12/2025 Minnesota has one of the largest populations of Somalis (over 80,000 and most are either legal residents or U.S. citizens) in the United States, and our Somali population has been represented wide and far in our local, city, state and National governments, in business, in education and more. Somalis are a vibrant part of our culture here in Minnesota and I stand behind our local government, our Mayor and our Governor, in standing up against ICE. As Jamal Osman, our Minneapolis City Council member says: “Many Somalis that live in this community are working at your groceries, working at your hospitals, delivering your babies. They are very successful individuals. ” Osman, a Minneapolis City Council member, came to the United States from Somalia.
It is hard to fathom what is happening in the US as quite frankly we are ALL immigrants except the Native Americans who land we stole, whose culture we decimated and whose lives we have ravaged. It is the beauty of all our cultures that makes us great, not the hate.
NM
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Last Tuesday on my flight home from LaGuardia I had the most exceptional experience. In fact, days later after an incredibly inspiring three-day visit to New York City where I attended the 2013 Social Good Summit, I still cannot stop thinking about my plane ride home. Sitting next to me on the window seat was a new American.
I really wanted to capture her beautiful, kind face but she was sleeping by the time I thought of it. Here is the New Minnesotan, a mom just like me.
For all that I’ve traveled, I have never actually been on a plane with someone immigrating to the United States. Seeing this middle-aged Somali woman sitting tentatively next to me wearing her U.S. Immigration Tag and holding her white plastic U.S. Immigration bag, simply blew me away. I couldn’t stop thinking it was a strange coincidence that she happened to not only be on my flight but was sitting right next to me after I had just spent three extremely intense days at the Social Good Summit learning about a vast array of global issues.
Fall has always been my absolute favorite time of year. As the days and nights grow shorter and the sun shines her glorious luminous light, the leaves ever so slowly begin to change. This year, fall has been coming at a snail’s pace given our Indian Summer. Yet during the last few days the leaves have begun to turn into their magical tapestry of colors. Hues from pumpkin oranges, to scarlet reds and golden yellows delight the eyes. It is nature’s way of rewarding us with beauty and preparing us for the long, colorless winter ahead.
“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats”. – Iris Murdoch
Back in May, I had the unique opportunity to see Save the Children’s work on the ground in India. A big part of Save the Children’s strategy is the employment and training of Frontline Health Care Workers on the ground where oftentimes access to health care is severely limited.
On a steamy hot day in late-May, Jennifer James (Founder of Mom Bloggers for Social Good) and me got to visit The Indira Kalyan Camp, an unauthorized slum inside Delhi to meet with some of the amazing Frontline Health Care Workers providing hope, care and saving lives.
The beautiful colorful dresses worn by Indian women captured my attention.
Listening to one xxx
Meeting with Frontline Health Care Workers in the Indira Kalyan Camp
At the start of this week I was fortunate to attend the 2013 Social Good Summit in New York City. Held at the 92nd Street Y in partnership with Mashable, the United Nations Foundation, Ericsson and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Social Good Summit is a three-day global conversation on how we are using social media and technology to change some of the world’s most pressing issues.
This year’s theme was #2030now and basically asked the global community one thought-provoking question: In a global digital landscape that focuses on the now, where do we want to be by 2030 and how can digital tools help us reach our goals.
The highly intense three-day summit covered a broad range of today’s most urgent issues such as climate change, global health, poverty, energy and education, and pulls together some of the most prolific, influential thinkers and global change-makers in the world. We got to hear from such amazing visionaries as Melinda Gates, Al Gore, US Ambassador Samantha Power, Malala Yousafzai, Sir Richard Branson and more. Furthermore, the global reach of the Social Good Summit was huge: It was livestreamed in 120 countries and translated into seven languages making it truly a global event.
For me, it was the second year in a row that I attended the Social Good Summit and it was amazing, inspiring and extremely overwhelming. I learned so incredibly much and was so inspired over the past few days that it is going to take me quite awhile to process all the information I learned.
I wanted to share a few highlights of the Summit below and look forward to sharing more in depth stories over the new couple of months on my blog. Highlights of the Summit included my first visit to the United Nations Headquarters where I got to listen to a panel called “Africa Rising”, attending an intimate roundtable hosted by Save the Children, ONE and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the crisis in Syria, and also catching up with my growing number of wonderful online social good bloggers and friends.
First Day of the Social Good Summit
Photo of me proudly displaying my UN Panel Badge
Me and my social good friends gearing up to enter the United Nations.
Inside the United Nations
My fellow World Mom Blogger Nancy from Tanzania, CEO of Save the Children Carolyn Miles, Me, Jennifer Barbour and Elizabeth Atately (Global Team of 200) and Phil Carroll of Save the Children (L-R)
View leaving the UN
Some of my key take-aways from this year’s Social Good Summit include:
The power of our voice via social media to be heard and make change. It inspires and encourages me to keep doing what I’m doing by covering social good issues and stories.
The amazing power of technology to make change: There are 3.3 billion people in the world that currently have access to cell phones and this number is estimated to hit 95% of world population by 2014 which is an amazing opportunity for change.
The opportunity of future “millennials” in the world. We must get the youth empowered and inspired to make change as they will represent a large part of the world’s population.
Women living on the streets outside the US Embassy
The Social Good Summit made me realize that there is hope. Covering such tragic social good issues for the last year sometimes seems like it is a daunting, unachievable dream to end poverty, suffering and preventable deaths. Yet, after listening to these amazing people who are changing the world as we speak, I’ve realized that positive change is possible and there is a tremendous amount of opportunity to make the world a better place. Of course we can’t change some of the evils of mankind. There will always be fighting and bloodshed and war. Yet we do have the tools to end poverty and preventable deaths. I left feeling inspired that someday the world will be a better, more equitable place for all.
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Favorite Quotes/Tweets from Social Good Summit that inspired me
“Youth are the next generation leaders. They are #2030NOW”. On stage right now @stacymartinet@CrownPrincessMM@HelenClarkUNDP
“The price of inaction has become higher than the cost of action. Enough is enough.” – Paul Polman #2030NOW
“There usually comes a moment in our lives when we all decide we need to believe in something” – Ben Keesey, Invisible Children #2030NOW
“Remind people that they are more powerful than they think, engage them to create change” @BenKeesey #2030NOW @plus_socialgood
“It doesn’t have to be money, it can be your voice. Just give back @HelenClarkUNDP #2030now #SocialGoodSummit
“Photographers tell the story of who we are today & can inspire who we become tomorrow” @marcusbleasdale #2030Now
“Theme this year of #2030now because today’s children will be tomorrow’s change makers”. #ActOnClimate
“Social media is changing the world, and we’re all here witnessing it.” -@iansomerhalder #2030NOW
There will be 1 billion mobile phones in #Africa. ‘#malaria will be the first disease to be defeated by mobile’ -@MNM_Martin at #2030now
“Citizens have the capacity to put an issue on the map.” -@AmbassadorPower #2030NOW
“Without peace there is no development, and without development there is no peace” Jan Eliasson #2030NOW
‘Water is peace’…2000 children under age of 5 die everyday due to problem of sanitation. Eliasson at#2030Now
3.3 billion ppl have access to mobiles – furthest reaching tech in the world #2030now
“20 million children under age of 5 were dying per yr in 1960. Today that figure is 6.6 million.”@melindagates #2030NOW
In 2014, 95% of the world will have access to cell phones. How do we use this technology to make the world better? @melindagates#2030now
“The course of civilization is going to be shaped by us. Make your voices heard.” @algore on the#climatecrisis #2030NOW#SocialGoodSummit
@algore at #SocialGoodSummit – the 18 year olds today are the ones who will change our future. Take action. #2030NOW
20 millions NY consume just as much energy comparable to the 850 on the continent of Africa.#2030NOW #EnergyResponsibility
We cannot succeed if half of us are held back. Women must speak, must raise their voices. – Malala #MalalaFund
In just one day, the amount of time wasted by women collecting water could build 28 Empire State Bldgs.bit.ly/14FSrkL #2030NOW
50 million girls are victims of sexual abuse & exploitation around the world – UNICEF’s Anthony Lake on #ENDviolence at#2030NOW
We must start conversations young to combat gender inequality, especially with boys. The responsibility must not only be on women. #2030NOW
Link to agenda, speakers, etc on SGS : http://mashable.com/sgs/
To watch any of the past clips on the Social Good Summit: Click at this link to view the Livestream of Social Good Summit (available in seven languages)
Video clip on Malala’s speech: Click here to watch. It is really inspiring.
Yesterday as part of my new role as a National Geographic Kids Insider, I participated in a fabulous one-hour video call with National Geographic Kid’s photographer Kelley Miller.
National Geographic Photographer Kelley Miller
Kelley has one of my dream jobs: Traveling around the world and getting paid to take pictures! As someone who absolutely loves to take photos yet has never had any formal training whatsoever, I learned a ton from Kelley’s basic photography tips on how to capture nature, specifically animals in the wild. Normally, I prefer to take photos of landscapes or objects and haven’t really attempted to photograph animals in the wild. It looks like now I will have my chance!
Starting today through September 29th, National Geographic is hosting “The Great Nature Project” which is a worldwide photography project to share plants and animals from your world while celebrating the immense diversity of our planet. It is National Geographic’s goal to set a Guinness Book of World Records title for the largest online photo album in the world of animals.
So now you’re all ready to go right? Well, not without sharing the dozen tips I received from Kelley. In a nutshell, here are Kelley’s 10 top tips for photographing nature:
Be observant. Look around and really, truly look. There are dozens of amazing things in nature that are just awaiting to be captured on film. All it takes is a willingness to truly seek the photo opportunities out.
Make eye contact with the animals and smile. Seriously this sounds rather silly but it is not. Capturing an animal on film looking back at you into the camera is bound to give you a fabulous picture. Yet it takes patience and persistence!
Don’t always frame your subject in the center of the picture. Instead, make the photos more interesting by positioning the subject off to a side.
Show animals in their natural environment as often as possible. The landscape and sense of space can truly give the picture a sense of scale and dimension for the animal. Also pay attention to graphic details.
Photo credit: Kelley Miller/National Geographic
Go for motion. If an animal is running, be ready and catch it on film in all its glory. Get as close as you can to the action. Timing is everything!
Pursue the personality of the animal. For example, we all love hippos basking in the mud or animals being playful.
Look for details and capture it. If the animal is a peacock, do a close up on its wings. Zoom in on a specific body part such as the eyes, ears, nose or mouth. You’ll be amazed how much detail can change the entire feeling of a photo.
Try for different angles of a shot. For example, why not capture a bug on a leaf looking down on it?
Experiment with changing from color to black and white. Sometimes the details of the photo will be more striking without color.
Make the animal stand out. Use a simple background or a shallow depth of field. The subject will literally pop off the page!
Photo credit: Kelley Miller/National Geographic
If only I could take such incredible photos! There is so much to learn. But if you are like me you are willing to keep at it and keep trying. Well, here is your chance! You can participate in The Great Nature Project and be a contributor of the world’s largest ever online photo collection of nature and animals.
All information below is used with permission from National Geographic’s website: The Great Nature Project (www.greatnatureproject.org). To see more details, click here.
The Great Nature Project
The Great Nature Project is a worldwide celebration of the planet and its wonders. People of all ages are invited to appreciate nature by taking pictures of plants and animals in their worlds, and then sharing those pictures with the whole world. Together we’ll create a global snapshot of the Earth’s incredible biodiversity—and try for a Guinness World Records® title for the largest-ever online album of animal photos!
The Great Nature Project is one of the largest initiatives National Geographic has ever created, but we need your help to pull it off. So get outside, explore, and connect, and join us for a project as big as the world itself.
How to Participate
With the Great Nature Project, you can share the plants and animals in your world with the whole world. From the national park to the parking lot, you can grab your camera and document the wildlife you see. By participating, you’ll help National Geographic celebrate the amazing and diverse life on our planet. You can also help us win a Guinness World Records® title for the largest online animal photo album.
To join in, snap a picture of a plant or animal in your neighborhood, and upload it to a photo sharing site like Flickr, Instagram, Twitter, or National Geographic Your Shot,making sure to tag it #GreatNature. To participate in the record, add #animal to any animal photo.
One area of development that is near and dear to my heart is child survival. As a mother of two children and a world traveler, I’ve seen firsthand the poverty and pain that many mothers around the world face by protecting their children and giving them everything they can to help them survive.
Often when I work with these children and their mothers, and I learn more about some of the devastating obstacles that stand in the way to raising a healthy, happy child, my heart gets broken. You see, my children were born in the United States to two educated parents who have the ability to ensure they receive good nutrition, safe drinking water and proper sanitation, education, immunizations and health care. Sometimes I scratch my head in disbelief realizing how lucky we are to live in a place where we take these fundamental rights for granted.
The children of Indira Kalyan Camp
Smiling and hopeful Indian girls within a Delhi slum are sadly thin.
Volunteering in Honduras
Children at a day care center in Honduras where I volunteered last January.
Lovely Nepali girls smile at the camera.
Children in a Delhi slum are able to attend school thanks to the support of NGOs like Pratham.
I believe strongly that it is our moral obligation to ensure other people around the world have the same opportunities at a healthy life as we do. Yes, the task is incredibly daunting and immense. But we can change things.
“There is a place where the sidewalk ends And before the street begins, And there the grass grows soft and white, And there the sun burns crimson bright, And there the moon-bird rests from his flight To cool in the peppermint wind.
One of my favorite places to savor the change of the seasons in my hometown is the Lake Harriet Rose Garden. Located just a short block off my favorite urban lake, The Lake Harriet Rose Garden always inspires no matter what time of year.
My two favorite seasons to capture the color inside the Rose Garden are Spring and Fall. Different perennials pop up each month and it is always exciting to see what I will find. After a hot couple of weeks, today finally felt a bit more like fall. The brilliant blue September sky cast its luminous glow across Minneapolis and I knew I’d have to go take some photos of the beautiful fall flowers at the Lake Harriet Rose Garden. Here is a peak at what I found. Enjoy!
Over the past year, I have worked hard to build awareness and share the stories with my readers on some of the biggest social issues in the world. I have written about global health, poverty, education, safe water and sanitation, human rights, and most of all, how all of these issues have especially impacted women and girls in the developing world.
The beautiful girls at Protsahan finally getting a better future for themselves.
One topic that is near and dear to my heart is violence against women and girls. It is absolutely horrifying that in today’s world women and girls are being physically and sexually abused on a daily basis. Sadly, it happens everywhere. Yet violence against women and girls is even a greater problem in countries of poverty where the status of women is often so incredibly marginalized that women and girls have little or no say in the matter.
Living in the slums of India can be a dangerous place for a young girl.
Traveling last May to India brought the issue of violence against women and girls to the forefront. I had just arrived after the horrendous rape and killing of a young Indian girl on a moving bus. The country was still in an uproar over the event and justice against these young men who took her life is still being sought. Today, I read the surprising news that these men have been convicted of the highest penalty possible: The death penalty and perhaps marked a change in the way law fighting these atrocities will be handled.
Yet has anything really truly changed for the millions of women around the world who are faced with violence, discrimination, harassment, intimidation, neglect and unworthiness every single day of their lives? Not much. There are laws in India against physical and sexual abuse but seldom are they enforced.
In honor of remembering one of the greatest tragedies to hit our country, September 11th, it is important for us as a country to protect some of the most vulnerable citizens of all: Our children.
Please read the post below and learn more on what we as a nation can do to ensure that no children are forgotten in times of tragedy. Also, please share on Facebook and twitter with your friends and family. This is something we can all work together to easily change.
A memorial in honor of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementarry School shooting. Photo credit: Save the Children
Last week Save the Children released their 2013 National Report Card on Protecting Children in Disasters, a study showing where our nation is at when it comes to protecting children in times of emergencies. The report titled “Unaccounted For: A National Report Card on Protecting Children in Disasters” comes after a heartbreaking year of disasters and tragedies such as the elementary school massacre at Sandy Hook as well as the Hurricane Sandy and Oklahoma tornado. Unfortunately, the report clearly demonstrates that we have a long way to go in protecting our children against disaster.
Out of the four standards that states must implement to protect children in the face of disaster – (1)states must require all schools and child care centers to have an evacuation and (2) relocation plan, (3) a family reunification plan and (4) a plan for children with special needs – only four states took action to meet all standards this year. Furthermore, 28 states still lack basic measures to safeguard children in child care and schools. It is apparent that something needs to be done.
The last two weeks have been extremely difficult. I found myself last Monday on an unexpected trip to address some very personal family matters. Throughout it all- the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, the ups and the downs – I remembered one eternal thing: The power of being positive and how being positive impacts your life. How you view what comes your way can make or break you.
No matter how hard life slams you down against the ground, you’ve got to fight back. Life is all a matter of how you deal with the cards you’ve been dealt. Of course it is excruciatingly hard to remain positive when everything turns dark but I’ve learned throughout my forty plus years on this earth that you must. The power of being positive is the only power you’ve got against uncertainty and things you cannot change.
The most important thing I’ve tried to hold onto with all my might is the realization that no matter what —-you must never ever give up. The power of being positive will get you through anything and everything. No matter how hard life beats you up and knocks you numb to the ground. You’ve got to believe.
“Seeds of faith are always within us; sometimes it takes a crisis to nourish and encourage their growth.” – Susan Taylor
Any trip to Delhi requires a stop at the spectacular Lotus Temple. Built in 1986 of pure white marble from the Penteli mountain in Greece, the Lotus Temple is a Bahá’í House of Worship where people of any religions can come to pray. What makes this temple so incredibly unique and awe-inspiring is its shape and form.
Inspired by India’s sacred lotus flower, the temple is composed of 27 free-standing marble “petals” arranged in groups of three to form nine sides forming a lotus flower. It is fitting that the temple is designed to look like India’s treasured lotus flower as the lotus symbolizes many important things in Indian culture: Long life, honor, and good forturne. Images of lotus flowers can be seen throughout India as engravings on temples, buildings and in art.
