09/25/2024
https://www.mynortheaster.com/news/dfl-rising-star-runs-programs-for-somali-youth/ "Holland neighborhood resident Saciido Shaie has made her career ensuring diverse voices are heard. In recent weeks, she has helped shape proposed legislation that would broaden the use of mediation services in housing disputes.
The bill, sponsored by State Representative Alice Hausman, would be an attempt to increase housing stability and decrease the number evictions. It would incorporate sensitivity to different cultures, and that’s where Shaie’s efforts come in, explained Shaie’s colleague Beth Bailey.
Bailey is the executive director of Community Mediation and Restorative Services (CMRS), a nonprofit that has worked closely with Shaie on a number of projects. “Saciido makes sure that there’s a Somali voice in the room wherever decisions are being made,” said Bailey.
Shaie’s participation in legislation making is just one of the many ways she makes sure that the Somali perspective is part of important discussions. In 2013, along with former Minnesota Health Commissioner Anne Barry and legislators, she helped put together a bill to form the state’s Cultural and Ethnic Communities Leadership Council. The council, of which she is a member, reviews Department of Human Services programs and makes recommendations for reducing disparities in those programs.
“We have all these disparities, and we’re waiting for other people to do it for us. But at the end of the day, it’s affecting us. We are the minorities. It’s affecting our families, our kids, our neighborhoods,” said Shaie, during an interview at Caribou Coffee by the Quarry, one of her favorite places to work near home.
She’s served on many other committees, councils and boards, including the Minnesota Department of Human Services Children’s Trust Fund and the Minnesota Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee. In 2017 she was appointed by the governor to serve on the council of the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota. On a more local level, she has served on the Minneapolis Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission, serving as a vice-chair of the group. She has been involved in the Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association."
DFL “Rising Star” runs programs for Somali youth by Karen Kracoposted on March 24, 2019Holland neighborhood resident Saciido Shaie has made her career ensuring diverse voices are heard. In recent weeks, she has helped shape proposed legislation that would broaden the use of mediation services in...
