Reflections of New Minnesotans: Idil Abdul

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Idil Abdul is a Somali American mother advocating for her autistic son, and other children, especially those from low income and immigrant homes. She is the founder of the Somali Autism Foundation.In this interview, Idil talks about her frustration and denial when her son was first diagnosed; and her wake up call. Listen as she transitions from never knowing about autism to learning everything she now knows about it through “Google University”. She talks about the specific challenges faced by non-English speaking parents whose children have been diagnosed with autism.“First you are in denial, then you question everything. Then you get very angry.”[Audio below] Continue Reading

Reflections of New Minnesotans: Qais Munhazim

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[Audio below]Qais Munhazim, an Afghan living in the Twin Cities, will be showing a series of photographs at the University of Minnesota. A year ago he embarked on a photography project around Afghanistan showing the daily life of Afghans. Munhazim says that it is impossible for foreign journalists to capture the legacies of war. The exhibit “Afghanistan in My Camera: Afghanistan through an Afghan’s Eyes” Decades of war have shifted the focus of photography in Afghanistan from capturing the vast landscapes to covering the war and its often tragic aftermath. I, an Afghan from a tiny corner of Kabul, with a better understanding of and familiarity with Afghans and Afghanistan would like to show another side of Afghanistan and Afghans that has been largely left out or ignored altogether by mainstream foreign photographers. Continue Reading

Reflections of New Minnesotans: Luis Argueta and the Postville Raid

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In 2008, over 900 federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executed a raid on Agriprocessors Inc, the nations’ largest Kosher meat-packing plant in the US. What followed were gross violations of civil liberties of over 400 undocumented immigrants; and a discovery of pro-longed bad labor practices by the owners of the meat plant.  I chatted with award-winning filmmaker Luis Argueta who felt that “by weaving together the personal stories of the individuals, the families, and the town directly affected by the Postville raid would present the human face of the issue of immigration reform and serves as a cautionary tale against abuses of constitutional human rights.” [AUDIO BELOW] Even if you are familiar with what happened in Postville it is worth your while watching this documentary. Even with my intimate knowledge of what happened in Postville, I found the film’s narration fresh, as if I was hearing about it for the first time. A sure tear-jerker, the film questions the treatment of undocumented immigrants as second-class citizens.  aBUsed-The Postville RaidReading: Julia Preston’s New York Times article that compelled Argueta to make his first trip to see firsthand what had happened in Postville. In the interview with Argueta we reference an essay by Dr. Erik Camayd-Freixas “Interpreting after the Largest ICE Raid in US History”:  […]Then began the saddest procession I have ever witnessed, which the public would never see, because cameras were not allowed past the perimeter of the compound (only a few journalists came to court the following days, notepad in hand). Driven single-file in groups of 10, shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles, chains dragging as they shuffled through, the slaughterhouse workers were brought in for arraignment, sat and listened through headsets to the interpreted initial appearance, before marching out again to be bused to different county jails, only to make room for the next row of 10.My interview with Dr. Erik Camayd-Freixas on re-framing the immigration reform via a human rights angle. Continue Reading

Reflections of New Minnesotans: Keith Ellison

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Our guest this week was Keith Ellison where we talked on everything from immigrant businesses in Minnesota to immigration reform to anti-immigrant and anti-Islam sentiments, relationships between immigrants and their country of birth and finally, the overall contribution of immigrants to the state. [AUDIO BELOW] Continue Reading

Reflections of New Minnesotans: Innocent Lymo

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Meet Innocent Lymo from Gibbon, Minnesota by way of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. While in high school Lymo discovered his love for the outdoors and mountain climbing when he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro for the first time. He now runs a tour company: Destination Tanzania Safaris. To supplement his income, Lymo raises organic chicken on a farm in a small rural Minnesotan town. Continue Reading

Reflections of New Minnesotans: Diversity in Brooklyn Park

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You would be surprised to learn that Minneapolis is not the most diverse city in Minnesota. The last census shows that the suburbs of Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center as the most diverse cities; on track to being Minnesota’s first majority-minority.At population 30,104, Brooklyn Center is now 50.9 percent minority and Brooklyn Park follows a close number two with a 47.6 percent minority of its 67,388 population count. This diversity includes African, Latinos and Southeast Asian immigrants.Guests on Reflections of New Minnesotans on Saturday were long-term Brooklyn Park resident, Elizabeth Knight, who also serves on the city’s council and Mameneh George, an immigrant from Liberia, has also made Brooklyn Park her home, for the last thirteen years. [AUDIO BELOW]What do changing demographics mean for the city? And why Brooklyn Park?Reading:Census Reflects north metro changes [Star Tribune]Census data confirms suburban growth, greater diversity in Minn.[MPR]Minorities in Minnesota: What the Census tells us [MinnPost] Continue Reading

Ellison introduces bill to allow permanent residence for Liberians

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Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison introduced the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 2011, H.R. 1293 in March, and Senator John Reed (RI) introduced the companion bill, S.656, in the Senate. The bills would allow Liberians to finally adjust their immigration status from temporary to permanent.For years, immigration advocates have been making the case for permanent US residency for Liberians who are in the US on temporary immigration status. They argue that while Liberia is now post-civil war and on its way to recovery; it cannot handle a sudden influx of returnees. Additionally, they argue that Liberians have established new roots in their adopted homes including Minnesota which is home to over 30,000 Liberians.For background see Obama offers immigration reprieve to Liberians on DED”It’s welcoming news. It’s been a long time coming, we have been anticipating this kind of legislation for a very long time,” says Richard Sondah Olm, the chairman of the board of the Organization of Liberians in Minnesota (OLM).In a statement supporting the bill, Ellison said, “Liberian-Americans enrich our communities in Minnesota and we owe it to them to finally resolve their immigration status.”Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken are among seven co-sponsors of the Senate bill.The current temporary immigration status (Deferred Enforced Departure or DED) expires at the end of September. Continue Reading

Reflections of New Minnesotans: Talking to Somali activists

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Julia Nekessa Opoti and Siyad Abdullahi interview three Somali leaders in the premiere broadcast of Reflections of New Minnesotans on AM950, Voice of Minnesota. [Full audio below.] Dahir Jibreel is the director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in MinneapolisAhmed Jama is a Somali community advocate from Eden Prairie.Ali Egal works with the courts as a Somali liaison officer. Among the questions and answers: Why have most Somalis settled in state of Minnesota? “Minnesota is nice! The people, the legal resources, the education, the opportunities for entrepreneurship-it is the best.””First group came for meat-packing factories, and others followed. Continue Reading

Minnesota Muslims respond to King hearings

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Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison and Minneapolis resident Abdirizak Bihi were among the witnesses who testified March 10 in the first day of Republican Representative Peter King’s Washington hearings. King’s focus is what he calls the radicalization of Muslims in America. The hearing on “Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response” has for weeks been criticized as an indictment of all Muslim Americans.In what was the most memorable moment of the morning, Rep Ellison broke down in tears as he eulogized a Muslim American first responder who was killed on September 11 2001. Ellison, who has been outspoken about King’s focus on Muslims, said, “This committee’s approach to this particular subject, I believe, is contrary to the best of American values and threatens American security, or could potentially.”With only one law enforcement officer, Sheriff Lee Baca of Los Angeles, testifying as an expert, the evidence about “radicalization” was mostly anecdotal. Rep King charges that Muslim Americans do not cooperate with law enforcement in efforts to curb terrorism. Continue Reading