Sunday, May 24, 2015
I have lived in St. Cloud for almost 15 years. I became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2008. My three children were born in St. Cloud. I relate more to this country than to my native Somalia, which I fled in 1991 for neighboring Kenya.
I ran for a St. Cloud City Council seat in 2014 because I love and care so much about this city and this country. Although I didn't win, it was a great experience for me.
St. Cloud has changed a lot demographically since I made my home here in 2001. Apparently, Somalis make up the bulk of the new immigrants of the recent past. And surprisingly (at least to me) the Somali migration creates tensions between Somalis and non-Somalis in the city.
Tension builds
Over the years, so many incidents filled with tension and mistrust have happened, from Prophet Muhammad depictions to alleged school harassment or bullying directed against Somali students. The recent Technical High School incident was the latest episode of a long drama that we don't know when or how it will end.
The first incident I remember of this phenomenon was November 2002 when a Somali community center was spray-painted with graffiti that included the "n" word. One of the headlines of the news story that day was something like "Somalis turn the other cheek." I was shocked that day, and I couldn't believe what happened. And almost 13 years have passed since that incident, and we're still dealing with some kind of silly chain reaction, but a serious one if left unaddressed.
Outreach needed
Since the recent incident at Tech High School, the word "outreach" has been flashing into my mind because of its importance in solving tensions caused by the above recurring incidents.
As a Somali-American leader, I believe the tensions between Somalis and non-Somalis in the city are there because of lack of proper outreach that can open their hearts. We don't need a superficial outreach that can only bring supercilious smiles to their faces. I'm not suggesting the recently formed task force to solve school tensions was a wrong step or will not deliver, but many outreaches are needed given the scope and the scale of these recurring communal tensions.
Calling on all leaders
Outreach between Somali community leaders and non-Somali community leaders wouldn't be detrimental. It can bring people closer, and it can diffuse tensions, which are mostly based on assumptions and fear.
By the way, identifying non-Somali community leaders is easy and pinpointing Somali community leaders shouldn't be that hard either, although the impression might already be that the St. Cloud Somali community has only one or two pompous leaders.
The Somali community has a good number of leaders. I can help organize and coordinate, and anyone can contact me, because this is about our beloved city and our city does not deserve constant negative news publicity with the nickname of "White Cloud."
And when St. Cloud community leaders with all colors and creeds meet, I'm sure their voices will be strong. I'm sure leaders will devise together good strategies to move forward. I'm sure St. Cloud people will meet in forums, in workshops, in coffee shops, in parks, etc., to learn about one another and about the beauty of diversity.
Among our leaders are doctors, teachers, fathers, mothers (and the list is long) who can make a difference as leaders or as ordinary citizens in our community. And I'm sure the generous people of St. Cloud will donate to and support workshops, forums and programs that can help the people of St. Cloud to live in harmony and love.