Era Of Fear Propels Immigrant Woman To Take Action And Prevail At The Ballot Box
Magazine,The Immigrant Experience
For Omar the mission is simple, put a check on the rhetoric of fear and division in the immigrant community. On the heels of her landslide victory in Minnesota’s 5th district with 78 percent of the vote, the Somali-American who ran as a Democrat in the 2018 midterm elections, resolved that she would propel an agenda of moving the country in a more hopeful, inclusive and prosperous direction.
Echoing the sentiments and voices of immigrants in her press rounds, Omar who came to the US over two decades ago as a refugee shares that, “ When I was coming to this country, I heard about it’s promises, but those promises aren’t extended to everyone.” “I couldn’t sit on the sidelines,” she said.
Breaking more barriers in the long list of firsts, Omar is the first Somali-American member and African immigrant to be elected for the United States Congress.