IN EVER-INCREASINGLY DIVERSE Minnesota, including my community of Faribault, growing understanding between peoples rates as more important than ever.
To that point, Ibrahim Khalif, executive direction of the Faribault Youth Empowerment Center, will speak at 6 pm Thursday, April 16, on “Building Bridges: Intro to Somali Culture” at the Rice County Historical Society (RCHS) in Faribault.
I attended that same presentation by Khalif in late January at the local library and highly-recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the many Somalis who call my community, and Minnesota, home.
Khalif knows of what he speaks. He arrived in the U.S. as a teenage refugee from Somalia, grew up in Faribault, faced the challenged and embraced the joys of living here.
His January talk proved educational as Khalif shared personal stories, photos and information about the Somali culture. Both helped the sixty of us in attendance to better understand our Somali neighbors and ways we can connect to each other.
Certainly the word “bridges,” titling his talk, fits. Bridges connect. Khalif’s talk focuses on “building bridges in a diverse environment,” according to a media release from the RCHS. The release further states that Khalif “will share information and insights that help us foster mutual respect and understanding.”
I’m all for that and hope Thursday evening’s event is as well attended as his first at the library. I feel like way too many locals remain unwelcoming of the thousands of Somalis who call Faribault home. I’d like to see attitudes change. That starts with listening, learning, connecting on a personal level, bridging that which divides, recognizing that we are all just people.
FYI: To pre-register for “Building Bridges: Intro to Somali Culture” on April 16, call the RCHS at 507-332-2121. Admission is free for RCHS members and $5 for non-members.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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