A poem by Khadija Ali, Somali Bantu refugee youth

Coming to America was a big transition for me.

When my parents told me that we are going to America,

I was happy like I will get billions of dollars

Because I thought my friends would come with me,

Which they didn’t come with me.

After my parents told me that we are going to America,

I asked, “Why?”

Their response was to have a better life than what we have now.

Just like seasons change, life changed too,

Coming to America

To have a better life you need to work hard, is it not something that comes to you?

Coming to America