Hussein Samatar of Minneapolis is the first Somali to be elected to public office

[General Duke]

Historic victory for Minneapolis school board Hussein Samatar of Minneapolis is the first Somali immigrant to be elected to public office in Minnesota - and possibly the country.

 

By COREY MITCHELL, Star Tribune

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

 

Hussein Samatar

 

With his election Tuesday to the Minneapolis school board, Hussein Samatar became the first Somali immigrant elected to public office in Minnesota and possibly the United States.

 

The founder and CEO of the African Development Center, who came to the United States as a refugee in 1993 and learned English in less than a year, in part by watching soap operas, said the thought of making American history is humbling.

 

"It has not yet set in," said Samatar, who ran unopposed for the board's District 3 seat. "I just hope that this will be one of many elections to come" for natives of Somalia, he said. "Not for the sake of winning, but to have an impact on the state."

 

 

With a historic win of his own, Alberto Monserrate became the first Latino elected to the school board. He defeated John H. Saulsberry for the District 5 seat.

 

The CEO and president of Latino Communications, Monserrate came to Minnesota from Puerto Rico, where his parents worked as teachers.

 

Samatar and Monserrate have expressed interest in improving education for the district's English language learners. Educating Minnesota's growing immigrant population is key to the state's future, they say.

 

While the city's immigrants gained new advocates on the board, the city's North Side and black community may lose theirs. Incumbent Theatrice (T) Williams and Chanda Smith Baker, both black North Side residents, trailed in the race to fill two district-wide seats. With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Richard Mammen and Rebecca Gagnon led, with Smith Baker trailing Gagnon by less than a percentage point.

 

If the results hold, it would mark the first time in decades that an American-born black has not served on the board. Samatar considers himself an African-American but sees a difference between his experience and that of blacks born in the United States, he said.

[General Duke]

Hussain is the founder & CEO of the African Development Center of MN.

[Taleexi]

Good news.

[Chocolate and Honey]

So he run unopposed? What?

[RedSea]

learned English in less than a year, in part by watching soap operas

aahahaha i wonder if he cried like a girl.

[Malika]

Well done to the brother!

[General Duke]

A good man, well done indeed.

[General Duke]

[General Duke]

Hussein Samatar: American first, and African-American

By Beth Hawkins | Published Thu, Oct 14 2010 8:30 am

 

After a recent story I wrote about a candidate forum, Minneapolis School Board candidate Hussein Samatar sent me an e-mail asking that I not refer to him as Somali-American. His preference: Just American, or, if I insist on using a modifier, African-American.

 

A former banker and the founder of the African Development Center, Samatar is a thoughtful, accomplished man — not the kind of guy, in my experience, who would make such a request without an interesting reason. Once I heard it I thought this blog would be a good place to lay out his explanation, which follows in his words.

 

But first a smidgen of context is in order: The story was the second I have written taking note of the strange electoral mix that may, for the first time in half a century, leave the Minneapolis School Board without any representative who is African-American or from the city’s north side, and about the tensions this has generated.

 

The topic interests me for several reasons. The new board will most likely have a Puerto Rican member and one from Somalia — great news for a school system struggling to meet the needs of English-language learners. But MPS in recent years has campaigned hard and made headway wooing back some of the thousands of African-American families who have fled for charters and suburban schools. In part, this is because the current board has dived in to issues of race and equity that its predecessors often found too charged to take up in any meaningful way.

 

Now, with the possible loss of two African-American members — Chris Stewart, who did not seek re-election, and T. Williams, who did not get endorsed — and one white member, Pam Costain, who was adamant about the issue, will the discussion continue? Samatar says it will, and offers his thoughts on being African — and American — as fodder:

 

[bilan]

what's wrong with Somali_American, saas muuba uga cararayaa somalinimada?

[General Duke]

^^^I think he has a point, you dont get Dutch-American, or Russian-American anymore, why should he not be an American as a label?

[bilan]

I can understand if he insisted on being called American, but African American, is there a country called African in the world, there are Italian-American, Irish-American, so he should be Somali-American, I can be wrong but I felt like he is ashamed on being called Somali American.

[General Duke]

"It has not yet set in," said Samatar, who ran unopposed for the board's District 3 seat.

"I just hope that this will be one of many elections to come"

for natives of Somalia, he said. "Not for the sake of winning, but to have an impact on the state."

 

Thats a direct quote from the above article. Also the African American population came from various nations throughout the continent and form a distinct minority of 30 million, Somali's are one of those groups.

 

I think he is spot on. Also he ran for office to serve everyone.

[Juxa]

congrats to the brother for winning

 

lakin wuu ku dhiiqday running away from the somali-tag (your heritage should be part of your fundamental being)

 

you of all people GD should understand that!

[NGONGE]

^^ Duke's second article explains his reasons for asking to be referred to as 'African' and not just Somali. One should not read too much into it. Anyway, what is this School Board thing? Is it like English School Governors?