The new face of a city with 50,000 inhabitants
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When Nadia Mohamed arrived in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park as a 10-year-old refugee, she remembers, there were no faces that looked like hers. On November 7, as a 27-year-old mayor, she became the new face of the city with 50,000 inhabitants.
Mohamed will become the country’s first elected Somali-American mayor on January 2, after completing her term as a member of the City Council – a seat she won at age 23, making her the youngest person, the first Muslim and the first became a Somali American who served in that body. Her family migrated to Kenya after the civil war in Somalia and she lived there Kakuma refugee camp until she was about 10.
Election Day also brought mayoral milestones in Philadelphia, where Cherelle Parker became the first woman and the first Black woman to win the office, and in Wichita, Kansas, where Lily Wu became the first Asian American elected to that office.
In St. Louis Park, whose population is 80 percent White, Ms. Mohamed focused her campaign on increasing homeownership and community oversight. I recently spoke with her and our conversation below is condensed and lightly edited.
Was there a moment when you had a political awakening? Or did the need to become the change you wanted to see happen gradually?
2016. I went to college and grew up with Michelle Obama and Barack Obama. I had only known a black president, and one who was all about unity.
And then in 2016 this candidate came along attacked the Somali community in Minnesota. Oh my god, is this political in America?
It was the first time I was allowed to vote in a presidential election. I remember feeling like I was uncomfortable. Is my face the kind America wants?
So I started reaching out to my neighbors, organizations and our police department. I connected people and had those dialogues. Not only did it increase my sense of belonging, but other people felt like they belonged here, no matter what was happening outside of St. Louis Park. Then I was asked to put myself forward as a candidate. It opened up an opportunity for a political life and how I could make an impact.
The experience of that election was an awakening. I think a lot of people have woken up.
you won handily this breed. How did you get people interested in citizen participation and build a coalition?
What really helped was reminding people that I grew up in St. Louis Park. I lived in many of the neighborhoods where I knocked on doors during the campaign, and people recognized me and knew the work I did.
What was really inspiring were the college and high school students who went out after their classes and obligations. The older generations would see that and say it was great. We need the younger generation to be active in their civic duty and participate. In fact, we had the largest turnout in St. Louis Park in at least 30 years.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned from your experience as an elected official?
Government is slow, and it should be slow.
When we’re not If we are intentional about our policies, we are not doing our job properly. Being fast is an easy way to make mistakes.
“This is a milestone – this is not the destination,” you said after your election. What do you mean?
It is important to note that I am black, Somali-American, and a woman. We still have so much work to do and often BIPOC elected officials don’t get their stories told outside of their identities.
I want people to be proud of the work we’ve done. It’s a testament to how hard we’ve worked as a community to be inclusive. And it’s just the first chapter.
The world does not automatically become more just just because there is a person of color at the wheel.
Black Americans lead complex lives as they live, work, and go to school in spaces largely controlled by white people. Sometimes they can’t be their authentic selves. It looks like you’ve overcome that challenge. If that’s true, how do you think you withstood that tension?
Resisting that tension isn’t something I’ve overcome. It is something I will continue to experience, and I will use the people in my network, whether my neighbors or colleagues, to help me fight it.
It is also important to recognize that we have had our fair share of discriminatory policies in Minnesota. For example, we see a higher percentage of white Americans in St. Louis Park who own their homes than people of color.
The way we advocate and implement policies that lead to equitable impact starts with recognizing our history. Now we have a first-generation homebuyer program. We need to be aware of who is affected and what barriers still exist. I am in a unique place where I have gained experience to be able to talk to that.
If you can be equally indecent, what can others learn from your life story and your successful campaign?
Honestly, even if I was indecent, I didn’t get here alone. It takes a coalition that really supports you. A little courage doesn’t hurt.
Who are your political role models?
I have spoken to mayors in the area who have offered their support and advice. But I’m more of a Maya Angelou girl. I am a poet at heart. It’s even in my Somali culture: we are a people of poetry and oral languages. She has long been commenting beautifully on the injustices in the world. I take her everywhere.
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