Community

Halima Aden – Fashion model Halima first made history last November when she competed in a Miss Minnesota contest wearing a hijab and topped it off by sporting a Burkini (Islamic compliant swimwear) at the swimsuit section of the competition. Since then, Halima has been riding high. She signed with IMG Modeling, one of the best modeling agencies in the world. Halima did not stop there, she walked the runway for Kanye West’s season 5 Weezy line wearing her hijab again. Halima’s just landed her first magazine cover and it seems like the future is very bright for this young lady. Somalia Has a New President, Who Happens to be Liked by Everyone, Is That Even Possible? Somalia has not had a functioning central government since 1990. On Wednesday, February 8th, the Somali Parliament elected former prime minister, dual US citizen, Mohamed Abdulahi Farmaajo. Farmaajo is not the first Somali president to be elected by parliament but he might as well be the first celebrated president by the people in recent history. He seems to have united the Somalis in the country as well as the ones living around the world. Farmaajo’s popularity can be traced back to when he…

Minneapolis is home to hundreds of non-profit organizations that provide services tailored to the Somali community. Few months ago, the most influential Somali nonprofits joined forces to create a lobbying voice in the MN state legislature. This coalition of Somali non profits are hoping to overcome the obstacles that face the Somali-American community in Minnesota. The coalition currently consists of 8 organizations and it’s unclear if they will be expanding. The current members are African Immigrants Community Services; the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota; Isuroon; Ka Joog; New American Academy; Shanta Link; Somali Action Alliance; and Somali American Parent Association. The Somali community in Minnesota has faced recent scrutiny over the recruitment of young Somalis by international terrorist organization.. The Somali community faces countless challenges that include but are not limited to high unemployment rates, weak family structures, lack of education and the slow integration into their new communities. These challenges can only be overcome by community programs tailored to the under priveledged community. In April 2015, a study released by University of Southern California, funded by the Homeland security department found that most Somali nonprofits in Minnesota who secured government grants have not been effective. It is important…

Aziz Osman of Colombia heights has been quietly painting gorgeous drawings of Somalia before the war. His work is displayed in public and private spaces across the twin cities. Vibrant paintings by Aziz can be found in Hennepin county Medical Center in Minneapolis, Thrivent financial services building and The African development center in Cedar riverside just to name a few. Aziz migrated to Minnesota in 1991 escaping a war torn Somalia to find a better life for him and his family. As an Italian educated painter, after arriving in Minnesota, Aziz had the urge to paint but did not have the money to buy supplies. So he improvised, Aziz used anything from Cereal Boxes, to shipping containers to create art he could sell. As a parking attendant during the day, Aziz found a small market for his very low budget paintings. “I want to remind these kids where they come from, to tell them: You have a lot of treasure,” said the soft spoken artist. Aziz paints murals and oil canvasses of scenes from back when Somali was peaceful. One of his main motivations is to keep the Somali American youth informed on how Somalia used to be and what…