History and Demographics of the Somali Immigrants in the US
Somali-Americans constitute all the American citizens as well as residents who are born in or have ancestors from the Republic of Somalia. The Somali sailors were the first group of Somali immigrants to arrive in the US, settling in New York in the 1920s (Darboe, 2003). They were then followed by more Somali citizens in the 1970s. The outbreak of the Somali civil war in the 1990s saw the influx of more Somali immigrants into the US increase significantly. The Somali community living in the US is ranked among the largest community of Somalis in the world after Ethiopia, Djibouti, Yemen, Kenya, the Middle East, the UK, and Canada (Darboe, 2003).
The twin cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis have the highest concentration of Somali immigrants in the US and are referred to as the Somali capital of the United States. According to the 2000 US census, the two cities have a population of about 60,000 people (Hobbs & Stoops, 2002). However, other sub-Saharan immigrants have also settled in Minnesota and Kansas City after the 2000 census was done. The areas with the largest population of Somalis are the twin cities, Washington DC, Columbus, Ohio, New York City, San Francisco, San Diego, Buffalo, and Seattle metro areas (Darboe, 2003). Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Arizona has also seen an increase in the influx of Somali immigrants in the recent years with most of the immigrants settling in the Phoenix, particularly the Glendale suburbs as well as the Tucson. Other states inhabited by the Somali immigrants are California, Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, Florida, and Colorado states (Darboe, 2003).
An estimate of the population of the Somali people living in Minnesota is 25,000. It is possible to come into contact with Somalis in almost every town in the state of Minnesota; with most of them concentrated in St. Paul, South Minneapolis, and Rochester. Currently, the Twin Cities of Minnesota harbors the largest population of the Somalis in the North America. The city of Minneapolis is home to hundreds of businesses ran and operated by the Somalis. There are several colorful stalls and many malls offering various commodities including the halal meat, the stylish leather shoes, and the latest fashion both for men as well as women. Other products include gold jewelry, money transfer services, Somali films, boutiques, and groceries. The Somali community has established itself in the US as an independent community with its distinct culture.
Information Gathered from Interviewing a Somali American
After interviewing a member of the Somali immigrant in the US, a lot of information was collected. This information will be organized into various subheadings including their experience as immigrants in the US, the reasons for immigrating to the US, how they adapted into the US contexts including the US schools and workplaces, feeling regarding giving up their original culture, experiences of discrimination in the US, the documentation process.
The Experience as an Immigrant in the US
The person that was interviewed was known as Said, and he is currently living in St. Paul. He is working as a case manager at the county department of human services. Said came to the US more than two decades ago and had since adapted to life in the American cultural context. To a greater part, Said did not face any significant challenges since he was absorbed into the Somali community in St. Paul. Said told me that there was no significant difference between life in St. Paul and life in Somalia since the food, culture, religion, and language was still practiced in St. Paul. Said said he met people who treated him like a brother and made him feel at home despite being several miles away from Somalia his homeland. The only thing that Said complained of is racial and religious discrimination. He claimed that he had been a victim of racial discrimination under several circumstances. He also said that life in the US has been good to him and that he has been happy living in a democratic and secure country.
Reasons for Immigrating to the US
Said came to the US as a political asylum seeker. He came to the US through Saudi Arabia after being detained for seven years in Somaliland. I interviewed Said, and he told me that the government that ruled his country had arrested several civilians who tried to act in a way that would raise public awareness about the atrocities committed by the dictatorial regime.
Adapting to the US Life
Said did not face any difficulty adjusting into the US since language was not a problem to him. He is fluent in English and Arabic. He went to college and earned a degree that enabled him to get a job as a case manager. Said has also learned the differences between his culture and the American culture and learned ways of adapting to the differences.
Feeling Regarding Giving up Their Original Culture
Said reported that he faced difficulties fitting into the American culture and that almost made him think of abandoning his African roots. However, Said said that there were no significant challenges since he could easily find the same food he used to eat in Somalia in St. Paul. He can also meet other people from his homeland who are proud of speaking their Somali language. Therefore, Said feels happy about his Somali cultural roots since he still practices his culture at St. Paul.
Discrimination
Said claims to have been a victim of discrimination under several circumstances. First, he narrated how he was once mistreated in a public transport vehicle by some white teenage boys. The other notable incidence happened at his place of work when a client he was assigned to asked to be handled by a Caucasian case manager.
The Documentation Process
The process of documentation was not difficult when he first came to the US because it was facilitated by a reputable agency. Also, the US government was keen on helping political prisoners fleeing Somalia in that particular time.
Theoretical Perspective
The study of different groups of immigrant groups in the US has resulted in a copious historical as well as sociological literature, mostly written based on the assimilation perspective. Although there is a variance in the experiences of various groups, the unrelenting efforts of these immigrant minority groups to navigate obstacles preventing their integration into the “mainstream” American society is a common theme (Portes & Manning, 2005). From this perspective, the process of adoption of various groups into the US society particular immigrant groups went through a sequential path from the initial economic hardship as well as discrimination to the eventual socioeconomic mobility that arose due to the increasing knowledge of the US culture as well as the acceptance by the American people (Portes & Manning, 2005).
The focus on a “core” culture, emphasis on the building of consensus, and the assumption of a particular adaptation sequence formed the basis of the assimilation theory (Portes & Manning, 2005). The Somali American community followed this adaptation perspective. For instance, the Somali community is concentrated in Minnesota (Kusow, 2006). It is apparent that the community is reluctant to shed its traditional values. The majority of them are Muslims who embrace their Somali traditions in their daily lives. The assimilation theory posits that successful adaptation depends on the immigrant community’s ability to relinquish its culture and adopt the host’s culture (Kusow, 2006). Throughout the assimilation process, the social psychological processes of motivation, learning, easy interaction, and the perception of the immigrant community on their cultural values as well as that of the community surrounding them plays a significant role.
The Somali community in the US society did not melt into the American culture. The Somali community was keen on preserving its cultural identity as evident from its current cultural practices (Kusow, 2006). The Somali community has preserved umeltable ethics such as the Muslim values.
The fact that most of the immigrants in the US come with less specialized skills while also experiences language barrier places them in the secondary labor market of the segmented US labor market that is dominated by women and other minority groups (Boyd, 2002). As a result, Somalis that do not return to their country are pushed too low paying jobs. Based on what the theoretical literature posits, the Somali experiences of the Somali community in the US based on the person interviewed is in line.
References
Boyd, M. (2002). Educational Attainments of Immigrant Offspring: Success or Segmented Assimilation? 1. International migration review, 36(4), 1037-1060.
Darboe, K. (2003). New immigrants in Minnesota: The Somali immigration and assimilation. Journal of Developing Societies, 19(4), 458-472.
Hobbs, F., & Stoops, N. (2002). US Census Bureau, Census 2000 Special Reports, Series CENSR-4. Demographic Trends in the 20th Century, 24, 27-28.
Kusow, A. M. (2006). Migration and racial formations among Somali immigrants in North America. Journal of Ethnic and Migration studies, 32(3), 533-551.
Portes, A., & Manning, R. D. (2005). The immigrant enclave: Theory and empirical examples. The urban sociology reader, 38, 583-594.