Introduction

Somalis have a long tradition of going abroad to travel, work, or study. As one historian has noted, "[T]he Somali who goes striding through the bush with his camels and armed with a spear may know the slang of British sailors, or the jargon of Chicago, and play an excellent game of football."

Today, about 1 million Somalis live scattered around the world. While the great majority are refugees living in neighboring countries in East Africa and in the Middle East, there are Somali communities throughout Europe and North America. The largest is in Toronto, Canada, where more than 10,000 Somalis have settled in recent years.

The first Somali immigrants came to the United States in the 1920s and settled in the New York area. Most were sailors, although some worked in steel mills, and most came from northern Somalia. These early immigrants became naturalized Americans. They contributed greatly to the Somali independence movement, especially by assisting its leaders when they came to the United Nations. After Somalia gained independence in 1960, some of these immigrants were decorated with medals, while others were given land in Somalia.

In the 1960s, Somali students began coming to the United States, mostly on U.S. government or U.N. scholarships or through the support of relatives who were living in the United States. Many returned home after their studies and contributed greatly to the development of their country.

In the mid-1980s, small numbers of Somalis were admitted to the United States as refugees. In 1990, as a result of the civil war, their numbers increased. These refugees live in different parts of the United States, with larger concentrations in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, and Detroit.

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