Somali Justice Advocacy Center

Background

               The Somali Justice Advocacy Center is one of the most often referenced organizations when issues facing the Somali community come to the surface. The organization's staff and volunteers have been on the front lines mobilizing resources to assist members of the Somali community work through legal issues, and at the negotiating table with city, county, state, Federal, corporate and non-profit leadership determining ways to improve conditions and promote opportunities for the Somali community.

The organization has been an effective vehicle to raise important issues to the surface, facilitate collaborative problem solving, and offer the Somali community a critical resource to adjust to the Twin Cities.

In 1993 when Somalis began to trickle into the Twin Cities, they were so small in number that most people did not take notice. The Somali community problem-solved without support, without its own network of civil institutions, and without the awareness of the broader population of Minnesota. Since that time, the Somali community has grown tremendously, and the Twin Cities now boasts the largest Somali community of any urban area in the country.

Estimates vary as to the size of the Somali community, but there is growing agreement that there are at least 60,000 Somalis in Minnesota - and perhaps as many as 80,000. Given the persistent language barriers and cultural distinctiveness of the Somali community, it is critical that the community have a culturally specific legal advocacy resource that can bridge relationships between Somalis and all other cultures in Minnesota, most particularly with the dominant culture.

Now that SJAC has a presence in both Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, and also offers regular advocacy services across Minnesota.