Last night was not fun. Today and tomorrow and the next few weeks will continue to be shrouded by the fact that Donald Trump is our next president. That being said, there were bright moments, easily forgotten in last night’s nightmarish fever dream of an election. One bright moment was the election of Ilhad Omar to Minnesota’s state legislature.
“It’s the beginning of something new,” Omar said. “This district has a legacy of making history. I am excited for our progressive values and to be able to be on the ground at the Capitol representing the diverse people of my district and being a champion with them and for them.”
Omar, a 34-year-old Muslim-American woman who proudly wears the hijab, is suddenly thrust into leadership of a rapidly emerging DFL coalition that is younger, more urban and more racially and ethnically diverse than at any time in its history.
Omar becomes America’s first Somali-American legislator. That’s good news.