the text came with the youtube video
I had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting among the Somali students at the high school in which I teach. The reason I want to share it with you is because not only was it an eye opening experience, but there was also a moment in this meeting that I do not think I can ever forget.
Students were planning to be a part of a presentation in which the East African community of South Sioux City would meet and get to know the mayor and city council members. The idea is to establish a relationship between community leaders and the ever expanding East African population. A majority of which is from Somalia. The students were given the task of giving a speech, doing a slide show and performing a traditional dance.
Upon entering the room, the students were practicing the dance. However, there were some differences of opinion as to how the dance goes. Another teacher and I were sitting back and watching the students work it out on their own and in their native Somali. I could not understand anything and the other teacher and I were wondering whether the students were arguing or discussing. The students were speaking loudly and passionately. There was one girl who seemed like a natural leader. She spoke strongly and with force. Unfortunately, as is common for children at that age, they were not cooperating with each other. Finally, one student stepped away from the fray with his arms up and said in perfect English, "This is why we can't have peace in Somalia, we cannot communicate." I thought that this was a very astute point to make for a young man who has now grown up in two distinctly different cultures. However, the meeting was not yet over.
Mr. Sief, a Sudanese refugee who now resides in Lincoln and works with the East African community there, arrived to help students prepare for the presentations they were tasked to do. He immediately took charge. He first asked about the dance. The students told him they wanted to do a couple of dances. He then asked about the speech. The student who was in charge of the speech said it would last about five minutes. Finally, he asked about the slideshow presentation. Two girls raised their hands and said they were in charge of that. He asked how the presentation was going. They looked at each other as if they were waiting for the other to say something. The whole class became completely silent for the first time in about an hour. I felt there was something they wanted to say but no one wanted to be the one to do it.
Finally, one of the girls in charge of the presentation asked, "You want this slide show to be about Somalia, right?" Mr. Sief told her yes. "Well," she continued, "are we going to show pictures of the war?" The students were all looking up at Mr. Sief, very interested in his answer.
He looked at each and every one of them and responded. "This is your opportunity to tell people about where you are from. All of us here have seen things many people in this community have never had to. War is part of the reason you are all here. You need to remember two things. First, there will be children present, so you should not show anything too graphic. However, I want you to be honest about the lives that you have had and the world you have come from."
The class seemed to need time to consider this thought. I was moved. I looked around at the students, many of whom I have had in class, none over the age of 17. These kids have seen and experienced violence and atrocities that I thank god I was sheltered from. Nevertheless, they remain motivated and positive about their lives and heritage. Every difficult moment I have had in my life, all of a sudden, seemed to pale in comparison to the things that these kids had to go through at some point in their lives.
