By Yasir Mungani It was 3:00 am on February 27th, 2014 when my mother frantically woke me up and told me to lock her, my father, and my siblings inside our one-bedroom apartment. She told me to hide as three police officers made their way up the stairs. I was not a target of ethnic discrimination since I was not of age. At that moment, I felt no fear, and I knew my role was to protect my family. However, that changed once I walked away with the key in hand. I asked myself, what will become of my family? Now, as I begin my college application process, I catch myself asking the same question. What will become of my family? Kenya is home to many Somali refugees, who were either born and raised there or fled Somalia due to the civil war, tribal conflict, and political chaos. After several terrorist attacks by Al-Shabab (a Somali Jihadist militant group operating in East Africa) on Kenyan territory, four major police forces wreaked havoc upon the Somali suburb of Eastleigh, Nairobi. My family lived in fear as we became subject to hate crimes and abuse — physical, sexual, and institutional — by the police forces became a part of the life of every Somali in Kenya. As I look back, I realize that some part of my identity has always put me at risk, whether it was my ethnicity back in Kenya or my racial and religious identity in America. Miraculously, our six-year process of coming to America with a family sponsorship saved us right before things got a lot worse. I do not know how many more times I could bear to watch my father empty his pockets for corrupt policemen. This was my father’s attempt to delay potential relocation, prevent the splitting of my family in camps, and protect my mother and sister from the pervasive rape culture among the policemen. To my surprise, the challenges we endured did not stop once we arrived in the United States. My father’s being the sole provider for the family, his battle with unemployment tested our strength as a family. Though it was heartbreaking to see my father convince himself he failed to shield us from harm, for my father, I could not sit around and let him believe he failed, none of us could. I got my first job at the age of 14, then my siblings and mother followed. We took the baton as a family and showed resilience and we’ve been better for it ever since. My lack of access to formal education as a kid forced me into a mindset that I will carry for the rest of my life. I learned to not take anything for granted, ever. As a result, I am my biggest supporter, motivator, and critic. My parents only need to provide the bare minimum, have high expectations, the rest is up to me. In just six years, I went from not knowing how to read or write to being a top student in my class and working as a pharmacy technician. I always stutter when I am asked “where are you from?” Though my answer varies from time to time, the real answer is my motherland, Somalia, of which I know so little but love so much. I was born as a refugee in Kenya, only to later seek refuge from the only place I had ever known. Then I arrived in the United States and found myself treated as an outcast in the place that was supposed to be my new home. If it weren’t for my family, I’d not only be lost within myself but also lost in this vast world. So the real question is, without them, what would’ve become of me?
5 Comments
Ms. Bliss
4/29/2021 05:30:56 am
Yasir, This is an amazing piece! You took me along on your journey and showed what perseverance looks like, I am so proud of the young man you have become. You are a true testament to what resilience looks like. Life is peaks and valleys and its up to us to keep going and learn from the journey. Thank you for sharing.
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Laura Delehanty
4/29/2021 06:26:56 am
Thank you for sharing your inspiring story! Good luck in the future!
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Tim Wilson
4/29/2021 09:44:02 am
This is an incredible story and a testament to your tenacity and resilience. You're destined for greatness, Yasir!
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Susan Meier
5/3/2021 10:28:16 am
This story is so powerful it brought tears to my eyes. You should submit it for publication in other magazines as well as this one. I hope your peers read it. I am so angered and frustrated by the treatment some Americans feel is appropriate for immigants. I just contually reflect on stories like yours, which I think everyone should see as testaments to strength and abiloty - exactly what will make our country stronger.
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Lynn Girven
5/3/2021 12:13:57 pm
Was awed by the events that you have already gone through as a teenager. This is a fantastic story that others should hear.
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