Ilhan Omar

“Since 2011, I am happy to say that I have reconciled with Ahmed Hirsi; we have married in our faith tradition and are raising our family together. Like all families, we have had our ups and...”

“What I always emphasize is that I am a representative who happens to be Somali.”

“Minnesota's diversity should be its greatest strength, but our neglect of nonwhite students has stifled our progress toward growth and equity.”

“The one percent must pay their fair share.”

“Many in the Somali community are excited to vote and support candidates who have shown an ability to lead with integrity and not use props and gatekeepers to get their votes.”

“I'm going from the state House to the opportunity to serve in Congress and serve the people in the Fifth, which is a great honor and a great opportunity... It is something that is exciting t...”

“I have a great sense of who I am.”

“When I first arrived in the country, I really didn't speak much of the language. I knew two words coming here, and they were 'Hello' and 'Shut up.'”

“We didn't really grow up in a gendered environment. We didn't have a hierarchy. My family is fearless. They truly believe that they have something to contribute to society and that it is an...”

“We can all agree that we need to be helping small businesses. All of us can agree that the cost of higher education is too high, and college debt is too big of a burden for young people.”

“As an immigrant, I truly believed when I was coming to this country that people had the tools necessary to life to live a life that is prosperous, that is just and free. So, every single day...”

“I am much more interested in defending my ideas than defending my identities.”

“I am not a Somali representative. I am not a Muslim representative. I am not a millennial representative. I am not a woman representative. I am a representative who happens to have all of th...”

“Our immigration policy should be based in compassion and a desire to help the other.”

“Some suggest that, as a woman, I meddle in political affairs and need to be 'put in my place.'”

“Somalis in Minnesota have worked so hard to get their voices heard in the political process.”

“I believe women and minorities often wait for permission to be invited to something; we need to stop doing that.”

“I was a teenager when 9/11 happened. And I really was uncomfortable with many members of our community feeling like they had to strip themselves of their identity in order to mitigate the vi...”

“I have been very fortunate to have a partner who really stepped up and have wonderful children who do a lot of things that make it easy for Mommy to do this work.”

“Every student has something to offer, and every student deserves a nurturing learning environment.”