Somalis in the Twin Cities and Columbus: Immigrant Incorporation in New Destinations

250 Pages·2017·9.917 MB·English

by  Stefanie Chambers

Somalis in the Twin Cities
and Columbus

Somalis in the Twin Cities
and Columbus
Immigrant Incorporation
in New Destinations
Stefanie Chambers
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Philadelphia • Rome • Tokyo
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122
www.temple.edu/tempress
Copyright © 2017 by Temple University—Of The Commonwealth System
of Higher Education
All rights reserved
Published 2017
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Chambers, Stefanie, author.
Title: Somalis in the Twin Cities and Columbus : immigrant incorporation in
new destinations / Stefanie Chambers.
Description: Philadelphia : Temple University Press, 2017. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016042256 | ISBN 9781439914410 (hardback : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781439914427 (paper : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781439914434 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Somali Americans—Minnesota—Saint Paul. | Somali
Americans—Ohio—Columbus. | Social integration—Minnesota—Saint Paul. |
Social integration—Ohio—Columbus. | Immigrants—Minnesota—Saint Paul. |
Immigrants—Ohio—Columbus. | Saint Paul (Minn.)—Social conditions. |
Saint Paul (Minn.)—Ethnic relations. | Columbus (Ohio)—Social
conditions. | Columbus (Ohio)—Ethnic relations. | BISAC: SOCIAL SCIENCE /
Emigration & Immigration. | POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Social
Policy. | POLITICAL SCIENCE / Civics & Citizenship.
Classification: LCC F614.S4 C56 2017 | DDC 305.893/540776581—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016042256
The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992
Printed in the United States of America
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For my children, Owen and Olivia,
and my nephew, Sebastian

Contents
List of Figures and Tables ix
Acknowledgments xi
1 / Immigrant Incorporation in New Destinations 1
2 / Columbus: Somalis in the Heartland 27
3 / The Twin Cities: Somalis in the North Star State 56
4 / Political Incorporation 86
5 / Economic Incorporation 133
6 / Social Incorporation 158
7 / Moving toward Incorporation 187

A ppendix A / Challenges of Immigrant Incorporation
in New Destinations: Somalis in the Twin Cities
and Columbus 205
A ppendix B / Immigrant Incorporation in New
Destinations: Somalis in the Twin Cities and Columbus 207
Appendix C / Columbus Somali Incorporation Interviews 208
Appendix D / Twin Cities Somali Incorporation Interviews 211
References 215
Index 225

List of Figures and Tables
Figures
Figure 1.1. U.S. Somali concentration 15
Figure 2.1. Franklin County Somali population
by census tract 29
Figure 3.1. Hennepin and Ramsey Counties Somali
population by census tract 58
Figure 4.1. Somali representation 104
Figure 5.1. Somali household homeowners versus renters
in Ohio, 2008–2012 sample 154
Figure 5.2. Somali household homeowners versus renters
in Minnesota, 2008–2012 sample 155
Tables
Table 2.1. Foreign-born population by country of birth,
Greater Columbus, 2006–2010 estimates 39
Table 2.2. Ohio city population and employment, 1940–2010 40
Table 2.3. African American members of Columbus
City Council 44
Table 3.1. Foreign-born population by country of birth,
St. Paul, 2009–2013 estimates 66