What creates change? It is a movement? A spark? Or something more? For 35-year old Ilhan Omar it all started with an idea fueled by displeasure in the lack of representation in the government.
Living in the district of Minneapolis known as “Little Mogadishu,” where the average household income is less than $28,000 a year, the twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul are home to one of the largest college campuses in the country, in a state that has the fifth-highest rate of student debt.
But what if that change could come to “Little Mogadishu,” where a majority of the people feel neglected by their government? That’s when Omar decided if she wanted change, she would have to create it.
So in 2016, Omar ran against a Caucasian incumbent, Phyllis Kahn, a Native New Yorker who had been in office for over four decades, and another Somali, Mohamud Noor, who had attempted to unseat Kahn in a previous election.
With the sharp eye documentarian Norah Shapiro’s Time for Ilhan captures all the struggles of Ilhan as she battles both her fellow candidate and all the things in her head telling her she cannot win.
The Koalition interviewed Omar and Shapiro about their documentary a woman who overtook a city in hopes of changing the government.
Check out the interview below.
