Marginalizing Somali Immigrant Communities in Minneapolis: Tracing the Steps of Economic Displacement in the Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood

Abstract

In this paper, I argue that the Somali-American immigrant population in Minneapolis is subject to the processes of gentrification. As an economically and culturally marginalized population, Somali-American immigrants have faced adversity and unique challenges as a result of gentrification in the Ward 6 district of Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis. I conducted a series of focus group interviews with the Somali-American residents in Cedar-Riverside and the findings indicate that the Somali-American families that can withstand living in gentrifying areas like Ward 6 may find themselves further marginalized, both economically and socially.