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OPINION / FIKRAD
January 01, 2010 (QOL)
Somalia’s government
collapsed in January 1991, and many Somali’s fled the country
because of insecurity - becoming refugees in neighboring countries
like Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. From these bordering nation
states, many of these Somali refugees were then absorbed by
Western countries, and are now being integrated into ‘Western’
society.
Somalis are not
only the only cultural group that has immigrated to the United
States In fact, there have been millions of people from
hundreds of different countries around the world who have
travelled to the US in search of a new life. The level and
scope of immigration in the US means that immigration remains
a big news story.
According to the
World Book Encyclopedia, immigration is the act of travelling
to a foreign country to live. The act of departing one’s
country to settle in other country is called emigration.
Emigrants travel to other countries for a number of reasons:
to flee their country because of persecution or war; to travel
to other countries to seek employment, and this relatively new
phenomenon has been boosted by the globalization of the
economy.
During the 19th century,
approximately, ten people in every one hundred thousand could
be classed as international migrants. Comparing that figure
to today, an International Organization for Migration based in
Geneva (IOM) spokesperson, Jean-Philippen Chauzy, stated in a
British Broadcasting Co-operation (BBC) interview that, “for
point of view in early stages its fair to say no country in
the world is unaffected by international migration flows.
Today, most countries are countries of
origin/transit/destination for migrants. The number we have:
the stock number for international migrant’s today worldwide,
is hovering at around 175 million migrants - roughly one
person in 35. In more developed regions of world percentage
is higher 1 in 10”.Most developed industrial countries have
the highest number of immigrants, especially the United
States.
The U.S. has long been the world’s chief
receiving nation for gross numbers of immigrants and
refugees. The country has experienced four major eras of
immigration. The first wave came in the 1600’s from Europe,
and settled what is known today as United States of America.
The second wave came between 1820 and 1870, and this wave
came mostly from Western Europe. The third and fourth waves
came between 1881 and 1920, and 1920 and 1965 respectively.
Somali refugees have been arriving in the
United States in large numbers from the mid 1990s; and
Minnesota promptly became a favored destination for Somalis,
with the largest majority of Somalis living in the US actually
residing in Minnesota (estimated at about 40,000).
The question to be asked is, “how does U.S.
immigration policy support education to aid employment for new
immigrants”? I found out that the US’s historical and
current policy has supported education to aid employment for
new immigrants.
First, it is not easy for someone flee his or
her homeland, yet there are overwhelming numbers of people
moving for different reasons. These reasons can be “push”
factors, which are caused by: a lack of socio-economic
opportunities; anticipation in other countries for better
employment opportunities; bad governance; conflict; civil
discord; and, ecological degradation. My personal experience
includes: bad governance, very limited educational
opportunities, and ongoing conflict and insecurity. On one
other hand, there are “pull” factors that migrants are aware
of and desire. Chief among these is the opportunity for
better paid employment in the country of destination. With
the U.S. government receiving the largest number of migrants
of any country of the world n gross numbers, the U.S.
immigration policy has been developed to meet that large
inflow over a long period.
There are organizations here in the U.S. that
work with the government, such as New Immigrant Community
Empowerment (NICEs), which helps new immigrants to adjust to
their lives in a new land. These organizations help with
rights education, as well as their education on rights to
access basic services and education - including access to
English classes. New immigrants’ children are affected by
cultural misunderstanding, language barriers, and feelings of
solitude within the existing U.S. school atmosphere. More
recently, however, immigrant children are finding a more
welcoming school atmosphere.
Here in Minnesota, there is a non-profit
organization called Minnesota Literacy Council (MLC), and they
provide literacy services to adults, children, and community
programmers around Minnesota. The children who cannot speak
English well get academic curriculum programs, such as ESL
courses, that begin with the development of understanding and
move to advanced English reading and writing. According to
the Minnesota Literacy Council, the organization teaches
adults English reading and basic math skills, as well as
offering citizenship classes and GED preparation classes.
Another is the Virginia Literacy Council, which also provides
ESL programs and other basic training skills that new
immigrants can utilize in the labor market.
Asking questions is strongly encouraged as a
means of learning and integration - as Alfred Adler once said
“one question can change the course of discussion and a life”.
As a Somali immigrant, my question to the Somali people who
live here in the United States is, do they see living in the
US as a privilege? I response, I have observed the lives of
Somali people who live in the United States, and I have
categorized them into three groups.
First group: they are the group who have
actively taken that chances offered in the US. They have gone
to school and educated themselves and received knowledge, and
with this knowledge they have accessed work in the market; and
in turn, they pay taxes back to the government. That is how
economic growth occurs and how the community develops. It is
how those who improved themselves can give back to their new
country, and help their new country grow economically.
There is also a sub-group of the first groups,
who are still in the major colleges and universities, and are
preparing to take their chance. Recently, before the break I
visited major colleges and the University of Minnesota. Most
Somali students I met there were young and beautiful. When I
asked what they were studying, I received a plethora of
answers including, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, etc.
Second group: they are still poorly educated,
unskilled workers. Yet, there are many who fill the sorts of
jobs that most native-born Americans will not take. For
example, most of this group works in blue-collar jobs. They
work on assembly lines, meat factories, and the rest are cab
drivers; all except a few who went to school here in the U.S.,
and now have good educational skills, and this group have
adjusted to their life here in America very well, and they
have created their own small businesses, such as grocery
shops, restaurants; and now they send money back to their
families abroad.
Third group: this group has given up, and they
are not doing anything at all, except sitting in the cafeteria
sipping a coffee or Somali tea and thinking that they are
still in Somalia; asking questions about back home that they
think they care about the country, but they are marginalized
and have lost the opportunity here.
As I reflect upon my experience thus far of
America, and the opportunities that I have been provided with,
I like to compare those experiences with other Somalis, who
have also come from similar circumstances as myself, and thus
gauge my experience against theirs. I really like to see so
many of my kinsmen taking the opportunities provided by
institutions in the US. Truth be told, there is no question in
my mind that to live here in America is my greatest privilege;
and from Somalia - where war, hunger, disease, lack of
education and opportunity of work systemically prevails – it
is a dream that is beyond imagination.
Let me quote the BBC editor in North America,
Justin Webb, who finished his assignment in America recently.
Justin said, “America shines a light on the entire human
condition”. I agree with Justin, and I believe too because
there are more 300 million from around the world who live here
and you can get most or may be all the elements that you
needed to develop yourself. Let me say thanks to the American
government for the immigration policy and how it helps the new
immigrants and thanks for those who are my fellow Somali and
understand the life here in the US is a privilege for us
(Somali) However, for some new immigrants, it is hard for them
to settle in a new place, and it takes more time to understand
or adapt to a new place, but no thanks for those who lost the
opportunity where the opportunity is here and knocked the
doors.
Abdullahi Nur (Freelance)
Minneapolis-Minnesota,
United States.
gacamey15@hotmail.com
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