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The “Star of Unity” concert, organized by the Somali Museum of Minnesota, celebrates music and dance across generations and across Somali regions. by Amina Isir Musa   As Minnesota’s Somali community celebrates Independence Week this year, a musical and dance showcase will bring a cross-generational group of artists together at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts. Headlined by international recording artist Suldaan Seeraar, “Star of Unity: A Night of Somali Dance and Live Music” will also feature Abdiwahab Cantar Naji, a popular singer and musician from the 1980s, and the Somali Museum Dance Troupe. Co-host Khalid Dahir, known as “Khale Male,” will bring his blend of Somali contemporary music, along with traditional music and dance to the show. The concert’s name comes from the white star on the Somali flag, whose five points represent the five colonial territories Somalis lived under: Italian Somaliland, French Somaliland, British Somaliland, Eastern Ethiopia and the Northern Frontier District in Kenya. It represents an ambitious step up in programming for the Somali Museum of Minnesota and the museum’s dance troupe, according to Artistic Director Mohamoud Osman Mohamed. “The theme this year is unity — unity of Somalis across all regions and ages. There’s a disconnect between the Somali diaspora youth…

The ban, which affects 12 countries primarily in Africa and the Middle East, will block refugees from some of the world’s worst war zones and further delay families from reuniting with loved ones.   BY:  Katelyn Vue and Mohamed Ibrahim   Habon Abdulle had an immediate reaction the day President Donald Trump announced his second travel ban — one that once again targets many Muslim-majority countries. The head of Minneapolis nonprofit Ayada Leads started making calls. “The previous travel bans left behind heartbreak — weddings missed, funerals unattended, futures put on hold,” she said. “These are not political abstractions. These are human stories, interrupted.” The travel ban, which went into effect on Monday, June 9, bans citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan, Afghanistan and Myanmar from entering the U.S. It also restricts entry to citizens of seven other nations, including Laos and Venezuela. The travel ban disproportionately affects Minnesota, which has historically welcomed refugees and is home to large Somali, Sudanese and Karen communities, among other groups. The Karen are an ethnic group from Myanmar. “I was shocked,” said Mesfun Abreham of his first reaction after hearing that his home country Eritrea is one of the countries newly added to the travel…

Twin Cities nonprofit Isuroon has added a domestic violence hotline and is hoping to open an 87-unit family shelter in the next two years. by Atra Mohamed   A Twin Cities nonprofit serving Somali and Afghan women is expanding its services for victims of domestic and sexual abuse. Isuroon launched a hotline for victims last summer and is developing plans for a $30 million, 87-unit family shelter it hopes to open in the next two years. The nonprofit has served hundreds of domestic violence victims since it was founded 15 years ago, said founder and CEO Fartun Weli. But she said calls have escalated in the last four years — in part because women are more willing to speak out. “In the Somali community, we are facing a cultural shift,” she said. In the past, divorce and separation were rare. Women stayed in their marriages because they had no outside source of income and because divorced women were shamed. “Domestic abuse has always existed in our community, but the driving force in recent years is that more and more young women are speaking up,” Fartun said. She said the pandemic also highlighted family issues with more people trapped at home. Isuroon is not…

Minnesota rideshare drivers, who are classified as independent contractors, are seeking a path to unionize after a law passed last year did not deliver the pay gains they expected.   BY: Alfonzo Galvan   Less than a year after Minnesota legislators passed a law setting a statewide pay floor for rideshare drivers, a group of drivers is back at the Capitol seeking a path to unionizing. Drivers at a Tuesday news conference said the expected pay gains did not materialize, and they’re hoping a new bill will give them the leverage to negotiate directly with rideshare companies and offer more transparency over benefits. Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, DFL-Minneapolis, and Rep. Samakab Hussein, DFL-St. Paul, are drafting the bill with support from Service Employees International Union Local 26. “Drivers are already putting in the work every day, and it is time that they have a voice and power in the industry they sustain,” Zaynab said at Tuesday’s news conference “The drivers feel like they’re being fooled, and this is why we’re being very careful about any other legislation that comes forward,” said Farhan Badel, a rideshare driver who’s been advocating for policy change for the last two years. Key players behind last year’s…

  Officials with the foundation say the report is based on 16 years of research and highlights how immigrants fill essential roles in key industries like agriculture, health care and manufacturing. by Nina Moini, Ellie Roth and Sarah Thamer   A new report released by the Minnesota Chamber Foundation highlights the contributions of immigrants to the state’s economy. According to the report, nearly 60 percent of the state’s total labor force and employment growth came from foreign-born workers from 2019 to 2023. Officials with the foundation say the report is based on 16 years of research and highlights how immigrants fill essential roles in key industries like agriculture, health care and manufacturing. “Minnesota’s economy and workforce depend on a strong pipeline of talent, and immigration has become the leading driver of our state’s population growth,” said Sean O’Neil, director of economic development and research at the Minnesota Chamber Foundation. “With foreign-born workers accounting for the majority of recent employment gains, it’s clear that New Americans are playing a crucial role in filling workforce gaps and keeping our economy competitive.” Authors of the report found that smaller counties in greater Minnesota may disproportionately benefit from the added population base that immigration provides. According to the findings, 51…

Ayub HajiOmar is one of two local artists chosen to incorporate art into the Discovery Walk in downtown Rochester. It’s the latest commission for the self-supporting artist.   by Atra Mohamed   In a world that is often intolerant of Islam, Ayub HajiOmar tries to build bridges. The Rochester resident describes himself as an “Islamic contemporary fine artist.” And he makes the Qu’ran a living document, incorporating scripture into paintings with detailed brushwork that captures the spirit of each verse. Ayub, 27, recently took on one of his largest commissions: choosing poems in English, Arabic and Somali to decorate giant benches on a four-block Discovery Walk in downtown Rochester near the Mayo Clinic. He worked with Rochester artist Sophia Chai to make 2nd Avenue S.W. an inviting space for pedestrians as part of the Destination Medical Center (DMC) initiative. Chai created the lighting and Ayub chose the poetry for the walk. The public commission was another stepping stone for Ayub, who received an emerging artist grant in 2019 and held an exhibition show at the Rochester Art Center the following year. The DMC has a process in place that engages the community in co-designing efforts, where community members, artists, and architectural designers are invited to …

Measles outbreak affects at least 30 in Minnesota, closes Somali religious school   The highly contagious virus has been spreading in child care centers, other gathering places, health officials said. They urged families to seek out vaccines ahead of the new school year.   by Sheila Mulrooney Eldred   A measles outbreak that began in May in Minnesota has spread to 30 people, primarily infecting children in the Somali community. One dugsi, or Islamic religious school, has voluntarily closed in order to curtail the spread, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. About a third of the patients have required hospitalization, a state spokesperson said. All but one were unvaccinated. The outbreak brings the state to measles 36 cases this year. Measles is endemic in many countries, including African countries that Minnesota’s Somali families visit in the summer months. Seven people contracted the respiratory virus from travel, state health officials said. “So when people who didn’t vaccinate and then travel outside of the country where measles is still existing, they contract it and then it spreads here because we have a close-knit community with big families,” said Sheikh Yusuf Abdulle, executive director of Islamic Association of North America. He has requested that…

Minnesota’s largest Muslim cemetery breaks ground near Farmington after 10-year saga   Organizers faced multiple hurdles, from a reluctant township board to vandalism, in their quest to develop a new cemetery for the region’s Muslims.   by Katelyn Vue   In Arabic, “al maghfirah” means forgiveness. Forgiveness — and hope — were on display Tuesday as two dozen people gathered in a desiccated field south of Farmington to break ground on Al Maghfirah Cemetery after a decade of delays and legal challenges. The 72-acre parcel in Castle Rock township will be the largest Muslim cemetery in Minnesota, once it is developed. “It has been a long and challenging journey. Ten years of a struggle. Litigation. Vandalism. And countless obstacles,” said Mohamad Osman, director of the Muslim cemetery project. “But through our collective resolve, we have finally overcome.” The cemetery will offer nearly 50,000 burial plots and will serve Muslims from the Twin Cities metro area. It is expected to open in May 2025. The cemetery association spent $900,000 on the land. It will cost another $1.5 million for the development stage, according to Osman. The two existing buildings on the land will be converted for funerary purposes, and will include gathering areas…

Overcoming barriers to entry: Microgrants help Somali Sambusa maker, other food startups scale up The Market Entry Fund helps entrepreneurs get a leg up in the packaged food industry. This year’s grant recipients included a Taiwanese sausage maker and a cookie maker. by Alfonzo Galvan “Hoyo” is the Somali word for mother. When sisters Mariam, Halima and Asha Mohamed launched Hoyo in 2015, their goal was to employ Somali women making a much-loved Somali snack: the deep-fried, beef-filled pastries known as sambusas. Since that time, Hoyo has grown into a local food success story, serving 200,000 sambusas a year at schools across Minnesota. Hoyo sambusas are also sold in co-ops and supermarkets. The business is one of 12 local food producers that recently received microgrants from The Market Entry Fund (TMEF), a St. Paul nonprofit that works with food and beverage producers from underrepresented communities. TMEF’s Micro-Grants Program provides $5,000 to $20,000 grants to food startups. The goal is to help small businesses overcome barriers in the packaged food industry. This year’s recipients included a range of food producers, including Taiwanese sausage maker Linko Food and Junita’s Jar, which sells cookies at Target. “The only reason that we are still here and survived is really the support…