Asiyah Ali is a San Diego born Somali American currently in the fifth-grade. She has been a part of the United Women of East Africa’s culturally tailored Girl Scouts Program for 4 years, which focuses on fostering leadership skills, maintaining healthy relationships, and financial literacy. In this interview Asiyah, the daughter of Somali refugees, shares what it is like growing up as a Muslim Somali-American, discussing her experience one of the only Muslim students in her fifth grade class, what quirky skills she wants to teach her younger brothers, and how to cook her favorite Somali food. Asiyah’s interview gives us insight on how some of the youngest kids of Generation Z are reinforcing the importance of compassion as a way to interpret and resist Donald Trump’s islamophobia. Asiyah and I met at the Girls Scouts Program, hosted at the East African Community and Cultural Center located in City Heights. This interview was conducted by Julianne Woo, a UCSD undergraduate student, as a part of the UCSD Race and Oral History in San Diego course.
Comments by Julianne Woo