Young diaspora Somali women's navigation of intersectional identities in online social media spaces

Using Crenshaw’s work on intersectionality, this research examines how young Somali women have used the arts to challenge negative mainstream media discourse regarding the Black, Muslim and Somali identities. This research, similar to Crichlow's work on narrative sharing in the classroom space being used to amplify the voice of the oppressed and the marginalized, finds that young Somali women are using the arts interact with their intersectional identities and share them in online spaces. Social media has provided room for them to use and amplify their own voices which inevitably challenges negative representations promoted by mainstream media outlets while interacting with their intersectional identities. Using 6 Somali women from the arts communities in two of the major Somali-populated cities in the West; Toronto, Canada, and Minneapolis, USA, this work explores how young Somali women artists have been able to critically and creatively shape a more nuanced discourse about their identities. Keywords: Diaspora youth, Black AND Muslim, Somali women, arts-based inquiry, belonging, social media, narrative sharing, resiliency.