Tuesday February 21, 2023
BY ANTHONY MONZON
SEATTLE, February 17, 2023 - Somali families in South Seattle have created a new collection of kid's books to preserve their language for generations to come in the United States.
Seattle has one of the nation's largest Somali communities. While it's the second most commonly spoken language in the city's public school system, according to the
Somali Family Safety Task Force, stories from the culture are hard to come by.
"When we came, we lost all our country. We lost everything," said SFSTF Executive Director Farhiya Mohamed. "The libraries back home, all of them, they were not here, and then the libraries here, they don't have books."
It's why Mohamed banded together with several South Seattle families to write a series of Somali-English children's books, giving libraries and schools new tools to teach the language.
"The kids, if they see someone that looks like their mom, also they will be happy." Mohamed continued, "they can see it, and then they can learn their own language."
This month, the task force published five original books. Some of them are inspired by traditional tales, while others like 'Hana & Harun,' a story of siblings helping each other learn new skills, recount real experiences from Seattle's Somali community.
"I really love that story because you can see how the kids, they can support each other, and then what you need, you can learn it too. So other kids, when they read this story, they will, you know, get that idea to support also other kids who need their support," said Mohamed.
Their arrival has been celebrated by city leaders like Mayor Harrell, and is drawing interest from organizations around the country.
"We're getting a lot of phone calls, a lot of emails, so many people, they want to get to these books," Mohamed said. "We can be a role model for other communities who came as a refugees in this country."
Print and audio versions of these new Somali-English books are now available at the Seattle Public Library. SPL, Seattle Public Schools, and Seattle Housing Authority helped support the initiative.