From Somalia to Yemen to the U.S., Minneapolis woman finds a home – and a voice
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Minnesota is home for a large number of refugees from all over the world.
In 2018, our state welcomed the most refugees per capita in the US. And today, one in 12 Minnesotans are immigrants or refugees. Their journeys to the U.S. and experiences once they get here are all unique.
Green Card Voices is an immigrant-led, nonprofit publishing organization based in Minneapolis. It uses the art of storytelling to share personal narratives of immigrants and refugees.
The newest book they’ve helped publish is a graphic novel for kids, “Voice for Refuge: Our Stories Carried Us Here.” The author — and subject — of the book, Zaynab Abdi, talked with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
INTERVIEWER: Here's something you might not know. Minnesota is home to a large number of refugees from all over the world. In 2018, our state welcomed the most refugees per capita in the US. Today, 1 in 12 Minnesotans are immigrants or refugees. And their journeys to the US, and experiences once they get here, are all unique.
Green Card Voices is an immigrant-led nonprofit publishing organization based in Minneapolis. It uses the art of storytelling to share personal narratives of immigrants and refugees. The newest book they've helped publish is a graphic novel for kids called Voice for Refuge: Our Stories Carried Us Here. The author and subject of the book, Zaynab Abdi, joins us now to talk about it. Zaynab, welcome.
ZAYNAB ABDI: Hi, thank you for hosting us.
INTERVIEWER: Absolutely, thank you for being with us. I understand you're from Yemen originally. Would you tell us the story of coming to the US?
ZAYNAB ABDI: Yeah. So I'm from both Yemen and Somalia. My brothers are both from Somalia and Yemen. I was born in Somalia, lived in Yemen for a long time until the Arab Spring happened in Yemen in the end of 2010, 2011. And then that was the main reason why I moved from Yemen to come to Egypt. And then the second Arab Spring in Egypt happened. And that led me to have an asylum seeker to come to US, specifically Minnesota.
INTERVIEWER: It was an exhausting trip. That's a long journey.
ZAYNAB ABDI: It was. [CHUCKLES]
INTERVIEWER: When you first shared your story with Green Card Voices, you'd been in the US for just a few months. When you were asked to share your story, were you afraid? Did you have any hesitancy about that?
ZAYNAB ABDI: Definitely. And I feel like a lot of refugees and immigrants always question, when is the right time to share our stories? Because there is also trauma that comes with the experience. So sharing the story itself is not an easy process. But understanding, also, the power of change that someone could make by building bridges between people who don't understand "what does it mean to be a refugee?" is really important. And it definitely took a lot of courage for me and young people in my high school to share those stories. And it really taught me a lot and made me much stronger when it comes to owning my narrative.
INTERVIEWER: You are a part of the novel. I mean, that is your story. The graphic novel is in both English and Arabic. And I'm curious about-- you made the choice to have both languages in one book. Tell me about that.
ZAYNAB ABDI: So when I came to the US, all the books, graphic novels, were all in English. And it was really great, but that was not my first language. And growing up, I enjoyed reading a lot of books in my own language. And I never found any book that shares the story of immigrants and the experience in that language. So it was really hard to find my mother tongue in my own story. And I really wanted this to be a place for people to enjoy both languages, knowing Arabic is one of the very spoken language in many countries.
And a lot of refugees also come from Arabic-speaking countries. So I really wanted young people who speak my language and who are also refugees to relate to me by reading it in their own language. So that's why I have both options, in English in Arabic.
INTERVIEWER: Did you notice-- when you were working for Green Card Voices, you were collecting the stories of other refugees in this country. Did you notice any themes that popped up that were familiar to you. that were shared across other individuals, other stories?
ZAYNAB ABDI: Yeah, so all the young authors and young people within the Green Card Voices' stories have really unique experiences. And I think-- we talked about that one theme is the looking forward to the future. That's one theme that every young refugee I talk to and interact with, they all want to do something back to their country. They all want to fix the issues that they face and how they could make this world a better place.
And that's one of the amazing things. Because people tend to think of a refugees-- when they settle in one place, they just stay there. And that's true, that-- the new places, we call home. But also, there is that sense of, what could we do to make our first home a better place so other young generations don't have to go through the same issue?
INTERVIEWER: So what would you say to Americans who have been here all their lives about-- how would you explain? How would you help them understand about what it's like to come here as a refugee?
ZAYNAB ABDI: I would say to people who have been here who may not understand the experience of refugees-- besides reading books, I feel like personal instruction is really important. Specifically in Minnesota, we now hosted the Afghani refugees. And every single person will have a neighbor, at least one person, who is a refugee, or their parents were refugees. Knocking on their door and getting to know your neighbor is one of the amazing ways to just have an empathy with someone, and getting to know them, and to know their story beyond just reading the news, looking into the book.
And this book is really a great way of having a dialogue with people. So within the middle of the book, there is a way of-- people could have interaction with one another, ask questions, and [INAUDIBLE] in certain stories so they could build empathy within one another.
INTERVIEWER: Did anyone do that for you? Did someone introduce themselves? Did they come over and want to know more about you? How did that work for you when you first got here?
ZAYNAB ABDI: So I looked into the [INAUDIBLE], which is-- majority were refugees. But I will say my high school was the biggest influence in getting to know someone. So my teachers, faculty, even other refugees themselves, we all come from different countries. And getting to know each other and our journeys has been one of the amazing ways of connecting with one another in different journeys. But I will say mainly the education system and places was the place I felt the most welcome.
INTERVIEWER: And so what does the future look like for you?
ZAYNAB ABDI: In-- work-wise, or career, or--
INTERVIEWER: Oh, yes.
ZAYNAB ABDI: So I'm two weeks away from finishing my master's degree at Columbia University, in the [? development ?] practice. So I'm really excited to use my knowledge and finding ways of helping developing countries with things related to girls' education, gender, migration, and looking to financial inclusion in general. So next, for sure, will be giving back to the world. Because I really appreciate the world made a new home for me in Minnesota. And giving back to other people so they could feel at home and feel safe is one of my goals.
INTERVIEWER: Wow, fantastic. And congratulations, Zaynab. This is a beautiful book.
ZAYNAB ABDI: Thank you very much.
INTERVIEWER: It's been a real pleasure talking to you as well. Best of luck in the future.
ZAYNAB ABDI: Thank you. And tomorrow, we have the book launch. So I hope people could join.
INTERVIEWER: Absolutely, I'm going to tell people about that right now. Zaynab, thank you.
ZAYNAB ABDI: Thank you.
INTERVIEWER: We've been talking to Zaynab Abdi. She'll be at the Loft Literary Center-- that's downtown Minneapolis-- to talk about her book tomorrow evening at 6:00 PM. And by the way, arts programming on NPR News is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Green Card Voices is an immigrant-led nonprofit publishing organization based in Minneapolis. It uses the art of storytelling to share personal narratives of immigrants and refugees. The newest book they've helped publish is a graphic novel for kids called Voice for Refuge: Our Stories Carried Us Here. The author and subject of the book, Zaynab Abdi, joins us now to talk about it. Zaynab, welcome.
ZAYNAB ABDI: Hi, thank you for hosting us.
INTERVIEWER: Absolutely, thank you for being with us. I understand you're from Yemen originally. Would you tell us the story of coming to the US?
ZAYNAB ABDI: Yeah. So I'm from both Yemen and Somalia. My brothers are both from Somalia and Yemen. I was born in Somalia, lived in Yemen for a long time until the Arab Spring happened in Yemen in the end of 2010, 2011. And then that was the main reason why I moved from Yemen to come to Egypt. And then the second Arab Spring in Egypt happened. And that led me to have an asylum seeker to come to US, specifically Minnesota.
INTERVIEWER: It was an exhausting trip. That's a long journey.
ZAYNAB ABDI: It was. [CHUCKLES]
INTERVIEWER: When you first shared your story with Green Card Voices, you'd been in the US for just a few months. When you were asked to share your story, were you afraid? Did you have any hesitancy about that?
ZAYNAB ABDI: Definitely. And I feel like a lot of refugees and immigrants always question, when is the right time to share our stories? Because there is also trauma that comes with the experience. So sharing the story itself is not an easy process. But understanding, also, the power of change that someone could make by building bridges between people who don't understand "what does it mean to be a refugee?" is really important. And it definitely took a lot of courage for me and young people in my high school to share those stories. And it really taught me a lot and made me much stronger when it comes to owning my narrative.
INTERVIEWER: You are a part of the novel. I mean, that is your story. The graphic novel is in both English and Arabic. And I'm curious about-- you made the choice to have both languages in one book. Tell me about that.
ZAYNAB ABDI: So when I came to the US, all the books, graphic novels, were all in English. And it was really great, but that was not my first language. And growing up, I enjoyed reading a lot of books in my own language. And I never found any book that shares the story of immigrants and the experience in that language. So it was really hard to find my mother tongue in my own story. And I really wanted this to be a place for people to enjoy both languages, knowing Arabic is one of the very spoken language in many countries.
And a lot of refugees also come from Arabic-speaking countries. So I really wanted young people who speak my language and who are also refugees to relate to me by reading it in their own language. So that's why I have both options, in English in Arabic.
INTERVIEWER: Did you notice-- when you were working for Green Card Voices, you were collecting the stories of other refugees in this country. Did you notice any themes that popped up that were familiar to you. that were shared across other individuals, other stories?
ZAYNAB ABDI: Yeah, so all the young authors and young people within the Green Card Voices' stories have really unique experiences. And I think-- we talked about that one theme is the looking forward to the future. That's one theme that every young refugee I talk to and interact with, they all want to do something back to their country. They all want to fix the issues that they face and how they could make this world a better place.
And that's one of the amazing things. Because people tend to think of a refugees-- when they settle in one place, they just stay there. And that's true, that-- the new places, we call home. But also, there is that sense of, what could we do to make our first home a better place so other young generations don't have to go through the same issue?
INTERVIEWER: So what would you say to Americans who have been here all their lives about-- how would you explain? How would you help them understand about what it's like to come here as a refugee?
ZAYNAB ABDI: I would say to people who have been here who may not understand the experience of refugees-- besides reading books, I feel like personal instruction is really important. Specifically in Minnesota, we now hosted the Afghani refugees. And every single person will have a neighbor, at least one person, who is a refugee, or their parents were refugees. Knocking on their door and getting to know your neighbor is one of the amazing ways to just have an empathy with someone, and getting to know them, and to know their story beyond just reading the news, looking into the book.
And this book is really a great way of having a dialogue with people. So within the middle of the book, there is a way of-- people could have interaction with one another, ask questions, and [INAUDIBLE] in certain stories so they could build empathy within one another.
INTERVIEWER: Did anyone do that for you? Did someone introduce themselves? Did they come over and want to know more about you? How did that work for you when you first got here?
ZAYNAB ABDI: So I looked into the [INAUDIBLE], which is-- majority were refugees. But I will say my high school was the biggest influence in getting to know someone. So my teachers, faculty, even other refugees themselves, we all come from different countries. And getting to know each other and our journeys has been one of the amazing ways of connecting with one another in different journeys. But I will say mainly the education system and places was the place I felt the most welcome.
INTERVIEWER: And so what does the future look like for you?
ZAYNAB ABDI: In-- work-wise, or career, or--
INTERVIEWER: Oh, yes.
ZAYNAB ABDI: So I'm two weeks away from finishing my master's degree at Columbia University, in the [? development ?] practice. So I'm really excited to use my knowledge and finding ways of helping developing countries with things related to girls' education, gender, migration, and looking to financial inclusion in general. So next, for sure, will be giving back to the world. Because I really appreciate the world made a new home for me in Minnesota. And giving back to other people so they could feel at home and feel safe is one of my goals.
INTERVIEWER: Wow, fantastic. And congratulations, Zaynab. This is a beautiful book.
ZAYNAB ABDI: Thank you very much.
INTERVIEWER: It's been a real pleasure talking to you as well. Best of luck in the future.
ZAYNAB ABDI: Thank you. And tomorrow, we have the book launch. So I hope people could join.
INTERVIEWER: Absolutely, I'm going to tell people about that right now. Zaynab, thank you.
ZAYNAB ABDI: Thank you.
INTERVIEWER: We've been talking to Zaynab Abdi. She'll be at the Loft Literary Center-- that's downtown Minneapolis-- to talk about her book tomorrow evening at 6:00 PM. And by the way, arts programming on NPR News is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
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