Club Book Episode 142 Boyah J. Farah

Acclaimed essayist and poet Boyah J. Farah immigrated to the United States in the mid-1990s as part of the Somali diaspora, when thousands of families fled the war-torn Horn of Africa. Instead of finding safety and freedom, Farah quickly learned that his adoptive country is plagued by deep-seated issues of its own. Systemic injustices against Black people run a wide gamut, from widespread police prejudice to countless microaggressions in workplace and social settings. Boyah’s memoir, America Made Me a Black Man, is one of the first-ever book-length examinations of American racism written from an African emigrant’s perspective. Notes Publishers Weekly: “With a singular poetic voice brimming with imagery, Boyah challenges us to face difficult truths about the destructive forces that threaten Black lives.” In addition to his writing career, Farah is founder of the Abaadi School in Garowe, Somalia, which teaches STEM skills to boys and girls aged 13-24.

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