Time for Ilhan (2018) - full transcript

[ILWAD GIGGLING]

ILWAD:
More?

More, more, more!

ILHAN:
More, more, more?

[ILWAD GIGGLING]What's more?

Just the legs like that.

And then the other one.

ILWAD:
I want more lotion, Mommy!

When are you gonna be president?[ILHAN LAUGHS]

ILHAN: Of this house? Yes.Uh-huh.

My mom is president!



[CHUCKLES]

You're that!

ILHAN: I'm president?ILWAD: Uh-huh.

What makes me
president?

Uh, you take care
of your kids!

Oh.

That's what makes you
president!

Well, that's nice.

Is that all you need to do
to become president?

ILWAD:
Yes! You work hard.

[ILWAD GIGGLES]ILHAN: Mm-hm.

And what else?

You have to do
push-ups like boys!

[GIGGLES]



Okay. Girls
can do push-ups too!

ILWAD: Oh.ILHAN: Okay.

Ilwad, can I tell you a story?
Let me tell you a story.

You know, when I was
little like you.
Uh-huh...

My sisters would cut off my hair
and make me bald all the time.

[ADNAN LAUGHS]

Do you know why?Yeah.

Because I didn't have
a mommy,

and no one had the patience
to do this crazy business.

[CHILDREN CHATTERING]

Okay, all done.
All pretty.

[CHILDREN, ILHAN
CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]

[♪♪♪]

[♪♪♪]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

Right now, we have
an ability to exercise a right

that a lot of our parents
didn't have:

a right to have a voice
in this country,

to be able to participate and do
the things that matter to us.

This week is actually National
Voter Registration Week.

So I urge you to...

ILHAN:
I think coming to
the United States

and being part of a democracy,

to be part of going to caucuses and voting, watching debates,

as nerdy as it sounds, this idea of being part of something

so small but meaningful
has always been embedded in me.

Let me introduce our fabulous presenter today.

I admire Ilhan greatly,

she is a community engagement specialist.

ILHAN:
It's easy for men
to just wake up one day

and, you know, say,
"I'm running for office,"

but for us, it's harder.

You know, I have young kids.

I don't know
I could do work

and be a candidate
and raise a family.

But I'm also,
like, a Muslim woman,

and I'm, you know, a new
immigrant, and I'm Somali,

and there's all of these noises
in my head that are...

That are telling me I can't.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

So I'm the Vice President of
the Feminist Caucus for the DFO.

WOMAN 1:
Oh, you are?

So they created...

We created these buttons
with a hijab,

and it says, "I wear a hijab,
I'm a feminist, deal with it."

WOMAN 1: I love this!WOMAN 2: I want one!

[LAUGHS]I need one!

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

ILHAN:
When we arrived here
in the United States,

I was about 12 years old,

and we came after living in
a refugee camp for four years.

And I came here
only speaking Somali.

So I only knew three words
in English,

they were "hello"
and "shut up."

[ALL LAUGH]

And they
didn't make me friends.

[LAUGHING CONTINUES]

What happens in a lot of
marginalized communities

is that we think,
"I don't have a voice.

This just has been the thing.

I'm not gonna be able
to make any change,

so why bother?"

And we were living in
the high-rises...

[♪♪♪]

We have a problem, right?

How do you invite,
ask, and tap

diverse leaders
to consider public office?

How do we get to those women
who went from that zero to one?

They were advocates,
activists,

but they would never consider
running for office.

Like, you have to be crazy!

ERIN:
So few women are
taught to be powerful.

What does it look like
to have that gravitas at 34,

35 years old?

I met Ilhan, she was
introduced to me as

someone who
should be running.

It was the quiet chatter
of the women

in this community who knew
how to spot talent.

I was like, why?

Why she's wasting
this knowledge,

and all
this brightness?

Actually, I was like,
I wanted to shake her,

say, "You want to go in
front of a mirror and see

how ready you are?"

[ALL CHATTING
IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

ERIN:
Like so many
other women,

Ilhan had doubts about
"Could I win?

Who would vote for me?"

She understood
the political winds

that she was
going up against.

And I said, you need
to stop asking permission.

I swear to God, she sat
back, she look at me,

and said, "You're right."

ILHAN:
They were saying to me,
you know, stop.

Like, stop talking about
all of the reasons

why you can't make it work.

Say yes, and then everything
else will work itself out.

[♪♪♪]

[MAN SINGING IN SPANISH]

ADNAN:
Uh, welcome, everybody!

Everybody, thank
you for coming!

Because right now,
it is time for Ilhan!

[CROWD CHEERING
AND APPLAUDING]

ILHAN:
There are
a few people here that

I'd like you all to meet.

My children, Ilwad.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]

And...my brother
and my dad!

[APPLAUDING]

ILHAN:
When we have new voices
in the room,

we're able to dream and we're
able to make big changes.

KEITH:
If Ilhan Omar wins, she'll
be the first Somali woman

elected to public office
in the United States.

She'll be a trailblazer.

But at the same time,
you know,

the expectations will be
heavy on her.

People will think that she's...
They won't know.

Are you only for
Somali women?

Are you-- Are you for
only women or only Somalis?

Who are you,
and what do you represent?

[♪♪♪]

My name's Ilhan Omar.

I'm running for
state representative.

All right.Thank you so much.

ILHAN:
We live in the most unique
district in the state.

[♪♪♪]

It has a rich population
of new Americans,

students,
and old lifetime residents.

Yes, hello.Hi, I'm Ilhan!

Running to be your
state representative.

It sort of, at times, feels like
a hodgepodge of people.

What vision do you have as
a state representative?

My plans are to make sure
that we're doing

criminal justice reform.

Tackling our mass
incarceration problems.

And working on
environmental justice,

where we digress from
fossil fuels.

Mm-hm.
Okay, I'll consider it.

Great.

WOMAN: Join us?ILHAN: Yeah.

And we have one of
the highest disparity gaps

in our state, and it's more
evident in your district

because students
are struggling.

New Americans,
which is mainly

East African immigrants,
are struggling.

Right?

[♪♪♪]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

ILHAN:
We have pressing issues
and a lot of young people

recognizing that they're
living in a generation

where it's becoming more
and more important

for them to get
a college education.

But the possibility of doing
that is sort of fading away.

Joining us tonight,
as she has on many occasions

over the years,
representative Phyllis Kahn

from Minneapolis.
Representative Kahn,

delighted to have you join us again.

Pleased to be here, Judge.

Tell our viewers a bit about yourself.

Okay, I'm one of the two
most senior members

of the legislature,
having been elected in 1972.

You can do the arithmetic.

That's a year or two ago.

[CHUCKLES]
Right.

ILHAN:
The district is represented by
a 43-year incumbent.

You know most of the people,

whether they are new
or they are a lifetime resident,

who are still alive have not
had another representative.

Well, this was done to
fill the regional park gap

in Minneapolis and Hennepin
County and Anoka County.

Regional Parks
and lakes...

ILHAN:
The district has
dramatically changed.

There's a lot of people
who are being left behind,

and the complacency and
the comfort of sort of

being a liberal
and not being a progressive

that acts on
our pressing issues.

And for someone to feel
comfortable with having

constituents that are
consistently unhappy,

that is not-- Like, that is
not what I have come to know

as a representative
democracy.

[♪♪♪]

DAVID:
What was that woman's--?

On the coldest day
of the year.

It's so cold![LAUGHS]

She voted for Nortway.

She felt like
he was unlucky.

Um, and then she voted...

DAVID:
This district
is my home district.

I've lived here
my entire life.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

I have put a lot of
personal energy and time

into not just this race,
but this party.

Where are we at now?

Uh, we have 16.

Okay, my name's Ilhan.

I'm running for state
representative.
Oh, okay.

DAVID:
Have you thought
about the race?

She grew up around Cedar.

Her grandpa used to live
in this building.

Can I count on
your support?

Um, six or seven.Yeah...

DAVID:
Communities of color
are communities

that the Democratic Party
and individual Democratic

politicians don't really
pay attention to.

What are some of the issues
that she cares about.

DAVID:
We've been voting
for Democratic politicians

for so long,
and nothing has changed.

And arguably, sometimes our
situations have gotten worse.

Okay. We're done
with the floor, right?

Yeah.Oh.

DAVID:
I met Ilhan

when I was working on
the Obama campaign.

When I say "I'mma",
you say "Help out"!

I'mma...CROWD: Help out!

I'mma...CROWD: Help out!

When I say "Obama," you say "'08."

Obama!CROWD: '08!

Yeah.[CROWD CHEERING]

DAVID:
I was thinking about
transitioning

out of electoral politics,

but seeing her ability
to connect with people,

seeing her ability
to turn people out,

get people engaged,
I was like:

"She could be a candidate
that could radically

change the demographics of
people engaged in public life."

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

DAVID:
When Ilhan approached me
about running,

I would only help out if
we ran a campaign

based off of
a really simple principle,

which was that everybody
in this district needed a voice.

Phyllis Kahn's come
to my door multiple times,

asking for my vote, but has
never asked me for my opinion.

We're up against big forces,
and this campaign is about

whether this district
and this state

believes in organized money
or believes in organized people.

And every time that
organized money goes up

against organized people,
I pick organized people.

[CHEERS]

That's why I'm so excited
about Ilhan Omar,

that's why I'm so excited
about this campaign,

and the issues
that we can move.

ILHAN:
I arrived at the age
of 12 in America.

The first thing I learned
was that I was an extreme other.

I was black, which wasn't a
thing for me when I was little.

I was Muslim, which also,
growing up in a Muslim majority,

was not a thing
that I needed to identify.

I also learned that
I was extremely poor,

and that the classless America
that my father talked about

wasn't true.

It didn't exist.

I remember watching
a video by Tupac.

I don't know if
any of you have seen this,

where he's talking about
the poor people revolting.

And he talks about how,
you know,

he wants to line people up
at the White House

and start knocking
at that door and saying,

"Let us in," quietly,
but they don't let us in,

and then we get louder
and we say, "Let. Us. In!"

"Let. Us. In!"

Until we break down
that door.

You all need to understand
that there is an urgency.

There is an urgency
to show up.

I am optimistic,
but I need all of you.

[CHEERING] Thank you, all.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

[PEOPLE CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY][FAUCET RUNNING]

ILHAN:
Is she in there?

AHMED:
When Ilhan decided to run
for office,

of course we talked about how
will this impact the family

and the kids
and all these things.

And we came to
an agreement that:

"You know what?
In order to make a change,

somebody has to sacrifice."

You're always
making me laugh.

[CHUCKLES]

[♪♪♪]

AHMED:
I came here to visit
in 1999, July 1st.

We came to play basketball.

She was at the game.

She was young,
but she has that,

you know, she had that fire.

You could call it
love at first sight.

I knew she was the one.

She is the most profound,
tangible influence in my life.

Trust me, I am who I am
because of her, you know?

ILHAN:
You know, when I'm out
door-knocking,

the first question people say
is like, "Oh, it's so nice,"

like, "there's a Somali woman
running for office."

Um, "Did her dad and husband
give her permission to run?"

Um, or you know,
"How do they feel?" and...

And it was really important
for us to make sure,

um, that whatever role
Ahmed had in the campaign,

it wasn't something that was
going to overshadow

[CHILDREN CHATTERING] anything that I was doing.

She's the boss
around here.

[LAUGHS]

Oh, now
you have to say that.

She's the boss.

[♪♪♪]

Yeah, it does. So, like,
when you have it on Franklin...

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

For the next six weeks or so,

we are going to be shining
a spotlight super hard on-field

and all of
your recruitment pieces,

so as many people as we can
turn out to mix.
Yeah.

BILL:
Yes, that is
our critical need right now.

We cannot have
enough volunteers for

what the work that
we're trying to accomplish, so.

We do have, like...BILL: Pretty early on,

she asked me
to run her campaign,

and I said no.

[LAUGHS]

Because it was gonna be
a lot of time

and work and effort,
and I wasn't ready for that.

But it had to happen.

ILHAN:
...which is pretty late for when
call time needs to get done.

There's a lot
I'm really panicked about

at the moment and...

STACEY:
I know what's at stake
in these elections,

and I know that it's hard,

and this is a system
that I don't trust,

and that I don't
want to be a part of.

STACEY:
It's some positioning

to favor the incumbent
and to favor...

STACEY:
But I also know that there
really is an urgency

to have somebody
at the state capitol

who's talking louder
and who's not going to bow down.

BILL:
Let's flip
to the other side now.

Um, what is Phyllis's campaign

going to say about
Ilhan and Ilhan's campaign?

DAVID:
Is it fair to say she's going
to say Ilhan's too young?

BILL:
Yeah.

But her saying unrealistic
expectations...

BILL:
Phyllis has been
campaigning on

Ilhan doesn't know what's
possible at the legislature.

She touts out her long-standing
history of being endorsed.

WOMAN:
And also, I've always
and ever seen anti-Semitic stuff

come up about Phyllis.Yeah.

WOMAN:
We'd never
be a part of that,

but there'll be times
we have to speak against it

or where nothing we say
can be construed that way.

That's right. This race
could get ugly at times.

We are gonna try our best to
make sure it doesn't get ugly,

but we have to be ready
to handle it.

I'm glad that we had that
conversation and we walked...

REPORTER:
In the DFL District 60B race,

Kahn is facing off
against two challengers

who, if elected, would be

the first Somali-American
representatives

at the state capitol.

TOM:
Welcome back to Truth to Tell.
I'm Tom O'Connell.

We've been having
a conversation this morning

with the three candidates
who are seeking to represent

House District 60B
here in Minneapolis.

Incumbent Representative
Phyllis Kahn and two challengers

to the DFL endorsement,
Ilhan Omar and Mohamud Noor.

Two years ago, Mohamud Noor,

you ran for
representative in 60B,

and Representative Kahn
won with, what,

about 53 percent of the vote?

Looking back on that,
you're back for another try.

What are some takeaways for you
from that experience?

MOHAMUD:
Well, I do respect
Representative Phyllis Kahn,

you know, for her service,

and she's done a lot
for many of our communities.

We-- I deeply
appreciate that.

But then there are
many issues

that have been left out
from the process.

We need someone who can
represent those issues

and become a champion
for those issues,

not sitting
on the sideline.

TOM:
Representative Khan, was this

one of your most
difficult challenges?

We've had a lot of
elections since 1972,

every couple of years.

I've been told I historically
have the most primary elections

of any legislator ever.TOM: Oh, really? Yeah.

And of course, the reason is
that most people-- I think--

most people, when they
contest someone in a primary,

there's a good reason
for doing it, and so they win.

TOM: Yeah.But I always win.

TOM:
Ilhan Omar, one of the questions
I think that people have,

Somalis must
only care about Somalis,

or women must
only care about women.

How do you see yourself
in terms of identity?

ILHAN:
Yeah.

So I think of myself
as a community educator.

I think of myself
as an organizer.

I think of myself
as a resident and a citizen

who happens to be
Somali and a woman.

TOM:
Okay, great.

PHYLLIS:
You know, we've already
talked about

the very importance of
the university to this district,

and my opponents can
correct me if I'm wrong,

but I'm really the only one

with significant
university connections.

ILHAN:
Can I say something before
you ask the next question?

TOM: Yeah.
We're sort of
missing something here.

What we're missing is that
there is a great disconnect

in the way that we serve
the needs of these students

where they will be
struggling with a debt

that will probably
not leave them

until the day that they die.

They're interested in going
beyond tuition freeze, right?

This is why I'm endorsed
by the President

and the Vice President of the
Minnesota Students' Association.

You wanna comment
on that?

The group that you're
so proud of endorsing you

has endorsed my opponent
almost every time I've won.

So good luck with it.

ILHAN: Which group is that?PHYLLIS: My DFL.

ILHAN:
I didn't mention that.

PHYLLIS:
Sorry, that was--

Yeah.TOM: It's out there.

It's the President
and the Vice President

of the Minnesota
Students' Association.

We need another hour.
We need another hour here.

They have been a constituent
of yours for three years now.

Yes, yes.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

[BOTH SPEAKING SOMALI]

ILHAN:
That's really good.

ILHAN:

MAN 1 [ON TV]:
...supporting Donald Trump.

MAN 2 [ON TV]:
Contacted by CNN,
the Trump campaign did not

speak specifically about
tailoring his group

with the group's white
nationalist ideas.

ILHAN:
There's a white supremacist PAC

making phone calls
for Donald Trump.

Uh-huh.

They're basically saying

if you don't want
Muslims in this country,

support Donald Trump.

[CHUCKLES]

Do you think that Donald Trump
wants your support?

I don't know whether
he wants it or not.

I think he wants
support from everyone.

[♪♪♪]

ILHAN:
I was born into
an unconventional,

brilliant, loud family.

My mother was trailblazing
and was setting standards

for new norms to forget about
what society expects us to do,

but to do things as we see fit.

But I don't really
have memories of her.

There are some memories
that are too traumatic for you

that you just block them away.

Because we didn't
have a mother,

my dad just wanted to
make sure

that our days
were always happy.

But then the war happened.

[EXPLOSIONS]

[GUNFIRE]

I was 8 at the time,
in fourth grade.

More than anything
happening to us,

I didn't want my dad
to also die

because then we would
be orphaned.

There was this refugee camp
that was opening up in Kenya.

That's where we ended up living for the next four years.

It was the first time
I understood

what hunger would feel like,
what death looked like.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

And then we got a chance for a sponsorship to go to America.

I remember being in Nairobi
and attending orientations

and, like, interviews
and stuff like that.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR:
The United States of America,

a land of diverse regions
and changing climates.

ILHAN:
In the video, they had this,
like, beautiful town

where, like, all the houses
looked exactly the same.

And, you know, that was just
like, "We're going to America.

This is what's gonna happen.
It's going to be beautiful."

NARRATOR:
...who risked
everything they had

for the chance to pursue
happiness and freedom.

They don't tell you
when you're a new American,

that's not where
you're gonna live.

So we arrive in New York,

and there's, like,
graffiti and trash.

And I was just like...

Like, "This is not what
they showed us in the video."

And so then he was like,
"Yeah,

we're not at our America yet,
Ilhan. We're still going."

[MEN CONVERSING IN SOMALI]

Assalamu alaikum.
How are you guys?

Good.

We have an election ballot...
next Saturday.

[♪♪♪]

[BOTH SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

ILHAN:

DAVID:
The traditional
campaign wisdom has been

you target

this very narrow section
of voters

that have voted a lot of the
time over the past few years.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

There's this myth that
low-income people,

young people, people of color
don't care about politics,

but the truth is nobody's
asked them to get engaged.

And so I thought, you know,
"Why not check this out?"

Yeah!

Our district has not had
a representative

that has spoken
on behalf of students

and engaged with students
in 40 years.

I truly believe in
a representative democracy.

Right? Like, this is--
This is the basis of what

our democracy is built on.

What makes you
support BLM?

'Cause I see a lot of
politicians just mentioning

that, like, all lives matter
just, like, not wanting to--

Not wanting to state
the exact reason why

Black Lives Matter
is so important

and why the movement
is so important.

Why I'm really, really
excited about the movement

is that it has this ability to
waken the conscience of people

like nothing has done before.

What you're doing, the push
that you are creating,

is allowing for our voices
to come through.

[APPLAUDING]

WOMAN:
Our state representatives
here are the ones

who make the decisions
about what tuition costs

and, like, advocate on the
behalf of you as a student here.

So we should get
the most progressive candidate

that we can in office.

If you haven't, you know,
gone to a caucus before,

if you're kind of iffy
on being active,

this is a great way to make
impact at the local level.

Yeah.
So...
MAN: Everybody...

TOM:
I am concerned that
student turnout

may not look like
what we want it to.

STACEY:
People just like to say,
"Yeah, sure. I'll be there,"

and so
it's unpredictable,

and it's unpredictable
with the presidential race,

how many of them
are gonna be out there.

I think that's been what we've
mostly been panicking about.

PHYLLIS:
The other side is better.

Here's the other side.

Bernie Sanders.
Brooklyn, New York.

Child of Eastern European
Jewish immigrants.

Phyllis Kahn.
Brooklyn, New York.

Child of Eastern European
Jewish immigrants.

Longest-serving
independent in Congress.

Longest-serving female
legislator in America.

[♪♪♪]

PHYLLIS:
I was at Cornell.

I had asked my adviser
for a recommendation,

and he wrote
a one-line recommendation

which says, "This person has
no ability for graduate work.

"She should be a housewife."

The most appalling thing
about that recommendation

was that if he had ever been in
my house, he would have seen

that the only hope
was to go to graduate school.

I ended up going to Yale,
got a PhD in biophysics.

At the meanwhile, the
Women's Movement was starting,

and I had started looking at

what the legislature
looked like,

and it seemed like
a good time to run.

I cannot say anything
negative about Phyllis.

I think she deserves
to be recognized

for all the work
that she has done.

But I think 43 years
is a very long experience.

This is an opportunity to bring different voices, young voices

that reflect the population
that she represents now.

The fast-growing population
in this state requires

a very in-depth knowledge
of those communities.

Ilhan, for me,
represents all of that.

[♪♪♪]

It's hard for me to understand
why Ilhan's not able

to get more support
and more endorsements.

We do say often that we want to
encourage more people of color,

more people of
different backgrounds,

people with disabilities
to run for office.

Yet, you know, when
we have those individuals,

we always question
their ability.

"Oh, well, you haven't-- You
haven't been here long enough.

You really don't understand
how the system works."

Now that they want to be
in positions of leadership,

we're telling them, "Well,
you are not good enough."

[ILWAD CHATTERS INDISTINCTLY]

ILWAD:
Oh, I forgot my phone.

[SQUEALS]Here's the pillow.

I don't--
Thank you!

AHMED:
Be careful, yeah?

ILWAD:
Okay, Daddy.

ILHAN:
On the third,
we have a fundraiser.

That's Friday, June 3rd.Yeah.

Friday night?Friday night.

And then, um,
during the day,

we have a fundraiser
in Faribault.

Oh, my God...So I'll be gone all day Friday.

And then Bill
is having one

on the 23rd of June
at the Coyle Center.

Again?

[LAUGHS]

AHMED:
Thursday night?

Um, I'm probably going
to Ohio too.

You're taking
the kids, right?

ILHAN:
The third is the last day
of school for the kids.

I know that one.

[CHUCKLES]

But I do want you
to be home tonight.

There's no way. I'm not
gonna be home till like 8.

Will you be home
by 9?

8:30-- Yeah,
probably by 9.

8:30 or 9?9.

9? Should I record it?

9, 9:30.

No.

Before 10,
I'll be home.

See, I knew it.

[♪♪♪]

[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]

Left on 12th.

There'll probably be
a lot of people there

right when we get there.

But we're gonna leave 'cause
we have to get you to 3-3

in time for you to speak.

[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]

ILHAN:
Wow.

[INDISTINCT CHATTERING
CONTINUES]

I'm Ilhan.Hi.

I'm running for
State Representative.

Hi, there. I'm Brandon.I'm Ilhan. Nice to meet you.

I'm running for
State Representative.

Please stick around
to become a delegate.

Thank you so much.

Go help
your state rep!

MAN:
Turnout's so high

they got conservative
with giving out lit.

Oh, my God.

MOHAMUD:
Good evening.
My name is Mohamud Noor.

I just wanted to say this is
a big day for us, a great day.

If we could just move
our people back this way.

[SPEAKS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

We need young people!

And I need you all to move
away from complacency,

to move away from familiarity,

and take a chance,
so invest in me,

invest in our state,
invest in our kids,

invest your time,
and make it happen.

[APPLAUSE]

You should move up.

ILHAN:
I'm getting a headache.

You get a whole
5-7 minutes.

Oh! I didn't--
You didn't tell me that.

I told you now.

I could've said
a lot of things.

I could've said my whole
platform in five minutes.

Oh, my God. That line
is also pretty long.

[PHYLLIS SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY
OVER MICROPHONE]

...environmental issues,
arts and culture issues...

WIL:
The guy in that Bernie
shirt over there.

Yeah.She said you should

talk to him as well.Okay.

What is the main sort of things
you're pushing for?

My only concern is gay rights.

Making college
affordable and accessible.

I've worked on
the Vote No Amendment

and I'm a member
of Stonewall.

And reforming our
criminal justice system

are my three top priorities.Okay.

WIL:

Should I just..?

[LAUGHS]

Oh, my God,
the Coyle Center's full,

overflowing full.

[CHEERING]BILL: I think we expected

a couple hundred people,

but there's already,
like, 500 people here

and probably more coming.

So this is two or three times

as many people as we expected.

This is an amazing turnout.

MAN:

Yep!I gotcha.

All right.

Are you ready?Yes.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

[SPEAKING IN SOMALI]

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

You can do it!

We haven't elected in 2-6 yet.

So you could hit
one more caucus.

Okay.

Okay.

[SHRIEKS HAPPILY]

So thank you,
first of all.

We got the most delegates
out of this precinct.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

We need to decide
who is going to

the Senate District
Convention for Ilhan.

[♪♪♪]

[DAVID CONTINUES
SPEAKING, INDISTINCTLY]

ILHAN:
Hi, Travis. This is Ilhan Omar,
candidate for District 60B.

How are you doing?

Hi, Lisa.
This is Ilhan Omar.

I wanted to touch base with you
about the convention.

ANDY:
This next person,
is a software engineer.

His Facebook
isn't public.

I wanted to talk
to you about

the upcoming convention
on April 9th.

ANDY:
Losha...

ILHAN:
I think there is
a lot of potential

for things to go wrong.

Hi, Losha.
This is Ilhan.

So you have to make sure
that you are holding on

to the people that are
committed to you.

Oh, okay.
And have you decided

who you're supporting yet?

Yeah.

That is true when
you're there for 43 years,

you tend to know
a lot of things.

Show me Sasha's Facebook?

ANDY:
She's posted about
some LGBT equity stuff,

like the HRC logo and stuff,
so maybe that's an angle.

Also,
roller derby lesbian.

So, like, we can talk
about queer stuff.

What?
She posted about it.

It's not like--
I haven't even--

I can do way creepier
research if I need to.

[LAUGHS]
Oh, my God.

You are scary.

Hi, Clarissa.
This is Ilhan Omar.

My opponent is younger than me
and prettier than me

and, um, apparently,
to some people, nicer than me

because she kind of
agrees with everything

anybody asks her about.

ILHAN:
...caucus for March 1st.

PHYLLIS:
You know, I've talked
to several people

who are listed
in the Omar caucus

who were totally
supporting me.

So you know,
it's very hard to tell

by just the general numbers
that you see.

You really have to
make individual contact.

MOHAMUD:
Phyllis has got a base.

Ilhan established a base
with the students.

I've got more confidence
that I've got

the majority of the support
within the Somali community.

Let the people decide.

PHYLLIS:
It's very competitive.

So I don't really wanna
make any predictions.

ILHAN:
At some point,
I'd like to hide under my bed

It's-- It's a little scary.

But we-- It needs
to be different.

WOMAN:
Now, I like
this paragraph a lot.

MAN:
That's my favorite
paragraph to read.

WOMAN:
I think we should
try to rephrase...

Check it out...

WOMAN:
...the "Ilhan is not
really different" part.

ILHAN:
Yeah, that.

I don't know what else...

MAN:
I-I-I-- Yeah.

Wait, you haven't
heard about that one?

MAN:
No!

There was a comment
where Phyllis said

that my scarves over the years
have gotten silkier,

my jeans have gotten tighter,
and my skin has gotten lighter.

Well...okay.

[LAUGHTER]

Implying I'm getting whiter
as the years have gone.

I don't actually own
any silk headscarves.

Right? 'Cause they don't wrap.Right. They would--

WOMAN:
They won't stay on your hair.

It's not a hat!

[LAUGHTER]

[♪♪♪]

ILHAN:
When 9/11 happened,
there was more soul searching

about who I was and what--
What my scarf meant

and how I wanted
to present myself.

And so for me, I made the
decision to wear my headscarf

because I found value in it.

It's like a badge of honor

to show that I am a person who
belongs to the Muslim faith.

I mean, there's challenges
of, like, thinking about

how am I going to present
myself today and how it's

going impact or how people
are gonna react to me.

Like, how do I own
my feminist identity

and still be Muslim, right?
And still be Somali.

I just think I'm a person,
and then someone says something

and I'm like, "Oh, you must
be curious about something.

"Why? I don't understand
why this is a thing."

[PEOPLE SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY][CAR HORN HONKS]

CAWO:
What complicates this election

is that you have
a Somali man in the mix.

And here, then,
what we end up getting

is the gender politics
that comes to the floor.

And this, of course, creates
new dilemmas for the community.

A lot of the gender biases

that are very much
in the Somali culture,

but also in most cultures
comes into play.

This idea that a young woman
who has children

wanting to be
at the forefront

and running against
a Somali man, you know,

they might see it as a threat
to what is considered tradition.

And also, it's undermining the
potential for this man to win.

HABON:
When Mohamud Noor announced
that he was running,

I was like, "Ah,
this is gonna be ugly."

[CHEERING]

I had a bad fear

of the community divided.

Ilhan was told that
she wouldn't be able to

convince the elderly community
because she's a woman.

And she was like, it was

the only time of my life
I wanted to be a man.

ILHAN [IN SOMALI]:NUR [IN SOMALI]:

ILHAN:

ILHAN [IN ENGLISH]:
This mosque, right, Abbu?

[IN ENGLISH] Yeah.This is the one we're going to.

[IN SOMALI]

[IN SOMALI]

[IMAM SPEAKING IN SOMALI]

So it's...
It's going okay.

Okay.
Yeah.

There's a lot of interest.

Oh, yes. We know that.

ILHAN:
Do you support women running?

IMAM:

Mm-hm.

Yeah.

I need a prayer, so maybe
you'll give me a prayer.

[BOTH LAUGH]

ILHAN:
A blessing, a prayer.

IMAM: I'll do that.ILHAN: Yeah?

IMAM: And I think it's--ILHAN: It's Friday.

So I'll be here if
not to take advantage.

[LAUGHS]

[IMAM LEADING PRAYER]

IMAM:
Allahu Akbar.

Sami'Allahu liman hamidah.

Allahu Akbar.

Allahu Akbar.

Allahu Akbar.

[SPEAKING SOMALI]

[ALL SPEAKING SOMALI]

[TRAIN BELLS RING]

[♪♪♪]

[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]

No, I was just
talking to people here,

but I'm gonna go
to the floor.

WOMAN: Okay.BILL: At the convention,

if any one candidate

has 60 percent of the vote,

they have secured
the DFL endorsement.

All right. We're gonna begin
voting in about 30 seconds.

BILL:
The endorsement means that's
the person at the primary

that's gonna have the party
letter next to their name.

There's a buzz in the air
at a convention.

Everybody knows
the risks, the stakes.

Yet there's only
a couple hundred people

who are going to
be influencing it.

WOMAN:
Thank you very much.

And they're all in sight
of one another.

There's a man sitting next
to a red shirt, flannel shirt.

Yep. Yep.He won't give me anything.

He's also my neighbor.

Talk to him.Okay.

He's wearing a Phyllis button.Yeah.

It's an honorable way
to leave.

Yes. Yes.

Yeah. Yeah.

I hear you.

With the priority in where
that experience was being

used isn't really
benefiting us.

Two years.Yeah.

WOMAN:
Delegates, we have results.

Please have a seat so that
we can read them out to you.

Phyllis Kahn:
89 votes for 34.50 percent.

[APPLAUSE]Let me get through this first.

Mohamud Noor:
28 votes for 10.85 percent.

Ilhan Omar: 141 votes
for 54.65 percent.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

We will begin in five minutes.

[MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

MAN [SHOUTING]:
Hey! Hey! Hey!

I believe

that we...!

[EXCITED YELLING]ILHAN: Thank you, guys!

We are really, really,
really, really, really,

really close
to getting this win.

We are asking,
begging for all of you

to be patient
for maybe another hour.

WOMAN: Almost there.ILHAN: Almost there.

DAVID:
We're doing really well,

but Phyllis's campaign is trying
to elongate this process,

make this day
as long as possible,

play off of the classism
that exists in this party

that doesn't allow young people,
people of color,

and working people to stay
for long periods of time

at this convention.

Get some food,
recharge a little bit,

and get back on the floor.[WHOOPING]

Do we know
the vote totals yet?

So no endorsement, one.

WOMAN:
Does everybody's things say...

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

All right, the results
of Ballot Four:

Phyllis Kahn:
33.88 percent.

Ilhan Omar:
54.69 percent.

No endorsement,
11.43 percent.

We will proceed to a fifth
and final ballot in 5 minutes.

LAURA:
We've hit hour 12.

All our people are
holding really tight,

like, impressively tight.

[CHANTING]
I believe that we will win!

But our persuasion program
is basically broken.

Like, there's no one
left to persuade.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

[SPEAKING SOMALI]

[SPEAKING SOMALI]

WOMAN:
All right.

Phyllis Kahn:
33.20 percent.

Ilhan Omar:
55.42 percent.

[PEOPLE CLAP AND CHEER]

WOMAN:
And no endorsement:
11.34 percent.

[PEOPLE CLAPPING AND CHEERING]

WOMAN:
As we have reached
our fifth and final ballot,

we have no endorsement,

and this body will not endorse
before the August primary.

[♪♪♪]

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

REPORTER 1:
Now there will
be a primary in August

with Kahn, Omar,
and Mohamud Noor,

a Somali-American who almost
defeated Kahn in 2014.

Looking forward to the primary,

and I think the voters
will have the opportunity.

This is-- This is
their opportunity to decide

who is gonna
represent this district.

REPORTER 2:
Are you in
a David-versus-Goliath scenario

where for the first time
you're the David?

Um, surely in the Convention,

but I'm not sure that in
the real world that that's true.

Well, one factor that might help
Kahn is that the primary will

happen during the university's
summer break in August

when most students
will be elsewhere.

[♪♪♪]

BILL:
If this election
is characterized

by low student turnout
in the primary,

then the two main communities
that do show up

are older, established,
white homeowners

and the newly energized

and politically-activated,
um, Somali community.

If there aren't students
to balance out this equation,

and Ilhan splits
the Somali community

and against Phyllis,
splits the white community,

it will be a tougher
road to hew.

I'm a little exhausted.

Okay, so then we have
a couple on 27th.

2319...

is this way.

ILHAN:
It's summer. It's hot.

There's that struggle with
just trying to figure out

how to keep people hydrated and motivated enough to go out.

[♪♪♪]

[KNOCK ON DOOR]MAN: Hi.

ILHAN:
Hi, I'm looking for Julie.

MAN:
Hold on one second.

WOMAN:
Yeah, Phyllis has been doing

what she can to kind of
talk up the neighbors here.

You can see that
across the street.

You know, I hate to see Phyllis
get moved out of office.

ILHAN:
I've learned
if I control my panic,

it goes a lot easier.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

Quick announcement
for everyone.

We have sunscreen
and bug spray over here.

Please use it
before you go out.

We also have a fridge
full of cold water.

Please, please, please
take a bottle with you.

We really would prefer
you don't pass out.

ILHAN:
I think there is so many
hopes and dreams

of a lot of the young people

who are involved
in our campaign.

MAN:
The folks who said
they're gonna vote,

we're still gonna knock.

If they are in a building,
we're knocking--

I-- Absolutely not.
Absolutely not.

They've already voting, we're
not gonna waste time knocking.

That's a waste of time.That is incredibly--

ILHAN:
But, like,
the anxieties get bigger,

the emotions run high.

The amount of distrust in
the student vote needs to be

eradicated
from this campaign.

This isn't distrust
in the student vote.

This is distrust
in any vote.

Yeah-- Wait, wait, wait.
We know who's...

So...

It's a lot,
trying to change the world.

[BOTH SPEAKING SOMALI]

Okay, so, um, tomorrow morning,
we'll meet up at 7:30.

If you are, like,
a guard for a building,

stay there. Don't leave.

If the next building is burning,
let the building burn.

[PEOPLE LAUGH]Seriously.

Like, this is how it works.

Because they're
going to have cars.

They don't have
as many voters as we have.

So they will take our voters.

Okay? So, like, this is real.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

[♪♪♪]

ILHAN:
Can I eat, maybe?

You cannot eat
at all today.

It's Election Day.
No eating.

ILHAN:
It's going to be
very divisive.

I think the odds are
stacked up against us.

The other individuals
you are talking to,

this group's campaign.

The two individuals
you are talking to...

We're a different campaign.I don't care what...

ILHAN:
The elders subscribing
to these ideas of:

"He's the man,
he's more deserving

because he is the breadwinner
in his family."

MOHAMUD:

DAVID:
Just pull up to the 2100 block,
which is the next one,

and just wait there for a minute
while we go hit three houses.

Okay, take those.

ILHAN:
We're trying to
make sure that

we are out here
until the last poll closes,

and to not have
any doubts when we lose

about how much more
we could have done. So...

Hey, how's it going?
Have you guys voted yet today?

So we need as many of you voting
so that we can reclaim our power

and have
negotiating power for us.

We'll do our best
to vote.

All right,
thank you.

WOMAN:
Two votes, let's go.

Three votes.Four votes.

WOMAN: Four?That guy was married.

ILHAN:
Hi, William.
This is Ilhan Omar.

I'm calling to talk to you
about, um, voting for me today.

And then turn left.We had a guy say

he had to ask his wife.

If it was okay
to vote for Ilhan.

Yes. See?

[CHANTING AND SINGING]

[CHANTING]
It's time for a woman
to lead! Ilhan!

It's time for a woman to lead!
Ilhan!

It's time for a woman
to lead! Ilhan!

It's time for a woman to lead!
Ilhan!

It's time for
a woman to lead...

How's everybody
feeling?

Hi, guys. Did you vote
in the primary today?

Are you guys
able to vote?

Did you get a chance
to vote yet today?

No, not yet.

Are you planning on it?No, not really.

Have you had a chance
to vote yet today?

Got an hour still.

Excuse me, have you
guys voted yet today?

Have you voted yet
in the primary today?

Oh, no, thanks.
I just... No, thank you.

Yeah, there's only 45 minutes
before the polls close.

ILHAN:
People die in parts of the world
for the right to vote.

Hey, how's it going?

Our district,
the highest number

of young people
who voted are 123.

Oh, my goodness. Yeah.Right?

Your vote might
win us this.

Hey, I'm here
in this town.

Hi, everyone!

Everyone, you should
vote for her now.

Ilhan Omar!

Polls close
in 45 minutes.

Get out there. Bye!

[LAUGHS]

[PEOPLE CHEERING]

Vote, yes!

This is like a car wash
or something.

[LAUGHS]
Hey, um...

You look really
pretty today.

Today? Only?Yeah. Only today.

'Cause you voted for me.

That's it? It's because
I'm a delegate?

That's what makes you
look pretty today.

I was praying today. I was like,
"Jesus, I know Ilhan is Muslim."

[LAUGHING]

WOMAN:
Keep going.
"Jesus, Ilhan is Muslim..."

"Please make an exception
for her today."

Okay, I'm going to go
wash my face and stuff.

WOMAN: We'll see you there.Okay. All right.

MAN:
What, are you talking to--?

Hi!Oh, my God!

Hello!How are you guys?

Good.Yeah?

I want a hug.Yeah? You guys are good?

[BOTH SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

ILHAN:
27, 24.

MAN:
We're waiting on it.

Um, they said
the results would be in...

within seconds,

and it's been more than
seconds at the moment.

So we're just gonna
click refresh

until the seconds
are done.

How are you feeling?Good.

We're not too far.

ILHAN:
What's the total for 210?

30-20. You have it
in front of you.

DAVID:
It's in front of you.

ILHAN:
Oh, that was added in.
Okay.

MAN:
Yeah, like 20 minutes ago.

What if it magically
refreshes itself

just when you
stop refreshing it?

[CHUCKLES]

And we sit here
for 10 minutes,

and the results
have already been up.

[LAUGHS]

Okay. Excuse me.

I apparently finished that.

[ILHAN LAUGHS]

I can't see results!

Do you not have Twitter?

Somebody check Twitter.

Are we on
the wrong website?

What?MAN: Who did?

Pat Garofalo is texting
results that we won.

ILHAN:
We what?

I don't know where he's
getting these, though.

He says what--
Pat Garofalo says

Ilhan Omar, 2402 votes
for 40.95 percent.

Mohamud Noor, 1738 votes
for 29.63 percent.

Phyllis Kahn,
1726 for 29.42 percent.

It says.

[♪♪♪]

Oh, my God!

It's in!

Yeah!

[ALL CHEERING, CLAPPING]

I won! I won! I won!

[PEOPLE CHEERING]

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

[CROWD CHEERING
AND APPLAUDING]

[CHANTING]
Ilhan! Ilhan! Ilhan! Ilhan!

[APPLAUSE CONTINUES]

[CROWD CHEERING]

I love you.

[CROWD CHEERING
AND APPLAUDING]

REPORTER:
We're tracking
a historic upset.

Ilhan Omar defeating

Minnesota's longest-serving
state legislator Phyllis Kahn

in the Democratic primary
for State House District 60B.

That means come November,
we'll have

the first Somali-American
lawmaker in the nation.

I want to remind you all
that what we did tonight,

no one thought
was possible.

[CROWD CHEERING]

[♪♪♪]

ERIN:
We were just through the roof

that Ilhan had won the primary.

That was one of those moments
that was like:

"Yes! It works. The country is
going in the right direction."

And then, unfortunately,
like what happens

with so many women and
so many women of color,

we've got to find
something wrong with them.

We've got to have a flaw.

Well, turning now to a
controversy brewing in Minnesota

over a candidate,
her marriage status,

and allegations
of immigration fraud.

Ilhan Omar
is poised to become

the first Somali-American
state lawmaker in US history.

But now, questions surround

her alleged marriage
to two men at once

with accusations that
one of those marriages

is to her own brother so that
he could get into the U.S...

Would be immigration fraud.

Here to help us make
sense of all this...

...by the campaign,
but a campaign that continues

to flatly and absolutely deny

these allegations that are
floating out there,

that this candidate was somehow
at one point married to two men,

or that she had committed
immigration fraud

in any way, shape, or form.

[♪♪♪]

They were like,
"No, no, no. We cannot allow

an hijab-wearing,
brown skin woman

to represent Minnesota."

She was devastated.

ERIN:
It just seemed irresponsible

from the media
to pick this up.

It seemed irresponsible
that people were festering it

and saying this
somehow disqualified her

or didn't make her the
powerful person that she was.

REPORTER:
In a lengthy statement,
Omar explained that

in 2002, when she was
19 years old, she applied

for a marriage license with
the father of her children

and love of her life,
but they never followed

through and therefore
were not legally married.

The couple broke up in 2008,

and Omar says she married
another man legally in 2009.

Two years later, they broke up, but Omar says

they only divorced
in their faith tradition.

Since then, Omar says she
reconciled with the first man

and they're raising their children together adding:

[READING ON-SCREEN TEXT]

ILHAN:
"Now the question
that needs to be asked

"is why are these absurd and
hateful rumors being circulated?

"It matters that
I am a woman.

"It matters that
I am a Somali-American woman.

"It matters that I am
a Muslim immigrant woman.

"Despite the best efforts
of those who wish to divide us

"and stand in the way
of progress,

"rest assured that petty rumors like these will not distract me

"from the important work
that lies ahead

for our communities."

ILHAN:
Hi, guys.
Are you voting this year?

You already voted?No.

You know about early voting?Yes.

Okay, wonderful.
Thank you so much.

Okay. Thank you.

KEITH:
All right, you guys.

We got just a few more hours
until it's Election Day.

Y'all ready?[CROWD CHEERING]

KEITH:
She's awesome.

We're proud of her.
We brag about her all the time.

Ilhan Omar, everybody.

[CROWD CHEERING
AND APPLAUDING]

I want you guys
to shout on top of mountains

and make sure
you let people know

that this is
a crucial election cycle.

So are you all ready to
show up for your values?

[CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]

Are you all ready
to show up on the 8th?

Are you all ready to make
history twice in this district?

Elect me and Hillary?

[CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]

[CHANTING]
U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

Here in Minnesota,
you've seen firsthand

the problems caused with
faulty refugee vetting,

with large numbers of Somali
refugees coming into your state

without your knowledge, without
your support or approval,

and with some of them
then joining ISIS

and spreading
their extremist views

all over our country
and all over the world.

[CROWD BOOING]

And years from today, you'll be
able to say you voted for

a stronger, fairer,
better America.

WOMAN:
Wow, good morning.

It is Tuesday, November 8. It's Election Day.

What's happening today? It's here at last.

ILHAN: You ready?Yeah.

ILHAN:
What day is today?

Mommy Day!Mommy Day!

[♪♪♪]

ILHAN:
Hi. Thank you for voting.

Thank you so
much for doing this.

You're welcome.

When Donald Trump came in
and was spewing all that hate,

I had a tendency
to not get angry

because I knew
that this message,

this hateful message
was going to be

the thing that motivated
minority communities

that don't often turn out
to vote to come out for love.

WOMAN 1: What do we want?ALL: Voting!

When do we want it?ALL: Now!

WOMAN 2:
Let's go vote,
everybody!

REPORTER [ON PHONE]:
It is game day.
It is Election Day.

It is the day we crack
that glass ceiling.

We're in Philadelphia knocking on doors,

getting out the vote
for our girl Hils.

If you're rockin' a pantsuit
like we're rockin' a pantsuit,

if you're voting for Hillary
like we're voting for Hillary,

say hello.
We're glad to see you.

Get out there and vote!

[♪♪♪]

[CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]

Minnesota, you have elected
a Somali-American Muslim woman.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]

♪ Now watch me whip ♪

♪ Now watch me nae nae ♪

♪ Now watch me whip, whip
Watch me nae nae ♪

♪ Now watch me whip ♪

♪ Watch me nae nae
Now watch me whip... ♪

MAN: How do you feel?ILHAN: I'm feeling excited.

Tonight is a great night

and I hope it ends
as a great night,

um, not only
celebrating my win

but we get to celebrate
the national win

as Hillary is elected
as the first woman President.

MAN:
Thank you so much.

Congratulations.ILHAN: Yeah, thank you!

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

[SPEAKING SOMALI]

ILHAN:
Oh, my goodness.

Oh, my God!

So this is--
it's done.

You're serious
about this?

WOMAN:
Yeah.

That's like...

That's scary that
the hateful rhetoric can find

a partner in the hearts
of many in our community.

How different the world
of tomorrow is going to be...

um...

for many of us.

[♪♪♪]

PHYLLIS:
Well, I woke up
the next morning.

I suddenly realized
I never have to go

to a meeting I don't want
to go to anymore,

I never have to be polite
to an asshole again,

of which so many people,
when I say that,

tell me I've never been polite
to anybody ever. So.

[LAUGHS]

I mean, she won. There's
nothing to feel about it.

Fortunately,
the margin was big enough

so that I don't have to
obsess about

what was
the will of the district.

She's coming in as
a much more public figure

than anyone else is,

and I think my advice
would be to make use of that.

[♪♪♪]

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

WOMAN 1:
Do you solemnly swear or affirm
that you will support

the Constitution
of the United States

and the Constitution
of the State of Minnesota,

so help you God?ALL: I do.

WOMAN 1: Congratulations.[APPLAUDING]

WOMAN 2:
Miller, present.
60B, Ilhan Omar.

Present!

WOMAN 2:
Omar, present.

MAN:
It's a great honor and joy
to join all of you

as we congratulate my sister.

You know, this is not a place
that many of us show up.

I think Ilhan is
calling us to show up.

[♪♪♪]

Oh, my God.
I might...

I might start crying when
I see her name plaque on there.

Oh, it's not on there yet.
Thank God. I'm not gonna cry.

JOELLE:
Ilhan's primary victory
was always going to be on

the front page of
theStar Tribune.

Did we know that she was
going to be trending

on social media outlets
and having this, like,

landfall of letters coming in
from all over the world? No.

Ilhan Omar, the country's
first female Muslim

refugee in elected office.

I'm proud of your election
because of what your community

was sort of subjected to
for national political purposes.

ILHAN:
We are about
creating a movement

where people understand
that there is

real representation in
a representative democracy.

JOELLE:
People are looking to her
to be a leader nationally

and be a spokesperson
for Muslim communities

and immigrant communities
and black communities,

and it's like,
we did not see that coming.

CROWD:
This is what
democracy looks like!

Tell me what
democracy looks like.

CROWD:
This is what
democracy looks like!

[CHEERING]

As we stand in front of
the people's house,

I remind you that
you are the powerful ones.

Now the lawmakers of this state,
of this country work for you.

[CHEERING]

It's unclear exactly how many
people have been detained

at U.S. airports this weekend
or how many have been released.

President Trump's travel
and immigration crackdown

on people from seven
Muslim-majority countries

has caused chaos and confusion
and sparked intense protests.

ILHAN:
It is time for you to wake up.
It's time for you to act.

This isn't just something that
is happening to other people.

It is happening to us.

REPORTER:
Frankly, Representative,
it was easy to find

hateful comments
about you and I--

ILHAN: Sadly.REPORTER: Sadly.

ILHAN:
If-- If these conversations
were about

a piece of legislation
that I am working on,

then we can engage
in debate about that,

but my identity
is not up for debate.

So I want you to think about

the kind of message
that you are sending.

The reality is
you can't make us disappear.

We are part of this state.
We are part of this country.

I think all that
is a little...

surreal.

It's like,
"Oh, my God, it's crazy

that I get to be
on national TV

because I'm
State Representative."

TREVOR:
Please welcome

Minnesota State Representative
Ilhan Omar.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING
AND APPLAUDING]

Actually, I invited
President Trump twice now

to come and meet
my family and my community.

My grandfather and father
always said that you should

invite your enemy to your home
and make them a friend,

and so...[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

So I wanted
to give the president

an opportunity to make amends
with our community,

and at least to come and
have our famous Somali tea.

You know,
that's the least he can do.

He represents us
now as well.

All right. There it is.

President Trump,
have some Somali tea.

Thank you so much
for joining us.

Representative Ilhan Omar,
everybody.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

ILWAD:
I want some.

I'm gonna get this one.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

I want some skin
and barbecue.

ILHAN:
Are you sure you
don't want to try it?

I'm vegetarian.

ADNAN:
One bite.

I'm vegetarian.

ADNAN:
A nibble.

ILWAD:
Just a little.

[LAUGHING]

ILWAD:

ILHAN:
And that makes
you a cute girl?

Yeah.Okay.

ILWAD:
Questions.

You have questions?
What kind of questions?

ILWAD:

That's a good question.

Why do you think?
What's the answer, you think?

Because, um...

It's for the greater good.

[♪♪♪]

[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]

DAVID:
When we started out,
people were really skeptical,

said like, "You can't win
a campaign like this.

You can't win a campaign
by expanding the electorate.

You can't win a campaign

by trying to bring in
new voices."

And we said,
"No, you can. And you have to."

Good morning, everyone.

AUDIENCE:
Good morning.

When I announced,
there were a lot of people

who told me
I shouldn't be running

and then there was the Muslims
and the Somali community

who would say I should
let my brother have it.

And I would tell them:

"I think I could do
a better job than my brother."

[CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]

I believe this is
a great moment,

perhaps one of the greatest
moments of the history of women.

It's hard to be optimistic about
everything that's going on.

Yes, our democracy is messy,
but it is our duty

to continually do the work,
to clean it up,

and make sure it shines.

My hope today
is that you will run--

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

--so that our democracy
is representative, reflective,

and a beacon of hope.
Are you ready?

[CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]

REPORTER 1:
Across the country,

organizations training women
to run for office

report exponential growth
in women signing up

since November 2016.

It's not just this increase in the numbers we're talking about

who are running for office
and running campaigns,

it's an explosion.

[♪♪♪]

This convention, over 20,000
women across this country

have raised their hand, said,
"I want to run for office.

I need to change
the direction

of my community
and my country."

That is the power of...

You are the first Latina
U.S. Senator in history.

...Virginia House where Kathy Tran has become

the first Asian-American woman to be elected.

REPORTER 2:
Danica Roem, who is the first
openly transgender person

to be elected to state office.

REPORTER 3:
She's making history.

Tammy Duckworth,
a double amputee,

will be the first Senator
to give birth while in office.

Somewhere,
a young girl of color

is watching tonight

and realizing that
she does not have a limit

to how high she can go.

This is all part of
a movement and...

The Women's March became
the largest single-day protest

in American history.

WOMAN 1:
We marched, we said "No,"
but that's not enough.

WOMAN 2:
It's no longer just
march and talk...

True patriotism is about

fighting for your country
and its dignity.

A new day is
on the horizon!

[CROWD CHEERING
AND APPLAUDING]

[♪♪♪]

[WOMEN VOCALIZING]