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Saturday, March 28, 2009
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Nearly every day, Somali boys and young men gather at the Brian Coyle Center in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood in Minneapolis to shoot hoops in the gym.
But there are times when the boys are locked out - and the gym is set aside just for the girls.
In a single-sex environment, the high school students and young women can learn basketball, cut loose a little, and they don't need to wear scarves and long skirts for religious modesty.
Fatimah Hussein started the program, with the help of Melpomene, a St. Paul nonprofit devoted to women's health. She wanted to find a way for the girls to have fun just like the boys, and get active. Hussein started Sunday afternoon sessions, and recently added Wednesday nights.
Young women have been coming from all over the city to play.
Source: AP, Mar 28, 2009