One night, militia tried to break into our home, and the exterior was riddled with bullets.
— Ilhan Omar
I believe women and minorities often wait for permission to be invited to something; we need to stop doing that.
The one percent must pay their fair share.
I know that when we interact with those we fear and hate, we will find commonality.
Truly, this is a nation that sees itself as one that instills hope and is really about allowing people to pursue their dreams.
I think it is really important when we're talking about fiscal responsibility that we are balancing the budget in ways that really benefit the working people and Americans.
We need to recognize that racism has never been subtle, though it has gone underreported.
American hate is not new - and it is not scarce.
Minnesota's diversity should be its greatest strength, but our neglect of nonwhite students has stifled our progress toward growth and equity.
I talk a lot about the men in my family because my mother died when I was little, and my grandmother died when my aunts were little, so we didn't have those kinds of heads of household. But all the members of our household who were female were sort of living as equal and as wise as the male figures in our family.
I am committed to growing participation in the political process and doing it the right way.
Somalis in Minnesota have worked so hard to get their voices heard in the political process.
It's our time to fight for the America we know we can have.
My kids are the reason I continue to strive for something better. They know - as kids who are Muslim, Somali, black Americans - that they've always been part of a struggle and that change isn't easy.
There are a few things that we can do. One of them is that we can increase the taxes that people are paying who are the extremely wealthy in our communities. So, 70 percent, 80 percent, we've had it as high as 90 percent.
No Minnesotan should ever experience preventable health risks from breathing polluted air or from drinking unsafe water.
I look forward to being a voice of reason in fighting for transparent and accountable budgets.
I'm going from the state House to the opportunity to serve in Congress and serve the people in the Fifth, which is a great honor and a great opportunity... It is something that is exciting to a few people, but, you know, often times it is important for us to own the moment, celebrate it, and then move on.
Hope will be found by understanding that diversity is the essence of the American Dream and why we need each other to fulfill it.
I want my children to attend inclusive schools where diversity is respected and acknowledged as a sign of strength.
Every student has something to offer, and every student deserves a nurturing learning environment.
My family called me the 'why kid' growing up. I always needed to know why something is happening, why I had to do something, why whatever.
I have a duty to teach my people about their rights and protect them from being bamboozled.
This country gave us hope. This country allowed for us to develop our own identity and to create our own home. And we should not look down on the next person that is trying to do that.
This is a land of immigrants, and most come here for opportunity, a second chance.
When people were selling the politics of fear and division and destruction, we were talking about hope. We were talking about the politics of joy.
If we are not actively fighting against regressive ideologies, we are contributing to making them grow.
Many in the Somali community are excited to vote and support candidates who have shown an ability to lead with integrity and not use props and gatekeepers to get their votes.
I invited President Trump twice now to come meet my family and my community because he seems to have a lot of opinions about the kind of people we are.
I am much more interested in defending my ideas than defending my identities.
We must see others' struggles as our own, and their success as our success, so we can speak to our common humanity.
Learning is not limited to the classroom, and Minnesota shouldn't limit its education resources there, either.
We didn't really grow up in a gendered environment. We didn't have a hierarchy. My family is fearless. They truly believe that they have something to contribute to society and that it is an obligation as humans. I try to embed in my children that they have something to contribute. And that you give because you have to, not to be appreciated.
Life in Somalia before the civil war was beautiful. When the war happened, I was 8 years old and at that stage of understanding the world in a different way.
Some suggest that, as a woman, I meddle in political affairs and need to be 'put in my place.'
