Voices Unveiled: My Mother

[00:00:07] Speaker A: Welcome to voices unveiled, a podcast where we explore the stories of internationally educated newcomers here in Minnesota. My name is Halima Hamud. I'm a community organizer, an advocate, and a former refugee from Dadab, Kenya. I am here to bring you into voices that you haven't heard before about resiliency, immigration, and journeys over 2 million college educated immigrants in the United States are unemployed or underemployed in jobs that don't utilize their skills, their experiences, and credentials. Here in this podcast, we will talk about why this happens, the immigration experience, economic integration, and possible solutions for inclusive pathways. In this short first episode, I'll be covering my mother's story and my why for creating this podcast. [00:01:07] Speaker B: Elashansano wahala pari Omalisa nimo Omalisadi ayan Partai Omalisa ayan kushakai murky anki chugai. [00:01:22] Speaker C: My mother grew up and was educated in Somalia. She raised her family near the beautiful blue beaches and palm trees of mokudisho. It was also in Somalia where she trained as a nurse. In 1991, the then government of Mohammed Sahidbar was removed from power, causing a decade long civil war in the country. My family ran from that. As my mother explained to me, it was erupt, chaotic, scary, and our life went from day to night. My mother suddenly found herself in Dadeb, an empty, deserted, makeshift refugee camp in Kenya. With five children, she was able to use her skills as a nurse to work for her family in Somalia. My mother was trained in her mother tongue, Somali. Her work as a midwife in Kenya required little English as all the patients she dealt with were Somali. I was born in that very camp. For the first nine years of my life, I didn't know there were other possible ways to live outside of this camp. I didn't know there are such things as a 13 story building, a concrete road, and a bath that you sit in. This camp became our home, our reality. A decade and so later, my family and I immigrated to Boise, Idaho. My mother was thrilled to continue working in her passion. In Boise, she excitedly packed bags full of papers, including certificates, recommendation letters, and training courses she has taken. But then the reality of being an immigrant professional in the US set in. She was told that she will need to go back to college, earn credits, and learn the language at a proficiency level. [00:03:44] Speaker B: Kuchuga. [00:03:49] Speaker A: During the 1950s, about 4.5% of the US workforce needed a professional license to work. That figure has grown to over 30% today. States created occupational licensing to improve the quality of services provided by establishing initial entrance standards in the occupation licensing is supposed to increase the rate of services and reduce the likelihood of adverse outcomes. These initial entrance requirements can include residency. [00:04:24] Speaker C: Requirements, citizenship, extensive education, language proficiency, internships. [00:04:31] Speaker A: Or job shadowing in a specific interest field and exams. [00:04:39] Speaker C: Coupled with her not knowing the community enough to navigate it, these requirements have become a huge burden for my mom. The skills and talents my mother acquired back home amounted to nothing. [00:04:53] Speaker A: In Boise. [00:04:54] Speaker C: It meant that she will not be able to provide for her family like she used to back home. I wonder how my mother's story would be different if the right resources were around her. If someone acknowledged that perhaps without going back to school, there are other opportunities for her to practice. With her somali language proficiency and cultural competency, she would have made a great doula for somali birthing women. Or perhaps she could have been a community liaison. These are the questions I wonder about. I think my mom wonders about the same. I know she does. My mother currently isn't working. She spends her time with her twelve grandchildren and she's an anchor for our family. My mother's story is not unique. Unfortunately, there are millions of refugee and immigrant professionals who are unable to return to their careers after they arrive in the US. And those other stories I'm going to share with you. [00:06:00] Speaker A: In addition to my mother, I got the privilege of talking to my refugee community about their journeys. I met them through school, community events, jobs, and many other spaces. I created this podcast because we need to create spaces to share these stories and we need a place to connect resources in Minnesota and nationally. Over the next three episodes, you're going to hear three stories of three women who are each highly educated and who are each experiencing challenges finding permanent work here in Minnesota. We invite you to actively participate in our mission to uplift these voices. Stay connected by subscribing to our circles of Excellence newsletter. You can also find all the source materials on this episode on our website. The link to the website is in the show notes. If you're an international trained refugee or an immigrant looking for skill building opportunities and resources, please visit our website. Special thanks to Julie Sansulo, our dedicated sound engineer and editor KFAI program director Miguel Vargas, who provided us with fantastic studio space and logistic assistance. Please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and wherever you get your podcast. Voices unveiled is brought to you by KFAI Community Radio SA.