Somali Oral History Project

Partner: Macalester College MNHS and Macalester have been working on a project in FY14 and FY15 to interview Somalis in Minnesota. Professor Ahmed Samatar from Macalester College has been guiding the process and consulting with the Minnesota Historical Society. Professor Samatar is a world-renowned international studies professor, specializing in Somali studies. Macalester students are also assisting with the project as paid interns. The interviewers for this project are Ahmed Ismail Yusuf, author of "Somalis in Minnesota," published in 2012 by MNHS Press, and Ibrahim Hirsi, a journalist for MinnPost. Yusuf completed 24 interviews in FY14 and FY15 with men and women representing a broad cross-section of the Somali community in the Twin Cities, including a Somali language expert, a chef, a librarian, healthcare professionals, politicians, academics, journalists, and community activists. In August 2014, Hirsi began conducting interviews with Somalis in outstate and suburban Minnesota. He completed 20 interviews with individuals in Rochester, St. Cloud, Mankato, Fargo-Moorhead, Owatonna, Rosemount, Shakopee, and Eden Prairie. Additional interviews with women who have made a significant impact on the Minnesota Somali community are currently in the planning stage for FY16. When complete, the interviews will be published as books for the MNHS library and education departments for use as primary sources. The interviews will also be added to the MNHS online collection of oral histories (http://collections.mnhs.org/voicesofmn/), and as material on the "Becoming Minnesotan" site (http://education.mnhs.org/immigration/), which uses oral history excerpts to help educate students on immigration. The site averages more than 13,000 unique views per month. .