[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16186-16187]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            HONORING KA JOOG

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KEITH ELLISON

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 23, 2013

  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the organization 
Ka Joog, and to recognize its contributions to the Somali community of 
Minnesota through art, education, and political action.
  Ka Joog launched in 2007 as an organization with no funding, but with 
an abundance of energy and dedication. The organizers, led by Mohamed 
Farah, worked tirelessly to establish an environment where Somali youth 
could gather and solve problems in their community. Their challenges 
were abundant--from the language and cultural separation of growing up 
in a foreign country, to the negative media attention of gang shootings 
and drug trafficking. The members wanted to help Somali teens ``stay 
away''--the translation of Ka Joog--from ``drugs, violence, 
radicalization and other negative influences, and instead to stay on 
the right path by attaining higher education and serving and 
volunteering in their communities.''
  And in that, they have been phenomenally successful. Last year, Ka 
Joog was awarded the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award by the 
FBI's Minneapolis Division, as well as the Ninth Ward's Youth Leader of 
the Year award. In just six years, Ka Joog has established itself as a 
political and cultural force in the Twin Cities.
  Its programming is diverse and effective. Mentoring groups provide 
support and guidance to the youngest of the community through 
workshops, field trips and tutoring. A program called ``Invisible Art'' 
fosters discussions through prose, poetry and song, nurturing 
creativity and effective communication. A summer camp last year 
provided a new connection to Minnesota's natural environment for 
disadvantaged Somali youth, many of

[[Page 16187]]

whom had never left the Twin Cities. Ka Joog regularly hosts 
conferences and roundtables on issues affecting the Somali community, 
gathering local, state, and federal officials to discuss gang violence, 
job opportunities, education, health and medical disparities, and the 
prevention of terrorism. Not only does their work solve many problems 
through discussion, coalition building, and personal engagement, it 
also demonstrates to youth who feel left out of the political process 
that they too can accomplish their goals by working hard and working 
together.
  Ka Joog has already helped thousands of Minnesota youth, and it is 
poised to help even more in the future. On behalf of all Minnesotans, I 
thank Ka Joog for its public service.

                          ____________________