Solidarity

Immigration Across Communities

Join us as we dive deeply to understand what solidarity is and is not through learning specific narrative examples of cross-cultural, cross-communal solidarity among immigrants in Minnesota along with the challenges and energizing successes that arise in our local context.

Speakers:

  • Jaylani Hussein – Executive Director – CAIR-MN

  • Juventino Meza – Co-founder NAVIGATE MN and Capitol Pathway Internship

  • UyenThi Tran Myhre – Movement Building Associate with the Building Movement Project

  • Moderator: Suleiman Adan – Racial Equity Consulting Manager

This event has ended.
Thank you to those who joined in our conversation.

Speakers

  • Jaylani Hussein is currently the executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN). He leads the state’s advocacy and civil rights for Muslims and marginalized communities. He is passionate leader that specializes in the areas of urban planning, community development, youth development (with over 8 years’ experience in working in juvenile treatment centers for court adjudicated youth), legal and civil rights. Hussein has been active with various community organizations in Minnesota including serving on the board of the American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa (ARAHA) and the advisory board for Anoka Ramsey Community College. He also advices and works a number of Mosques and nonprofit institutions across the State.

    Hussein is a sought-out speaker who has keynoted numbers diverse events and programs across the Nation. Hussein appears regularly on Minnesota’s local television and radio stations. He has also appeared national and international outlets including ABC News, CNN, FOX BUSINESS, NPR, BBC among other outlets.

    Hussein’s family emigrated from Somalia to Minnesota in 1993 and he is trilingual (English, Somali, Arabic). Hussein holds degrees in Community Development and City Planning from St. Cloud State University and Political Science from North Dakota State University.

  • UyenThi (pronounced “Wing-T”) Tran Myhre (she/her) is the Coordinator, Movement Building Programs with the Building Movement Project, supporting communications work, curriculum development and trainings, and solidarity cohorts.

    Prior to joining BMP, UyenThi held leadership roles at the YMCA of the North Equity Innovation Center and the University of Minnesota Women’s Center, where she worked with college students, K-12 and higher education faculty and staff, as well as nonprofit professionals in various sectors. She holds a Bachelor’s in Journalism and Certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota.

    UyenThi is interested in storytelling and narrative-shifting as strategies for social change and creating a better world. She is part of the team at Project Yellow Dress, a platform uplifting voices and stories from the Southeast Asian diaspora. As a daughter of refugees, writer, and facilitator, her work explores the intersections of family, feminism, abolition, and beyond, often through a pop culture lens.

  • Juventino Meza co-founded NAVIGATE MN (now Unidos MN), a leadership development program, and co-founded the Capitol Pathways internship program for college students of color and Native American students as an effort to diversify who works in and around Minnesota state government.

    Juventino is the only undocumented Minnesotan appointed to a MN State Board and one of few undocumented Minnesotans to obtain a law degree in Minnesota. Juventino serves on the Policy Committee of the MN Immigrant Law Center and was appointed April 2023 by Governor Tim Walz/Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan to the Minnesota Latino Affairs Council. Juventino joined the Portico Healthnet Board in 2023.

    Juventino Meza holds a B.A. from Augsburg University and a J.D. with a Native American Law and Sovereignty Certificate from Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Juventino is a lobbyist focused on Native and BIPOC communities and energy policy.

Moderator

  • For over a decade, Suleiman has dedicated his efforts to grassroots organizing, making an impact locally in Minneapolis and extending his influence across national borders. He has also provided training to grassroots organizations in eight European, Middle Eastern, and East African countries. In this new capacity, he traversed the state, delivering training to teachers on equity-centered curriculum development and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices.

    Suleiman’s commitment to Education Advocacy has been unwavering, evident through his participation on various boards and advisory councils within Minnesota. Beyond education, he’s established himself as a skilled Project Manager with a versatile portfolio spanning multiple countries and industries. In addition, Suleiman is a practiced DEI Professional, rooted in the belief that discomfort is an essential step toward growth. His approach to facilitation revolves around the concept that progress might initially feel challenging, but through dedicated practice, we can move beyond our comfort zones.

    Suleiman holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Minnesota – one in Education and Human Resource Development and the other in Public Health and Biology. He is also a Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Minnesota. Additionally, he is a Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and a Certified Project Manager (PMP).

    YWCA Minneapolis, Race Equity Consulting Manager

    Contact at sadan@ywcampls.org