Somalis abroad in public life
Hussein Samatar
Hussein Samatar (1964 to 25 August 2013) was a Somali-American banker and community organiser who founded the African Development Center in Minneapolis in 2004 and in 2010 became the first Somali American elected to public office in Minnesota, on the Minneapolis School Board.
Hussein SamatarHussein Mohamed Mohamud Samatar
- Lived
- 1964 to 2013-08-25
- Known as one of
- Somalis abroad in public life
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who was he?
Hussein Samatar was a Somali-American banker, community organiser and politician (Wikipedia). He was born in 1964 and grew up in Kismayo in the Lower Juba region; his mother came from Afmadow (same source). He finished high school in Mogadishu and graduated from the Somali National University in 1991, days before the civil war broke out (same source).
In Minnesota
He arrived in Minnesota in December 1991 with the first wave of Somali migrants and learned English with help from a Minneapolis librarian (Wikipedia). He earned an MBA at the University of St. Thomas and joined Wells Fargo in 2002 (same source). See Somalis in Minneapolis-St Paul.
In 2004 he founded the African Development Center, which gave microloans and business training to recent immigrants; by 2009 its loan portfolio was $10 million (Wikipedia).
Public office
The mayor appointed him to the Minneapolis Library Board in 2006, and in 2010 he won a seat on the Minneapolis School Board, the first Somali American elected to public office in Minnesota (Wikipedia). He took office on 11 January 2011 (same source). See Somali Americans in public office.
Legacy
He died of leukaemia on 25 August 2013 (Wikipedia). In 2018 Minneapolis opened a pedestrian path in Cedar-Riverside named Samatar Crossing in his honour (same source).
In short
A banker who backed immigrant businesses and opened the door to Somali-American elected office in Minnesota.
Sources
- Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
Hussein SamatarHussein Mohamed Mohamud Samatar
- Lived
- 1964 to 2013-08-25
- Known as one of
- Somalis abroad in public life
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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