Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/ibrahim-hirsi/page/2/)
Nasibu Sareva gained inspiration and enduring leadership lessons as he watched his grandfather, Juma, care for about 20 people in a single household in Tanzania. “My grandad raised just about everybody,” Sareva said. “He raised his children, nieces, nephews and even grandchildren.”
Kellita Whisnant, owner and operator of Mama Ti’s African Kitchen in Brooklyn Park, has been calling her father in the Ebola-battered Liberia several times a week for the past two months — all to no avail.
Cheers and laughter filled Safari Restaurant and Event Center in Minneapolis Wednesday night as members of the Somali-American Police Association (SAPA) presented the organization’s mission and service to the community — with lots of jokes.
Khoua Vang carefully tiptoed Saturday in a vegetable-covered garden outside Hope Lutheran Church in St. Paul and went down on her knees to reap dozens of Japanese sweet potatoes.
Six Minnesotans will receive this year’s Virginia McKnight Binger Awards in Human Service and $10,000 each during a private luncheon at the McKnight Foundation headquarters in Minneapolis Wednesday.
Minneapolis’ love for cycling has in recent years drawn national attention — and those who closely watch biking activities across the country have proclaimed the city one of the best for biking in the country.
Have you seen the tree trunk standing before a corner house where Hague Avenue intersects with Pierce Street north in St. Paul?
For many of the community leaders who assembled Tuesday at the Minneapolis Urban League, the alleged beating of activist Al Flowers by police has re-opened a long-standing wound.The meeting came four days after Flowers had an altercation with police officers at his south Minneapolis home Friday night, an incident that put the community activist in jail for several hours and left him with head and facial injuries.Speakers at the event, addressing a crowd of about 100, expressed their anger and frustration over the arrest, accusing the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) of racial profiling and intimidation against the African-American community. “This is old in our community,” said Spike Moss, a longtime civil rights leader. “We have suffered from brutality of police all across this country, everything from savage beatings to murders.”“Al’s incident is not isolated,” said the Rev. Jerry MacAfee, head of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP. “Those of you who have been around here for awhile, you know we’ve been fighting this for quite some time. The tragedy is that the climate has not changed.”Community Sketchbook focuses on the economic and social challenges facing communities, especially low-income communities and communities of color, and how people are trying to address them. Continue Reading
For more than four decades, Saado Ali Warsame, killed last week in a drive-by shooting in Mogadishu, used her songs and voice to plant seeds of peace and unity in Somalia and its diaspora communities in Minnesota and elsewhere.I grew up in a household where Warsame’s songs were admired, the one boombox we had often buzzing with her music. Before I could talk, before I knew who this superstar was and before I could pronounce her name, I was singing her love song “Naftaydaa Kuu Jiraban” — one of the most popular songs in the history of Somali music — in unison with my older siblings.Warsame used her early songs to confront government officials who spent public funds for personal gains while some citizens starved. In an attempt to silence Warsame, the now-fallen regime of the late military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre imprisoned her several times in the 1980s. But Warsame was undeniably fearless, and the arrests of intimidation never weakened her spirit or changed her decision to use her talents as a strong voice for the underdog.So her slaying in the Somali capital has shaken the Somali community in Minnesota and around the world. Since Wednesday’s killing, reaction from her fans in Minnesota and throughout the world continues to blanket social media.Al-Shabab, a Somalia-based cell linked to the militant Islamist group Al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for killing the internationally renowned folk singer and member of the Somali parliament who lived in Minnesota from 2007 to 2012.Community Sketchbook focuses on the economic and social challenges facing communities, especially low-income communities and communities of color, and how people are trying to address them. Continue Reading
The Twin Cities Somali community has lost an esteemed leader and a passionate advocate for Somali families.Abdulrahman Adem, a cultural facilitator at Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), died Sunday of a heart attack. He was 58.Adem was known for his commitment to serve Somali families with students in Minneapolis schools as their ultimate ambassador in the school district. He was also known for his commitment to help his immigrant community navigate the district’s complicated educational system and find the resources they needed.Adem, who worked at MPS since 1997, held various posts in the district: bilingual program aide, associate educator, bilingual communicator, translator and communications and public affairs specialist.Community Sketchbook focuses on the economic and social challenges facing communities, especially low-income communities and communities of color, and how people are trying to address them. It is made possible by sponsorship support from The Minneapolis Foundation. Community Sketchbook articles may be republished or distributed, in print or online, with credit to MinnPost and the foundation.Whatever his job title, Adem always made sure that school officials heard the voices of Somali families — and to ensure this, Adem didn’t hesitate to take issues directly into administrators’ offices, invited or uninvited.I had the privilege to work with Adem when I worked in the office of communications, and like many people, I immediately noticed his enthusiasm, commitment and compassion. Continue Reading