Minnesota, SONNA – Nadiya Abdirizaq Mohamed, a Somali-American lady, made historical past by turning into the primary elected mayor of Saint Louis Park, a metropolis within the state of Minnesota. She defeated her opponent, Dale Anderson, a professor on the College of Minnesota, with greater than 58% of the votes.
Nadiya Abdirizaq can be the primary Muslim, Somali, and Black individual to carry the mayoral place within the metropolis, which has a inhabitants of about 49,000 folks. She stated that she was impressed by her mother and father, who immigrated to america from Somalia within the Nineties and labored arduous to offer for his or her household.
Because the mayor, Nadiya Abdirizaq stated that she is going to deal with addressing the problems of inexpensive housing, youth empowerment, and racial fairness within the metropolis. She additionally stated that she hopes to be a task mannequin for different younger folks, particularly women and girls, from marginalized communities.
Nadiya Abdirizaq shouldn’t be the primary Somali lady to develop into a mayor in america, however she is the primary one to be elected by the folks. In 2012, Deeqa Dhalac was appointed because the mayor of South Portland, a metropolis within the state of Maine, by the native council. Nonetheless, Nadiya Abdirizaq’s victory is an distinctive achievement that displays the rising variety and illustration of Somali-Individuals within the political sphere.
