Badbaadi Walaal (Save a Brother)
Home to the second largest population of Somalis in the United States, Columbus, Ohio has been a place of triumphs and defeats, of derelictions and of self-actualizations for our community as a whole. While many of us trek along the path leading to that metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel, an undeniable dark cloud slowly follows overhead.
In 2017, Columbus claimed 143 homicide victims marking the deadliest year on record-83% of those victims were shot to death. According to Columbus police, of all homicide victims in 2017, 111 were Black, all but 10 of the victims were male, and the median age of victims was 29 years old. Among the victims in 2017 were three Columbus Indoor Soccer Cup Organization players. In honor of those players, CISCup in collaboration with Socdaal Photography has put together the Badbaadi Walaal (Save A Brother) Photo Exhibit to remember them and all of the young Somali brothers that have lost their lives to senseless gun violence here in Columbus. The Somali community of Columbus is at a pivotal moment—all of the collective successes we have achieved will continued to be overshadowed by the violence we have endured if a change is not made.
It is our hope that the Badbaadi Walaal (Save A Brother) Photo Exhibit program will empower the youth to always step up, step forward, and intervene to #SaveABrother so that we can bring an end to gun violence.
It is time to let the youth take the lead and for the rest of us to stand with them. May Allah forgive us all, bring peace to the lives that have been lost and the families that have been directly affected, and give us the foresight and tools needed to make the necessary changes.
Fardowsa Addan
I, Fardowsa Aden, promise to work with my community to lift our Somali brothers up by offering a listening ear, and working with them to resolve issues in a nonviolent manner. I don’t want to ever see another Somali mother heartbroken and crying over losing her son. It’s time that we, in this generation, come together to uplift each other.
Abdiwahab Moallin
I, Abdiwahab Moallin, promise/pledge to start paying closer attention to the people in my life, and to never keep quiet if I see something that needs to be addressed. I will intervene if a situations arises, either by dealing with it myself or by informing the elders to help find a solution.
Samira Yusuf
I, Samira Yusuf, pledge not to be a bystander as our brothers become statistics. We have be courageous enough to say something when we see that one of our own is going down the wrong path.
Yahya Afdal
I, Yahya Afdal, promise to be an example for my generation. I want us to uplift each other and create a network of support so that we don’t lose anyone else to guns.
Bahja Mohamed
I, Bahja Mohamed, pledge to listen to the advice of our elders and benefit from their knowledge. I believe that we, as the younger generation, should work with our elders so that we can learn to not repeat the same mistakes.
Ismail Mohamed
I, Ismail Mohamed, I pledge that I will be proactive. I pledge that I will listen with an open ear and an open heart to the pain and hardship that often goes unseen. I pledge to be my “brothers keeper.”
Hamdi Omar
I, Hamdi Omar, promise to become more involved with CISCUP. I want to help create year-round programs so that our brothers and sisters have healthy and productive options to spend their free time.
Ahmed Maslah
I, Ahmed Maslah, pledge to spread kindness wherever I can. Being kind seems so small, but it can really brighten up someone’s day. You never know what someone is going through, and sometimes a smile or a kind gesture can help. Even the Prophet Mohamed(SAW) said “your smile for your brother is charity.”
Halima Mohamed
I, Halima Mohamed, promise to be more attentive and listen more when my friends and family are going through a hard time. Everyone is so wrapped up in their own world that it’s easy to be selfish sometimes. I think if we can all learn to take the time to listen and talk each other through tough times we can eliminate the option of resorting to any violence.
Mustaf Dahir
I, Mustaf Dahir, pledge to be more willing to help my friends resolve conflicts peacefully. Not everything has to result in physical altercations. We have to all learn to communicate better.
Kadiedra Witt
I, Kadiedra Witt, promise to be more vocal about gun reform. Guns shouldn’t be as accessible as they are right now. We have to become more involved in the political process to change gun laws.
Ahmed Abdulle
I, Ahmed Abdulle, pledge to help bridge the gap between our generation and the older generation. Somali men and boys have to come together to work on this issue because the women and girls of our community are already doing so much. Gun violence is disproportionately affecting young men, so we need to be at the forefront of finding a solution.
Ifrah Saleh
I, Ifrah Saleh, promise to work with our community leaders to find a way to provide better access to mental health services for everyone. We need to fight the stigma against mental health and allow everyone the space they need to talk about their issues openly.
Jamal Ali
I, Jamal Ali, promise/pledge to start paying closer attention to the people in my life, and to never keep quiet if I see something that needs to be addressed. I will intervene if a situations arises, either by dealing with it myself or by informing the elders to help find a solution.
Khadra Mohamed
I, Khadra Mohamed, promise to work with my community to lift our Somali brothers up by offering a listening ear, and working with them to resolve issues in a nonviolent manner. I don’t want to ever see another Somali mother heartbroken and crying over losing her son. It’s time that we, in this generation, come together to uplift each other.
Ali Mataan
I, Ali Mataan, promise/pledge to start paying closer attention to the people in my life, and to never keep quiet if I see something that needs to be addressed. I will intervene if a situations arises, either by dealing with it myself or by informing the elders to help find a solution.
Abdillahi Osman
I, Abdillah Osman, promise to work with my community to lift our Somali brothers up by offering a listening ear, and working with them to resolve issues in a nonviolent manner. I don’t want to ever see another Somali mother heartbroken and crying over losing her son. It’s time that we, in this generation, come together to uplift each other.
Abdisalan Abib
I, Abdisalan Abib, promise/pledge to start paying closer attention to the people in my life, and to never keep quiet if I see something that needs to be addressed. I will intervene if a situations arises, either by dealing with it myself or by informing the elders to help find a solution.
