Such experiences, and the support of her family, gave Omar the strength and tools to thrive in her current position in Congress, despite dealing with a “trifecta of hate… as a Muslim, a black woman, and an immigrant,” she says.įrom left, Reps. Rather than let it consume her, however, she restructured her life, got an education, found her calling in public service, and reconnected with her family.ĭuring that critical time of rebirth, Omar set herself on the path to becoming the public figure she is today, pursuing degrees in Political Science at North Dakota State University, learning the importance of supporting vulnerable communities while working as campaign manager for Kari Dziedzic's reelection campaign for the Minnesota State Senate, a child nutrition outreach coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Education, and as a senior policy aide to Minneapolis Councilmember Andrew Johnson. Years after such devastation, Omar found herself feeling utterly lost. Omar speaks openly about those struggles in This is What America Looks Like, writing with candor about the mental health following the birth of her son Adnan, the unprocessed trauma of losing her mother when she was a preschooler, witnessing the horrors of war, and seeing her beloved aunt die in a refugee camp. I want my drive to be an inspiration for people.” “So I often work hard to take the high road because I don't want my struggles to serve as a deterrent. “The privilege that I have in being a first should be utilized to make sure that there are more,” Omar tells Shondaland ahead of the release of her new memoir. But being a first can also be accompanied by deep joy and the opportunity to open doors for others. In Omar’s case, she’s been the target of a staggering amount of harassment and threats of violence because of both her marginalized identities and her fight to move the political needle left of center.

In the hardest of times, being a first comes with a lot of danger - indeed, what is new is often seen as radical or, at the very least, due to upset the status quo. “We ran to change people’s lives for the better.” “So many of us didn’t run to be the first of anything,” Tlaib said of her colleagues as she left a hearing, according to The Washington Post.

It's Time to Work With the Squad, Not Against Them.

This is what america looks like