By Dr. Bruce Corrie

Recent news reports about Somali youth being recruited to fight in Somalia are very disturbing. By contrast, I had the opportunity recently to interact with the community, and that interaction provided an insight worth exploring.  I was responsible for the Minnesota component of a national consumer study on African immigrants. Apart from consumer preferences, we also asked participants questions about life in America and their attitudes toward a wide range of issues. The study consisted of a sample of 393 African immigrants in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and the Twin Cities. The study was conducted by New American Dimensions of Los Angeles on behalf of the U.S. African Chamber of Commerce and was funded by the Minneapolis Foundation.