“Families Belong Together”

Zaynab Ali Abdi

Yemeni-Somali | Plymouth, MN | she/her/hers | Non-Profit Sector

I still remember January 2017, when former President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to ban Muslims from entering the United States. Yemen was one of many West Asian countries that were on the list. During that time, I felt hopeless and scared; scared of not being able to see my sister again. 

My sister and I grew up in Yemen. We had to flee to Egypt due to the conflict that started in Yemen following the Arab Spring. We both applied for visas to come to the United States. My request was accepted, while the request of my younger sister, who was 16 years old at the time, was denied. I came to the United States hoping that I could bring her here one day. When I read about Trump’s executive order, my hope to be reunited with my sister became an impossible dream. The United States has a long history of anti-Asian and anti-Muslim laws and policies that have deported many Asian and Muslim families for simply being from different countries and of different races.

My intersectionality as an immigrant, Asian, Muslim, and Black woman has left me with so many fears of the unknown, but it hasn’t stopped me from speaking up. Since 2017, I’ve advocated for an end to the Muslim Ban and talked to senators and representatives, sharing my story and explaining the harmful effects of separating families. 

I was so happy to see that the ban was reversed by the newly elected President Joe Biden, but there is still so much work that needs to happen to ensure families stay together. It’s been over seven years since I’ve seen my little sister. I am planning to visit her after I get my U.S. citizenship, to make sure that I can travel and come back safely without being deported or banned again. Families belong together and they should stay together forever.

Zaynab Abdi is a Black, Muslim, Middle Eastern (West Asian), Immigrant woman who is passionate about social justice and advocacy. Zaynab graduated from Wellstone International High School in 2016 and was also awarded the Rose Rees Peace Award during her senior year in high school.  Since 2016 Zaynab has been working alongside the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai where she advocated for girls’ education and spoke in the United Nations, UNICEF, and many other National and International NGOs. Zaynab works as an Immigrant and Refugee Youth Ambassador at Green Card Voices. She also works as a Civic Engagement Coordinator at Reviving Islamic Sisterhood Empowerment (RISE) to empower youth to be civically engaged and take leadership roles.