Ilhan Omar

Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1981) is a Somali American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019. The district is based in Minneapolis and also includes Edina, Richfield, St. Louis Park, Robbinsdale, Golden Valley, and Fridley. In 2016, Omar was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, making her the first Somali American elected to legislative office in the United States. On November 6, 2018, she became the first naturalized citizen from Africa and first Somali-American elected to the United States Congress. Along with Rashida Tlaib, she was one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. Omar is also the first nonwhite woman to serve as a U.S. Representative from Minnesota. 2Early life and education Omar was born on October 4, 1981, in Mogadishu and spent her early years in Baydhabo, Somalia. She was the youngest of seven siblings. Her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, a Somali, worked as a teacher traine