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As I continue my Walk Across America journey, a million-step journey for fitness and the restoration of the American Dream, I’ve been thinking about the sad news coming out of Minnesota. There, the debate continues to rage over a series of high-profile allegations and investigations of widespread fraud in state-funded social services programs, which disproportionately involve members of Minnesota’s large Somali American community.
I have seen headlines about over a billion dollars allegedly being swindled from hard working American taxpayers and given to child care centers without children. The same goes for autism treatment, housing programs and Medicaid.
But recently a video that went viral on social media reminded me why this Walk Across America is so important. In this video, a young Somali American woman proudly announces that her community has “made it” in America. However, this success does not come from entrepreneurship or innovation, but from good management of the public assistance system.
As I move forward toward the West Coast, I will continue to pray for the validity and renewal of the American Dream – for every immigrant and every native-born citizen.
The same woman said that about 89% of Somali immigrant households with children in Minnesota rely on some form of welfare. He proudly pointed out that this number remains shockingly high at about 86% of those who have lived in the US for more than ten years.
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In contrast, only 21% of indigenous-owned households are on some form of welfare. Twenty-seven percent of Somali-headed households in Minnesota receive financial assistance compared to 6% of natives. 54 percent of Somali-owned households receive food stamps compared to 7 percent of natives. And 73% of Somali-owned households receive Medicaid compared to 18% of natives.
Brothers and sisters, this is not success. This is exploitation. This is robbery by another name. Above all, this is the worst addiction – willful addiction.
As a pastor who spent years on the South Side of Chicago fighting to end poverty and violence through Project HOOD, I know how to lean. It is a trap that robs people of dignity, prevents dreams, and weakens communities. But to find pride in it? To use it until “success?” That is a sin. That is anti-American in values.
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I also blame the American people who allowed this exploitation to happen. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have taken a white-blame approach, calling anyone who opposes this exploitation white.
Fine, call me a white man, like they did to Larry Elder. Who cares? We cannot back down from these Americans. You saw how they allowed Black Lives Matter to overtake our nation in 2020. Are we going to let them turn us around here again? Are we that soft? These guilty white Americans have been undermining our great nation since the 1960’s, and they are the destroyers of virtue – the great principle that built our nation.
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Despite all this, there is another side to this story that gives me hope. In my Walk Across America program, I walked with immigrants from all over – Latinos, Asians, Africans – who came with nothing but faith, determination, and, above all, the desire to live as free Americans. They open businesses, raise families, and contribute greatly to their communities. They understood the American promise: Work hard, trust in God, and opportunity will follow.
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That is the hope that I hold on to in this journey. America thrives when we reward merit and commitment, not merit. Policies that concentrate refugees in confined spaces, discourage assimilation, or encourage dependency do nothing for anyone. They hinder the very people they are meant to help and burden the taxpayers.
As I move forward toward the West Coast, I will continue to pray for the validity and renewal of the American Dream – for every immigrant and every native-born citizen. Let’s teach skills, build families, and grow faith. Let’s refuse to be the victims that keep people down and embrace the opportunity that lifts us all up.
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But first, we must punish those who exploit the American worker’s dollars with impunity. Let them be an example to all of us. That is one necessary step we must take if we are to truly restore and restore the American Dream.
May God bless our steps, and may He bless the United States of America.
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