Articles by SA STAFF

Minneapolis saw a rise in caucus turn out on April 5, 2017. Thousands turned out to exercise their civic responsibility and the Somali community did not disappoint. Precinct caucuses saw an increase in the number of Somali Americans showing up to support their candidates early in voting process. Even in precincts that did not have a Somali candidate, residents showed their support and engaged their local leaders Precinct caucuses are meetings organized by the state’s political parties to start the process of selecting candidates for the election that will be held later in November. Residents and candidates discuss policy positions and vote in a straw poll. Caucus turn out is also an indicator of which candidates will do well in the real elections and who the party will endorse.   In Minneapolis, all 13 city council seats are up for grabs. The mayoral race will also be held in November with multiple candidates and the current mayor running for reelection.  It should be an eventful election year and everyone should come out and exercise their civic responsibility. In comparison, Somalia did not have a functioning government for over two decades after ousting a brutal dictator who held on to power…

An effort to turn an old 94 exit ramp into a pedestrian friendly crossing has been postponed amid concerns from surrounding businesses and residents alike. The crossing will be called “Samatar Crossing”, named after the late Hussein Samatar, the former Hennepin county school board member who passed away unexpectedly in 2014 at the age of 45. It was championed by former city Mayor R.T. Rybak who started working on it before he left office in 2014. Rybak said, “the original idea was to have a pedestrian-only area so residents of the West Bank could feel more a part of downtown, I know there were some adjacent property owners who wanted car traffic but I never thought that was as important as having a rare oasis in a car-dominated city where people wouldn’t have to watch out for cars.” The plan was to create a pedestrian bridge that connects Cedar Riverside to downtown Minneapolis. Soon after, a hybrid design that includes both cars and pedestrians was presented to the city council which infuriated a lot of residents who already think the neighborhood has too many cars. In a city council meeting earlier this year, the west bank community coalition demanded the…

Hassan, a Somali American Olympian from Minnesota, recently made news after commenting on president Trump’s immigration ban. The executive order banned entry into the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries that includes Somalia, for 90 days and suspended the U.S. Refugee Program for 120 days. It also indefinitely suspended refugee intake from Syria. The Trump Administration has said the restrictions are a necessary measure to keep America safe. In a recent interview with Sport Illustrated, Mead said, “Even if I may not be denied right now, it starts to stress you out,” Mead says. “Airports are already a tension-filled environment with random selection because of your demographic and beliefs. Now there’s this order from someone with a lot of power, and I’m still trying to take it in as its happening.” Hassan Mead, 26, is a South Minneapolis high graduate, a gopher and a 2016 Olympian. Even though he is not a household name in Minnesota, he should definitely be more celebrated among the Somali American community in Minnesota. Hassan is a long distance runner that went to University of Minnesota and ran for team USA in the Rio Olympics 2016 after failing to qualify for the 2008 Olympics. He…

A program dedicated to help Somali youth participate in Science and technology education is getting an extension. Kajoog, a Somali nonprofit alongside University of Minnesota are giving kids from Cedar Riverside neighborhood an introduction into the STEM field. STEM is a curriculum based on Science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In today’s very competitive job market, STEM majors are becoming more desirable by innovation driven companies but less desirable by the general population. That is why the unemployment rate among graduates with STEM degree is below 2%. The demand is significantly lower than the supply, hence the reason for the low unemployment rate. The 4-H STEM program was started in March of 2016 by Kajoog, a nonprofit who secured a $50,000 grant through the Minneapolis city council.  The program has been so successful that it has opened locations in Saint Paul and Eden Prairie as well. Over 50 kids are registered for the year 2017 and has a growing waitlist. Farah, executive director of Kajoog said, “every parent wants their kid to be the next engineer and the next doctor, We’re able to expose these potential careers to these kids by them being involved in the 4-H world.” 4 H is…