Muqdisho, 23 August 2015- Back in March, about 70 Technical High School students, most Somali, walked out of classes to protest how they were being treated. Two days later it happened again.
Now, more than five months later and on the cusp of a new school year, it’s worth looking at the good and bad impacts of those protests.
Bigger problem
Most surprising, the protests didn’t just call attention to challenges at Tech. They sparked reactions from the broader community, especially adults, that again highlighted how some residents fiercely oppose the presence of diverse immigrants and refugees who have as much a legal right to live here as anyone else.
Worse yet, those reactions seem to come with a refusal to learn more about these neighbors, how long many have lived here, and why they came in the first place.
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with residents pushing to change laws and public policies involving immigration. That is democracy in action. Yet that message is not what’s being delivered, at least very clearly.
Instead, the message is a resounding “you are not welcome.” Sadly, it’s often reinforced by like-minded voices most of which do not emanate from the metro area.
Whether it’s a speaker flown in from half a country away, letters to editor written by people residing in different cities and even states, or the countless social media posts in which the author’s location is distant but their hate very immediate, the message remains troubling the same: We will not accept you.
Potential lessons
The Tech protests, community reaction and national focus on immigration have spurred some developments that stand to have positive impacts.
As this board noted Thursday, U.S. 6th District Rep. Tom Emmer in June helped form the Congressional Somalia Caucus. It takes both a global and local approach by working to stabilize Somalia, stop the radicalization of Somali youth by Islamic extremists, and raise awareness about all the issues involved with not just Somali culture, but immigration policies in general.
The most inspiring local development came earlier this month when two student groups that formed in the wake of the Tech protests shared with the St. Cloud school board specific suggestions for how to improve the school environment.
District spokeswoman Tami DeLand said Friday no formal proposals have been made yet, but both Tech and Apollo expect to have advisory student groups focused on these challenges this school year.
Hats off to the Tech Student Advocate Team and the Tech Culture and Climate Group for several good ideas presented to the board. Examples include creating a student cultural advisory group, training for staff members in cultural awareness, training everyone in restorative justice, monthly community chats and a student-led peer council.
Please note such suggestions are not focused only on one culture, race or religion. Rather, the intent is to help all students learn about all their peers.
As this summer has shown, that’s an approach needed as much for the broader community as it is for its high schools.
_____________________________________________________________________________________Xafiiska Wararka Qaranimo Online | Mogadishu, Somalia
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