Daughters of Arraweelo : stories of Somali women

In Daughters of Arraweelo , Somali women share experiences of love, war, family, displacement, identity, and everyday life. After a civil war broke out in Somalia in 1991, thousands of people fled the country, seeking asylum all over the world. Many Somali women were charged with the responsibility of finding safe passage and a new home. The largest numbers in this diaspora settled in Minnesota. In spite of many obstacles, Somali women have gone on to build new communities and become business owners, authors, scholars, activists and organizers, elected officials, and change makers. Unfortunately, their rich stories are often reduced to accounts of devastation and trauma, or tokenized, or considered as exceptional. Rarely are these women presented with the multi-layered humanity they deserve. This book celebrates their complicated stories and deliberately disrupts the conventional narrative. Arraweelo, an ancient queen of the Somali people, was known for her fierce leadership and her work to empower women. Her daughters are with us today. Somali women tell their stories, sharing experiences of love, war, displacement, family, identity, and everyday life. After civil war broke out in Somalia in 1991, thousands of families fled the country and sought asylum all over the world. Many Somali women carried the responsibility through this catastrophic time for finding safe passage and new homes for their families. Minnesota now holds the largest number of Somali immigrants of any state. Despite many obstacles, Somali women have built new communities here and become business owners, authors, scholars, activists, and change makers. Unfortunately, the rich stories of Somali women are often reduced to clichs of devastation and trauma--or tokenization and exceptionalism. Rarely are these women depicted with the multi-layered humanity they deserve. Daughters of Arraweelo presents, in the women's own words, the stories of fourteen mothers and daughters, teachers and social workers, scientists and medical professionals, lawyers and politicians--all Somali women who have made their marks on Minnesota. Arraweelo, a legendary queen of Somalia, was a powerful eccentric ruler, and her name is also used as a disapproving tease for assertive Somali girls. In reclaiming the insult, this book celebrates the complicated stories and the brilliance of Somali women. Somali women tell their stories, sharing experiences of love, war, displacement, family, identity, and everyday life. In their own words, these are stories of mothers and daughters, teachers and social workers, scientists and medical professionals, lawyers and politicians--all Somali women who have made their marks on Minnesota. -- Adapted from publisher's description