A Study on Somali Minnesotans: Present Challenges and Future Prosperity

Abstract

Little has been written about the real hot-button issues facing Somali Americans in Minnesota. This study investigates to determine what Somali American community might consider as the current challenges as of 2015. The result would assist public and private sector efforts in planning community resilience and sustainable development in the long-run. In an attempt to probe and further illicit insightful information from wider interdisciplinary professions, the study employed triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The study found that there is a correlation between community’s hot-button issues, dissatisfaction, and sociopolitical participation. The study recommends that in order to cope with the changing social and political landscape, a multifaceted strategy to empowering this impacted community and dealing with the rapid turnaround of population be devised.

Keywords: Somali American community, Minnesota, challenges, opportunities, immigrants

JEL Classification: A00, A10, B00