Between a Rock and a Hard Place - A Somali boy growing up in Minnesota: Family, Schooling and Identity

My relationship with Minnesota and Somali Minnesotans dates back to 2008 when I first visited the state as a post-graduate student to work on an academic paper. My first encounter with the Somali immigrant community in Minnesota sparked a fascination with their resilience and capacity for enterprise. Despite the harsh weather, language and cultural challenges, Somalis were thriving in their adopted home. I then visited Minnesota in 2018, ten years after my first visit; this time, the progress had multiplied; the immigrant community was succeeding in business, invested in the American political system, and many were homeowners in the suburban areas of the state. However, one problem facing the community was that US-born children, mainly boys, were struggling. The majority of Somali Minnesotan-born boys do not do well at school. A considerable number are in the criminal justice system as a result of becoming involved in gang-related criminal activity, which tends to lead to a high lev