“I had a lot of challenges starting school, and my dad says I would come home every day crying and feeling bad about the problems I was having with some of the kids. And he would tell me to work hard on learning the language.”

American politician, born 1982

Ilhan Omar is an American politician and Democratic Party member, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019. Born in 1982, she represents Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, which includes all of Minneapolis and some nearby suburbs. Before serving in Congress, Omar was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019, representing part of Minneapolis. Her public work has centered on local and national politics, especially the city and district she represents.