January 6, 2026 • 11 mins
Today we highlight the life and works of US Representative Ilhan Omar.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Annie and Samantha, and welcome to stuff.
I never told you a production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Happy New Year, Annie, Auntie, Samantha, and just so I
can get into practice, because we know how well I've
been doing with the time and year and such. Today
is as we are recording this January sixth, twenty twenty six. Yeah,
I got the right year. It still sounds very foreign
to me. This is an absurdity that we are in
(00:40):
twenty twenty six. But also congratulations we made it to
this far.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah, this is so much.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, okay, And as we are in the new year,
we are with a new round of a feminist activists
around the World. I am just squishing it all together
because I keep switching back and forth.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
I need to ask you about this because I'm the
one that writes the titles and you always change it.
And so I've been using feminists around the world because
you told me that's what you had settled on, and
then the last one we did, you said it's activists around.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
So I've been doing activist around the world probably the
last six months, when in the beginning of last year,
I'm pretty sure I said, yes, feminists around the world
that's what we're doing. And then I realize that it
goes beyond this, Like when we're talking about everything, we're
talking about activism, and so I just did a broader
scope of that because I feel like when it comes
to feminism, when we talk about the word feminism, we
(01:39):
know that that word is triggering for many and then
also sometimes it's misconstrued to what we're talking about. As
well as the fact intersectional feminism comes into play that
becomes even longer title. This is what happens with an
over analytical individual takes over a segment annie part like
(02:00):
you know, multiple partners, as well as changing of titles.
But at the same time, I feel like most of
the people would talk about are those who are big
into activism in different ways, and I think highlighting activists
slash activists who are typically feminist is usually one and
the same mm HM is important. But so with that answer,
(02:22):
I don't know, Okay, you do you and I'm gonna
go with it, all right, all right, So with that introduction,
you know, that was good to revamp and talk about
what the segment is. For anybody who is new to
our show. We do this once a week where we
(02:44):
talk about someone who has or is creating change, whether
it is through activism of some sorts, creating new things, inventions,
doing new types of art as activism. We talk about
all of it, and we love all of it. And
for today we are talking about Representative Elon Omar, who
(03:06):
has been under a lot of scrutiny under this current administration,
but we wanted to take a minute to talk about
her work and how she's been an advocate for so
many marginalized people with her work and contributions. And I
think it's important that we don't forget a lot of
the first that we see today who are with us today,
because we talk about first with our friend Eves, but
(03:27):
typically these are historical figures who are no longer with us.
And a part of the reason we started this segment
was because we wanted to give flowers to those who
are still with us while we can yes, and Representative
Omar has been someone who has been doing this fight. So.
Omar is the second youngest child of her family, who
was raised by her father and grandfather, as her mother
(03:47):
died when she was too They immigrated to the US
when she was a young teen. When her family was
able to get asylum and eventually moved to Minneapolis. Her
childhood helped shape her passion for justice and freedom, and
she's talking about her past experiences. Before moving to the US.
She and her family lived in Kenya in a refugee
camp during the Somali Civil War. And here's a bit
(04:08):
more from a Time dot com article featuring Omar. They
say Omar herself is an immigrant, having fled her civil
war torn home country of Somalia as a child. The
war started when I was eight, says Omar, who recalls
witnessing the terrors of conflict. One night, militia tried to
break into our home and the exterior was riddled with bullets.
My family left our neighborhood, passing through dead bodies and debris.
(04:31):
Not long after, Omar says she and her family left
their home and relocated to a refugee camp in neighboring Kenya.
I no longer had a bed of my own, the
privacy of a shower in my own bathroom. We were
essentially homeless. Omar says. I would fetch water and my
family would reward me with a shilling at the end
of the day. So while I would go see a
movie in the village next door in a makeshift theater
a hut. After four years in the Mombasa refugee camp,
(04:54):
Omar and her family were sponsored to move to the
United States, arriving in New York before moving to Arlington,
virgin where Omar, then twelve, began middle school and I,
you know, I like to see the commonalities like myself.
She learned English within six months. It was a very
quick acclamation and she was able to help her family
acclimate to their new home. Her adjustment came with some
(05:15):
prejudice and racism that she quickly learned to push through
with the support of her family, but with being able
to become a part of our community. She talks about
her high school experience and how it was kind of
a United Nation esque structure and enough to have a
moment where she became Elon instead of being the Somali girl.
So we love that. And when she was seventeen she
(05:47):
became a US citizen. Her family taught her the value
of democracy and even attended meetings with her grandfather, who
was very much a part of that. From her site
Elonomar dot com, they write Elon's love for public service
began at the age of fourteen, when she was an
interpreter for her grandfather at local DFL caucuses, which is
the Democratic Farmer Labor So, you know, watching neighbors come
(06:10):
together to advocate for change at the grassroots level made
Elin fall in love with the democratic process. We love
to see it. She went on to go to college
at North Dakota State University, where she graduated with a
bachelor's in political science and International Studies, and went on
to the University of Minnesota' Humphrey School of Public Affairs
as a policy fellow. She soon started her career as
(06:32):
a community nutrition educator at the University of Minnesota, but
quickly jumped into her political career working as a campaign
manager for Kerrie Dizzick as a Minnesota state representative. She
would go on to manage other campaigns and even serving
as aids for those officials, but she would soon run
her own campaign for the Minnesota House of Representatives in
(06:53):
twenty sixteen. She ran on the DFL ticket, and she
made history as the first Somali America legislator in the
United States. Hello. And to add some more firsts to
the story, she also made history with receiving the largest
percentage of voters of any female candidate in US House
in that state. And in twenty eighteen, she would make
(07:14):
history again as the first woman of color to become
US representative from Minnesota, the first Somali American elected in
US Congress, and alongside with Michigan Representative Rashida Talib, one
of the first Muslim women to be elected into Congress. Hello.
And to add to all those first, she also made
history with receiving the largest percentage of votes of any
(07:37):
female candidate in US history, in state history, so in
that area, and in her victory speech she said this
here in Minnesota, we don't only welcome immigrants, we send
them to Washington. Of course, this was a call out
to Donald Trump, which she was elected during his first administration.
We know how that went down. And again, to add
(08:01):
another first to her story, she would also become the
first person to wear a hajib within the House of Representative.
She was a catalyst in changing the one hundred and
eighty one year old band on headwear in the House
of Representatives. So she had to fight really hard for that,
so she made history again. Of course, her time in
Congress continues to be an uphill battle, as she not
(08:21):
only faces the racist and bigoted attitudes of conservative public,
but also from those who she should be colleagues with.
As she stands firm in her stance on Palestinians, the
anti Muslim rhetoric, and the anti immigration policies, she has
continued to have pushed back and honestly outright attacks against her. Recently,
she claims that her son was stopped by ICE in Minnesota,
(08:43):
which has been an area of targeting and attacks from
ICE and the DOJ under the current administration. Yeah, they
have only amplified their attacks on her and her constituents
and hopes to influence this upcoming election in her area.
Just heads up there, even as far as to use
influencers to spread misinformation about the Somali population and people.
(09:05):
And we already know kind of what's going on internationally.
If you don't, that's another segment that we would have
to get into. But yeah, there's been some interesting work
when it comes to social media and influencers, specifically with
Minnesota and Somali daycares. We don't have time for that,
but yeah, it is an attack, of course, knowing that
(09:26):
she was one of the people who led the introduction
of the impeachment against Trump in twenty twenty one. It
isn't surprising to see that she would be under attack,
and it's really gross, like everything that we are seeing
when it comes to Omar is just personal attacks that
one after another with no credibility and a lot of misinformation.
(09:47):
What do you know with the impeachment stuff, we would
love to see that again anyway, It is surprising to
know that with all the difficulties she's gone through, she's
also been recognized for her hard work, including being named
at Time Magazine's first Women Who Are Changing the World,
which was in I believe twenty nineteen, and she has
(10:07):
been given leadership awards for her work in Minneapolis. So yeah,
I'm sure there's gonna be so much more coming from her.
She has. It feels like she's one of the few
candidates that kind of stands alone against the big political machines.
That's just really gross to see, like disheartening on every side.
So it's lovely to see someone who is willing to
push back as hard as she has.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Yes, and I'm sure we'll have more to say about
her in the future, but for now, if you have
any thoughts or suggestions for this segment. Whatever it may
be titled, please let us know. You can email us
at Hello at stuffomneverdild You dot com. You can find
it on Blue Sky Moom Stuff podcast or on Instagram
(10:51):
and TikTok at stuff I've Never Told You, but also
on YouTube. We have some merchandise at Cotton Bureau and
we have a book you can get wherever you get
your books. Thanks as always, too, super produce Christina or
executive producer of my Er conturutor Joey, Thank you and
thanks to you for listening. Steffan Never Told You, the
production of my Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my
Heart Radio, you can check out the iHeart Radio app,
Apple podcast whe wherever you listen to your favorite shows
Hey, this is Annie and Samantha, and welcome to stuff.
I never told you a production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Happy New Year, Annie, Auntie, Samantha, and just so I
can get into practice, because we know how well I've
been doing with the time and year and such. Today
is as we are recording this January sixth, twenty twenty six. Yeah,
I got the right year. It still sounds very foreign
to me. This is an absurdity that we are in
(00:40):
twenty twenty six. But also congratulations we made it to
this far.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah, this is so much.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, okay, And as we are in the new year,
we are with a new round of a feminist activists
around the World. I am just squishing it all together
because I keep switching back and forth.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
I need to ask you about this because I'm the
one that writes the titles and you always change it.
And so I've been using feminists around the world because
you told me that's what you had settled on, and
then the last one we did, you said it's activists around.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
So I've been doing activist around the world probably the
last six months, when in the beginning of last year,
I'm pretty sure I said, yes, feminists around the world
that's what we're doing. And then I realize that it
goes beyond this, Like when we're talking about everything, we're
talking about activism, and so I just did a broader
scope of that because I feel like when it comes
to feminism, when we talk about the word feminism, we
(01:39):
know that that word is triggering for many and then
also sometimes it's misconstrued to what we're talking about. As
well as the fact intersectional feminism comes into play that
becomes even longer title. This is what happens with an
over analytical individual takes over a segment annie part like
(02:00):
you know, multiple partners, as well as changing of titles.
But at the same time, I feel like most of
the people would talk about are those who are big
into activism in different ways, and I think highlighting activists
slash activists who are typically feminist is usually one and
the same mm HM is important. But so with that answer,
(02:22):
I don't know, Okay, you do you and I'm gonna
go with it, all right, all right, So with that introduction,
you know, that was good to revamp and talk about
what the segment is. For anybody who is new to
our show. We do this once a week where we
(02:44):
talk about someone who has or is creating change, whether
it is through activism of some sorts, creating new things, inventions,
doing new types of art as activism. We talk about
all of it, and we love all of it. And
for today we are talking about Representative Elon Omar, who
(03:06):
has been under a lot of scrutiny under this current administration,
but we wanted to take a minute to talk about
her work and how she's been an advocate for so
many marginalized people with her work and contributions. And I
think it's important that we don't forget a lot of
the first that we see today who are with us today,
because we talk about first with our friend Eves, but
(03:27):
typically these are historical figures who are no longer with us.
And a part of the reason we started this segment
was because we wanted to give flowers to those who
are still with us while we can yes, and Representative
Omar has been someone who has been doing this fight. So.
Omar is the second youngest child of her family, who
was raised by her father and grandfather, as her mother
(03:47):
died when she was too They immigrated to the US
when she was a young teen. When her family was
able to get asylum and eventually moved to Minneapolis. Her
childhood helped shape her passion for justice and freedom, and
she's talking about her past experiences. Before moving to the US.
She and her family lived in Kenya in a refugee
camp during the Somali Civil War. And here's a bit
(04:08):
more from a Time dot com article featuring Omar. They
say Omar herself is an immigrant, having fled her civil
war torn home country of Somalia as a child. The
war started when I was eight, says Omar, who recalls
witnessing the terrors of conflict. One night, militia tried to
break into our home and the exterior was riddled with bullets.
My family left our neighborhood, passing through dead bodies and debris.
(04:31):
Not long after, Omar says she and her family left
their home and relocated to a refugee camp in neighboring Kenya.
I no longer had a bed of my own, the
privacy of a shower in my own bathroom. We were
essentially homeless. Omar says. I would fetch water and my
family would reward me with a shilling at the end
of the day. So while I would go see a
movie in the village next door in a makeshift theater
a hut. After four years in the Mombasa refugee camp,
(04:54):
Omar and her family were sponsored to move to the
United States, arriving in New York before moving to Arlington,
virgin where Omar, then twelve, began middle school and I,
you know, I like to see the commonalities like myself.
She learned English within six months. It was a very
quick acclamation and she was able to help her family
acclimate to their new home. Her adjustment came with some
(05:15):
prejudice and racism that she quickly learned to push through
with the support of her family, but with being able
to become a part of our community. She talks about
her high school experience and how it was kind of
a United Nation esque structure and enough to have a
moment where she became Elon instead of being the Somali girl.
So we love that. And when she was seventeen she
(05:47):
became a US citizen. Her family taught her the value
of democracy and even attended meetings with her grandfather, who
was very much a part of that. From her site
Elonomar dot com, they write Elon's love for public service
began at the age of fourteen, when she was an
interpreter for her grandfather at local DFL caucuses, which is
the Democratic Farmer Labor So, you know, watching neighbors come
(06:10):
together to advocate for change at the grassroots level made
Elin fall in love with the democratic process. We love
to see it. She went on to go to college
at North Dakota State University, where she graduated with a
bachelor's in political science and International Studies, and went on
to the University of Minnesota' Humphrey School of Public Affairs
as a policy fellow. She soon started her career as
(06:32):
a community nutrition educator at the University of Minnesota, but
quickly jumped into her political career working as a campaign
manager for Kerrie Dizzick as a Minnesota state representative. She
would go on to manage other campaigns and even serving
as aids for those officials, but she would soon run
her own campaign for the Minnesota House of Representatives in
(06:53):
twenty sixteen. She ran on the DFL ticket, and she
made history as the first Somali America legislator in the
United States. Hello. And to add some more firsts to
the story, she also made history with receiving the largest
percentage of voters of any female candidate in US House
in that state. And in twenty eighteen, she would make
(07:14):
history again as the first woman of color to become
US representative from Minnesota, the first Somali American elected in
US Congress, and alongside with Michigan Representative Rashida Talib, one
of the first Muslim women to be elected into Congress. Hello.
And to add to all those first, she also made
history with receiving the largest percentage of votes of any
(07:37):
female candidate in US history, in state history, so in
that area, and in her victory speech she said this
here in Minnesota, we don't only welcome immigrants, we send
them to Washington. Of course, this was a call out
to Donald Trump, which she was elected during his first administration.
We know how that went down. And again, to add
(08:01):
another first to her story, she would also become the
first person to wear a hajib within the House of Representative.
She was a catalyst in changing the one hundred and
eighty one year old band on headwear in the House
of Representatives. So she had to fight really hard for that,
so she made history again. Of course, her time in
Congress continues to be an uphill battle, as she not
(08:21):
only faces the racist and bigoted attitudes of conservative public,
but also from those who she should be colleagues with.
As she stands firm in her stance on Palestinians, the
anti Muslim rhetoric, and the anti immigration policies, she has
continued to have pushed back and honestly outright attacks against her. Recently,
she claims that her son was stopped by ICE in Minnesota,
(08:43):
which has been an area of targeting and attacks from
ICE and the DOJ under the current administration. Yeah, they
have only amplified their attacks on her and her constituents
and hopes to influence this upcoming election in her area.
Just heads up there, even as far as to use
influencers to spread misinformation about the Somali population and people.
(09:05):
And we already know kind of what's going on internationally.
If you don't, that's another segment that we would have
to get into. But yeah, there's been some interesting work
when it comes to social media and influencers, specifically with
Minnesota and Somali daycares. We don't have time for that,
but yeah, it is an attack, of course, knowing that
(09:26):
she was one of the people who led the introduction
of the impeachment against Trump in twenty twenty one. It
isn't surprising to see that she would be under attack,
and it's really gross, like everything that we are seeing
when it comes to Omar is just personal attacks that
one after another with no credibility and a lot of misinformation.
(09:47):
What do you know with the impeachment stuff, we would
love to see that again anyway, It is surprising to
know that with all the difficulties she's gone through, she's
also been recognized for her hard work, including being named
at Time Magazine's first Women Who Are Changing the World,
which was in I believe twenty nineteen, and she has
(10:07):
been given leadership awards for her work in Minneapolis. So yeah,
I'm sure there's gonna be so much more coming from her.
She has. It feels like she's one of the few
candidates that kind of stands alone against the big political machines.
That's just really gross to see, like disheartening on every side.
So it's lovely to see someone who is willing to
push back as hard as she has.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Yes, and I'm sure we'll have more to say about
her in the future, but for now, if you have
any thoughts or suggestions for this segment. Whatever it may
be titled, please let us know. You can email us
at Hello at stuffomneverdild You dot com. You can find
it on Blue Sky Moom Stuff podcast or on Instagram
(10:51):
and TikTok at stuff I've Never Told You, but also
on YouTube. We have some merchandise at Cotton Bureau and
we have a book you can get wherever you get
your books. Thanks as always, too, super produce Christina or
executive producer of my Er conturutor Joey, Thank you and
thanks to you for listening. Steffan Never Told You, the
production of my Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my
Heart Radio, you can check out the iHeart Radio app,
Apple podcast whe wherever you listen to your favorite shows
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