good footnotes for further research.
June 20, 2013
Yusuf tells the story of how Somalis moved to Minnesota and offers a great introduction to Somali culture.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews