Historic: Former Somali Refugee Becomes Mayor Of Minnesota City

In an historic and resounding election victory, Nadia Mohamed, a 27-year-old Somali-American, made history on Tuesday night as she was elected as the city’s first Black, first Somali, and first Muslim mayor. The election results revealed that Mohamed easily defeated her opponent, Dale Anderson, a former banker and continuing education teacher, by a significant margin of 58 percent to 41 percent.

‘I am very happy to win as Somali-American, Muslim, migrant, and Black,’ Mohamed told VOA’s Somali Service. ‘I would say thank you to all of those who supported me in this. It is our victory.’

Nadia Mohamed’s triumph holds significant importance, as she becomes the first Somali mayor in American history to be elected directly by voters. Previously, in 2021, Maine State Rep. Deqa Dhalac became the first Somali American to serve as mayor in an American city, but she was selected by South Portland’s six-member council. Mohamed’s journey to the mayor’s office is a testament to her determination and her deep roots in the community.

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Having moved to St. Louis Park as a refugee when she was 10 years old, Mohamed’s journey into politics began with routine walks around the city hall as a young girl. ‘I would walk around the city hall and could only see the portraits of the city’s former mayors on the walls. All of them were white men. I only saw two women. None of them looked like me,’ she explained. ‘But now, I am very happy, and it is amazing to see my photo among these mayors, knowing that — let us say, 50 years from now — it will still be here. Muslim, black, and migrant girls will have a better opportunity to see one of them among these mayors.’

Mohamed’s political journey started when she was elected to the St. Louis Park City Council in 2019 at the age of 23, making her the youngest individual to hold the position in the city’s 170-year history. Before her public office, she served as a diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist at the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

St. Louis Park, a predominantly white city with a population of roughly 50,000, has seen a significant increase in its population of people of colour over the past two decades, reaching 20 percent of the population. About 10 percent of residents are foreign-born, and the average household income is $87,639. The city’s mayor also serves as its manager and chairs the City Council.

Nadia Mohamed will succeed Jake Spano, who announced in March that he would not seek reelection and endorsed Mohamed as his successor, underscoring the changing landscape of St. Louis Park’s leadership.

In a related development, in nearby Minneapolis on the same Tuesday, another Somali-American, Ward 6 City Councilman Jamal Osman, successfully defended his seat, receiving 44.6 percent of the vote. Osman expressed his gratitude to Ward 6 residents for their trust and support, stating, ‘We have a lot of work going on. We have a lot of work to do.’

The success of Somali-American female candidates in the United States has been a notable trend in recent years, with at least eight Somali-American women winning races in the 2022 US midterm elections. This achievement stands in stark contrast to the challenges faced by female aspirants for elected office in Somalia, where female politicians remain disenfranchised. In 2016, Somalia’s leaders had to allocate a specific quota of seats in parliament for women, but the promised 30 percent quota has never been fulfilled. In 2022, female candidates secured only 20 percent of the seats, falling short of the promised quota.

Nadia Mohamed’s election as St. Louis Park’s mayor serves as a beacon of hope and progress, not only for the Somali-American community but for all individuals aspiring to break down barriers in the world of politics.

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