Somali Link Radio - Meet Amane Badhasso

Speaker 2 00:00:20 You Speaker 3 00:00:24 Welcome back. This is Abak be here at Somali link Speaker 4 00:00:29 Radio you the back too. Speaker 3 00:00:33 Hello. Welcome back. This is Abak behi at Somali link, radio of K F a I F M 90 43. Um, you can always listen to KFI radio 24 7 K a i.org. Today. We have a wonderful guest. We have one of the brightest people. I know Amanas is at candidate for district fourth. If I'm not mistaken, uh, us congressional seat in St. Paul. And, uh, she's very progressive, very interesting person to know. Uh, really I have attended a couple events where she, uh, Aman was speaking and that the vision and how charact clarity about the issues are really amazing. But before I got to talk to my guest, um, still COVID is reaching. I know CDC and many organization is transportation airport everywhere. They're kind of saying no masks our necessary, so, but COVID 19 is real. Still real. Please take the shots if you did not. Speaker 3 00:01:49 Uh, it's homeless. I was the very first few people in this state to take the shot, to become an example for everyone. And, uh, really I do, uh, appreciate that. That gave me the two to really convince a lot of people to take the shots and that they're grateful. Everybody's fine. We are all functioning. Well, the kids are fine. The shots are good. So right now from five years above, you can get the shots anywhere. All you have to do is just go to he county, where website or Minnesota state website, or department of health website, and you will find, um, you all, you have to do just to put your zip code and find the shots. Um, you need to get vaccinated or the boosters, if you already are vaccinated. Um, if you're still looking for a job is the can be sitting up. We need a lot of people to work. So if you are thinking about having a career or you need help with your resume, or you need a job, please call emerge community development. Uh, there's emerge on Broadway in north Minneapolis, and there's a, a merge in Cedar, Riverside at the opportunity, Cedar Riverside opportunity center column. And, uh, they'll be able to help you with that. Welcome back. Um, Amani, are you there? Speaker 6 00:03:15 Yes, I am. How are you Speaker 3 00:03:19 Amani? Welcome again. Speaker 6 00:03:22 Thank you so much, Mr. Behi. How are Speaker 3 00:03:24 You? I am doing good. How are you in the campaign trail? Speaker 6 00:03:29 I am doing wonderful. It's it's a busy time. Um, it's a busy time. It's a really challenging time. What we used to do, you know, I'm an organizer and so the, our campaign operations or a campaign operation of pre COVID is quite different than it is now. Yes. So there's still tremendous adjustment that we have to make, but I feel incredibly honored to be running, to represent the families of the fourth districts. It's we're in a moment of crisis, but I think this call it's for a new generation of leadership. And so the, the part where I get to talk to people about issues that are important to them and just seeing the inspiration, that part is, um, is truly, uh, remarkable. Uh, but of course there's the other part of wishing that I could talk to folks door to door, uh, without feeling afraid or without making them a little bit more scared. Um, cuz folks are not, um, as easily, you know, accessible as they used to be, but it's, you know, you adjust. And so we've been doing that, but overall, uh, lots of, lots of good, um, lots of good opportunities to, to still engage and, and have conversations. And so it's going well, it's going well. Speaker 3 00:04:39 Good. Uh, I really, I, I actually saw you in person talking to the community and uh, thank Speaker 6 00:04:46 You for coming. Speaker 3 00:04:46 It was great. Yes. And talk about the issues. And, uh, I was really, um, I was impressed, uh, the energy you have, um, how you are really clear about the issues that are concerning our communities. And, uh, first of all, let me start. You are from Ethiopia and you are a former refugee when you come to this country. So tell me about your story. Speaker 6 00:05:13 Yeah, absolutely. So I am a member of the IAL community here and, you know, Minnesota is beautiful for many reasons, but I think one of the most, uh, important things that we have to remind each other is this is a, a state for immigrants and refugees. I was forced into displacement when I was a child. I actually don't remember, um, anything besides just being put on my grandmother's shoulder, um, in the middle of the night and, and heading to at Kenya, the refugee camp. And so I was at the refugee camp for about a year and I had an uncle here who really wanted, uh, me to still get an education. And so we moved into, um, second street, which any refugee that comes from Nairobi, Kenya will tell you about that street. It's the most dangerous place to be, but it's also the place where neighbors really take care of each other. Speaker 6 00:06:09 And so when I was young, I used to go to my neighbors to have mango, to have chips, uh, what, what we hear call French fries, um, and to have Sam Busa and, and really good tea and, and, and coffee growing up. And so despite the, the poverty was the place that really shaped who I am today. I lived in, in poverty between, uh, four years old to, until I was 12 and a half. I came to Minnesota when I was 13. Um, but really experiencing what I consider to be some of the most devastating moments in my life. When I was a kid from, at one point, I almost died from malaria cause I didn't have money to go to the hospital. And, um, there were folks here who sent money, um, to support me, but there were also neighbors there, even though they were struggling, uh, that put money aside so that I could, I could get the necessary medical treatment on the second occasion, the building that I lived in collapsed. Speaker 6 00:07:08 And so I, I was, uh, staying with one of my closest friends family for about, I think, six weeks mm-hmm <affirmative>. Um, and that really changed my outlook and perspective of, of course, when I came here as a 13 year old, um, it helped that there was a large, uh, oral community here. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, uh, they actually had a community center. And so my second weekend here was, uh, meeting with the community leaders and really getting accustomed and not everybody gets that support, but I think it changed my outlook online, but cuz I was scared of the new country mm-hmm <affirmative> I, you know, I was always heard about America, right? A land of promise and opportunity. So a part of me was like, oh my God, my life is gonna completely change. Now I can worry about, you know, uh, very different things, right. Speaker 6 00:07:56 I used to worry about where the, the next meal is gonna come from. Whether I was gonna be safe if I walked, if I was walking for a, a mile to get mango, which was my favorite food mm-hmm <affirmative> I always had to go with my older male cousins. Um, I knew that was not gonna be the case here, but there was also that feeling of am I gonna fit in? Am I gonna live a life of, of freedom? Are things gonna be different here? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And so I think having that community support as a, as a 13 year old really changed my life. Again, I always say that I I'm the luckiest person, uh, because I even in, in moments of trials, I always had love. I always had people that cared for me. Mm-hmm <affirmative> and I think that's why I became an organizer. Speaker 6 00:08:40 Um, and, and working in politics, uh, as an organizer for many years, because I believe that when we, uh, lend our hand to, to help somebody need, when we, when we show up for each other, when we share our stories, right. Sometimes I think one of the biggest challenges for any former refugee is does somebody else share my story? Right? Sometimes we, uh, we wanna feel, um, as if all the burden is on our shoulders, right? Yeah. Like it's just me against the world. Mm-hmm, <affirmative>, that's not the case, right. With, there are millions of refugees. There are millions of people who, uh, come from, uh, you know, a very different beginning, right. Where some people grow up without parents. That was the case for me. Mm-hmm <affirmative> but I was lucky enough to have neighbors and aunts and uncles and, and grandparents who took care of me. Speaker 6 00:09:29 Right. So that I didn't feel alone. And I think that's what we try to do. And, and, and, and the kind, the politics that I believe in. Yeah. It's just important to show up for each other. It's just important to, to exchange our stories, our struggles, our hopes and dreams. And I think that that's the story of, uh, thousands and thousands of former refugees, whether they're from Somalia or Ethiopia or Kenya or trea, or anywhere in the world, it's you just want to feel as though there's somebody that can have your story that shares your story, but somebody that can understand it. And I think one of the biggest aspirations that we have as human beings is to not feel alone, right? Yes, absolutely. We're so being, yes. Uh, as long as we don't feel alone, I think there's there's room to persevere. And I think that's my story. Speaker 3 00:10:17 Well, you have a, a very amazing story and a story that I really feel that happiness a lot in our communities here. And, um, but you know, a lot of people, um, uh, what's always surprises me is that, um, you went through all this fleeing from your own home while you were on the shoulders of your grandparents. It's not really a quite simple refugee immigration story. You go through, um, a hostile land, you know, you end up in a refugee camp, but that I not have everything that a Campie was supposed to have. Um, mm-hmm <affirmative>, those families might be the first or the second families that show up in this camp and they have to figure out everything else, excuse me. And, you know, having that real experience, that brings a lot of, um, challenges to, uh, to grow, uh, with fear mm-hmm <affirmative> with, with mm-hmm <affirmative> and still having the, the, the luxury of, you know, of relatives, of community, of neighbors in Kenya, then coming over into a new completely country and, uh, the importance of a community center of a community organization that speaks your language that really understands the needs of you learning English, starting school, you know, um, making restarting your life from early age mm-hmm <affirmative> and the resilience that takes you at the end to achieve what you want, but also have the audacity to run for office and change your lives. Speaker 3 00:12:02 <laugh> right. I mean, that's a lot, um, mm-hmm a lot for a person who fell from war and what, what do you most draw your Brazilians or your energy or your inspiration in the middle of all this? Speaker 6 00:12:19 Yeah, that's a, that's a good, um, question, several things, one, uh, you know, the, the community and, and then, uh, former refugees from Ethiopia, they, they survived to conflict and, and, and, and othering and, and dehumanization and feeling as though they don't belong for a very long time. And, you know, I credit my grandmother. Who's a tough, tough woman. Um, she's always said, you know, you're today, doesn't define your tomorrow and, and see her, you know, not complaining at all, even, uh, moments where, you know, we would, we would be at odds with, um, Kenyan authorities or moments where, you know, I could, I could see the tears in her eyes as I'm, you know, sort of crying for food and, and candy, which I loved very much. I loved sugar since I was a kid <laugh>, um, seeing that made me feel like, you know, sh she, you know, for, for a lot of women, right? Speaker 6 00:13:19 Yeah. Especially, uh, Muslim or more women, uh, they grew up in this environment of, you know, they, weren't given an opportunity to go to school. Uh, they weren't given an opportunity to, to hold jobs. Um, you know, there there's, you know, patriarchy within our communities as well. Mm-hmm, <affirmative>, um, I never saw her complain. She's told me about those stories. Right. Mm-hmm <affirmative> but she never said, I wish I had a different life. Mm-hmm <affirmative> um, she always says, you know, I, I went through all of that so that you could see something different so that you could see a different life. And, you know, growing up, listening to the stories, as you know, where we come from oral culture, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, especially as refugees in exile, uh, you get to learn about it, the good stories, the bad and heartbreaking stories, right. Of family members experiencing persecution, et cetera. Speaker 6 00:14:13 Mm-hmm <affirmative> but also the stories of resilience. So I think for me, I was, I was always picky with the stories I, I internalized I was always picky with, with the things that I hear. So if somebody's like, you're not gonna make it. Now, one of the, one of the things on the campaign trail is with, you know, to your point of having the ADAC team. Like I grew up really, um, minimizing what I took in my, and I think it worked out in my favor because now I get to only take in the stories of, you can do this. It's possible. This is a land of promise. Uh, this is America everything's possible versus, and I block out everything that says, you know, it's not possible. This is ridiculous. You're running against a 22 year incumbent. It's not, it's not possible. My entire life was centered on internalizing the positive messages internalizing and really seeing firsthand what happens when you have hope, right? Speaker 6 00:15:07 Yes. When you're in the refugee camp where you have nothing, mm-hmm, you don't even remember your mother's faith, you have to persevere, right. You have to think and believe that you're gonna get out of that circumstance. That circumstance isn't forever. It's the, it's been the same for me. The challenges I face, I always say a hundred. I like things are gonna get better. They're not gonna stay the same. And I think learned that from my grandmother, she's a, um, a very resilient person and, you know, was able to tell me of all the amazing stories, um, uh, throughout, throughout, uh, our, the history of my ancestors. And yeah, I, I also believe that it's a way for us to survive, right? Those of us who have endured, um, civil wars who have endured conflict who have endured marginalization, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, um, we have the ability to, to, to overcome. And, and we do that because we believe that tomorrow's better, that there's hope that your current circumstance doesn't define your future. Speaker 3 00:16:07 Amazing story. Hope is the definition of life, you know, know from Adam to Moses, to Salman, to mm-hmm <affirmative> Jesus, to Moham, you know, all the prophet is talked about hope, hope mm-hmm <affirmative>. And that is really where we are heading. And tell me what kind of hope for our communities that really made you run for Congress. <affirmative>. Speaker 6 00:16:34 Yeah, so I, I believe that we are in a moment of crisis. I think that's clear to everybody, we are, uh, the world is shifting, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>, um, there, there are ongoing wars and conflict that are not only impacting the, the millions of lives in those countries, but even here, um, we are in a, in a moment in history where, uh, things are globalized, right? We have access to technology. We, we see the suffering and grievances of, of not only our neighbors here, but our fellow humans around the world and looking at America, uh, you know, for me, when I, when I came here, I saw it as my hope at the country that saved my life. Right. Mm-hmm <affirmative> the country that, that gave me an opportunity to have a second chance. I never, uh, could have imagined that I would be where I am today. Speaker 6 00:17:25 Never mm-hmm, <affirmative> absolutely growing up. The only thing I was concerned with is, do I have somewhere to sleep? Will I get food later? Um, and what is the one thing that I have to hold onto, because today is just miserable. Mm-hmm <affirmative> but now I think we're, we get to see, even in the wealthiest nations, in the world, even in a powerful democracy, even in a country where people come here to restore hope in themselves, that there are so many challenges, um, it's 20, 22. We are, we are in a moment of, um, the crisis of our democracy, where we saw, you know, a rise of not only a dangerous presidency, but, but a presidency that, that, um, opened up our wounds, the wounds of America, right? The UN keel wounds of the country. And we just very barely saved our democracy from those who wanted to undermine, uh, a legitimate election. Speaker 6 00:18:18 In addition to that, we have, uh, a, uh, a climate catastrophe for what I consider a climate crisis. We don't see it right here in St. Paul in Minneapolis and, and, and the city, but around America and around the world, right. It's very clear that if we do not transition to clean and renewable energy, but our, our, our planet is in a, in a crisis. Uh, and the communities that are closest to, to our oceans, uh, are going to be devastated, right. If we don't act immediately. Yes. There's also a crisis of human rights here, uh, of reckoning on racial justice, where right here in the twin cities we observed on, on, on, um, on a video, uh, the murder of, of, of somebody screaming out for help. Um, and seeing, uh, that in 20, uh, you know, in the 21st century, right? Yes, it's just a little over a year ago, reminds us that we have a long way to go. Speaker 6 00:19:20 And so I think for me, my basis for running is I believe that Washington is broken. I believe that politicians have failed us, especially politicians who have been in Washington for decades. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And I believe that it's gonna take all of us, right. This isn't a candidacy of, of look at this inspiring story of overcoming adversity, but it's a candidacy of saying I had nothing. And I had hope because this country gave me that hope, right? Yes. There's the hope for us. There's still an opportunity for us to address the economic crisis, the racial justice, uh, crisis, the, uh, the climate crisis, the, the crisis within our democracy, the crisis within our, our own fight to have, and, and ensure human rights for everybody. Uh, it's a, it's saying that we need a new generation of leadership that will take on this fight for the long term, because Washington right now is being run by, uh, big oil. Speaker 6 00:20:21 Mm-hmm, <affirmative> big pharma, uh, the fossil fuel industries, the defense industry, which by the way, is bringing in billions and billions of dollars as a result of dictators benches around the world and, and, and invading other countries. And, um, you know, uh, engaging in wars on conflict, which I believe should be an archaic old <laugh> old issue, um, that we're still dealing with in the 21st century. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And so all of these crises, both domestic and international require a very different type of leadership. You know, we've had the CEOs, uh, representing us in Congress. We've had the major millionaires and billionaires representing us in Congress. I think what we didn't get a chance in, in our world and in moments of history is what happens when we have working class members, our neighbors, somebody who understands the issue, somebody who has lived, uh, and struggled themselves, what happens when we give them an opportunity to, to make decisions. Speaker 6 00:21:22 I think it's gonna be different. Um, I think, you know, as somebody who believe organizing mm-hmm, <affirmative>, we know that power isn't such, isn't, shouldn't be centered in Washington. We know that power shouldn't belong to Amani, but also, or Betty McCollum, right? Yes. It's not our power, it's the people seat and power. And I think what the people need right now is somebody who is able to take that message to Washington. Somebody who doesn't have to think, oh my God, what is, uh, what is that CEO gonna say? If I, if I vote this way and what is that CEO gonna say, if I introduce this legislation, but rather somebody who's able to say, what are my constituent thinking? What are the renters in my community gonna say, when I introduce this bill, what is the single mother who is living by to paycheck? Can't can't, um, have access to insulin, uh can't um, have access to insurance. Speaker 6 00:22:16 Mm-hmm <affirmative>, uh, what is she gonna say? Uh, you know, what are our immigrants gonna say when I, when I introduce this legislation, that's critical for immigra, uh, for us to have a just immigration policy. Yes. You know, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, that's the first that we need. And I think Washington will change as a result of that. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, and that's why I ran because our district, by the way, looks very different than it did 20 years ago. Um, we are 40%, uh, uh, folks of color, but our black brown and indigenous communities seem to be, uh, you know, far are worse off than they were a decade ago, which should concern all of us. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, uh, you know, for a very long time, this country was built, um, and, um, built by the middle class right now. When you look at our country's G D, when you look at the state of our economy, you're learning that wages have gone longer. Speaker 6 00:23:08 Everything seems to get more expensive, you know, that, that dream of somebody who's 32, I'm 32 years old. It used to be the case that I would have access to home ownership, right? Yep. That I would have savings. Mm-hmm <affirmative> that I would be, um, uh, you know, raising children. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, um, that's not the case for a lot of millennials. A lot of us are struggling with student loan debt. A lot of us are struggling to pay our rent mm-hmm <affirmative>. And we are really in a system that is rigged against workers that is rigged against, um, average Americans. And that's what I am fighting against. And I think a new perspective is necessary. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, uh, a little bit more courage is necessary. And somebody who has seen what happens when you have hope, uh, in a country that welcomes you. I think that could go a long way for our working class families. Speaker 3 00:24:00 You're such a great example of, of, um, the, a new change that's about to happen. And my second, my third question, um, but asso is, are you seeking the DFL endorsement and why? Speaker 6 00:24:15 Yeah. I'm seeking the DFL endorsement because I have been an organizer my whole life, you know, our, our democratic, um, pro right. Um, yes. And it's the, still the farmer labor party, right? Yeah. I see it as the party of, of working class people. I see it as the party of inclusion, party of diversity. I see it as the party that if they work hard and if they ensure that everybody can have, uh, an opportunity to participate, it's the party that will build America, that it was supposed to build a multiracial multi-generational multi-class, uh, multiethnic, um, coalition of what America should be as a country built by immigrants. Um, and, you know, I'll tell you as, um, uh, a young black woman as a Muslim woman, I faced a lot of challenges. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, um, in seeking this endorsement, you know, we had the 11 Senate district, we have 11 Senate district. Speaker 6 00:25:15 We have attended nine Senate district convention on numerous occasions, especially, uh, during a month, month of Ramadan. Uh, we have to get a lot of our asking, uh, Muslim supporters out. It was not easy. I think the process should be, uh, aware that a large portion of, of DSL members are Muslims. And when we are observing during the month of Ramadan, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, it's, it's a challenge to sit there for eight hours. Usually the congressional agenda is always towards the end <affirmative>. And so I have to ask my folks to stay for seven hours if they need to mm-hmm <affirmative>, uh, you know, there was one instance where they, um, almost, um, a few volunteers who usually run the, the Senate district process, uh, were almost disqualify 90% of my delegates, you know, really problematic. And all of them, either I have AB Mohamed AB you know, like very, very intentional efforts, um, to undermine what our party should be right, which is a party of inclusion diversity. Speaker 6 00:26:25 And I think, you know what, I, I wanna tell you the good news, the, um, we actually turned out the largest number of newcomers to the GFL caucuses, uh, had never been done before in the past 21 years. Right. Wow. These are the things that are positive, inspiring, and great, but, you know, we faced a lot of challenges and those are the things that concern me. If we want to move forward as a party of inclusion and diversity, we have to make sure that it's forget about being fair. Right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> we have to make sure that the people that do participate mm-hmm <affirmative> that they're honored, not disqualified, that they're welcome, not isolated, not kicked out of the process. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And I think we have a long way to go and what my campaign was able to do just to hold party leaders accountable. Speaker 6 00:27:12 Um, I ran against a, a member of the establishment because I, I believe in being courageous, I believe in being bold, I believe in speaking out whether it's your mom, whether it's the party that you love and admire, uh, whether it's the people that you've worked with, you have to call out anything that doesn't fight for inclusion, anything that doesn't fight for the right of all. And I believe that we were able to prove that, um, and I still believe, uh, that we have an opportunity to build that party, which is why I'm running. I want to on the front lines, building that party along with other progressives who have been fighting for inclusion for a very long time, even before I, I was even born. And so we owe our working class families an opportunity, uh, to, to have a party that will fight for them a party that is courageous. We have a long way to go. I, I, I do believe that we have a long way to go, but, you know, we can't just sit on the sidelines and complain about it. We have to build it. And that's what I did. Speaker 3 00:28:09 Thank you. Um, yes, there were a lot of, uh, newspaper articles, media articles, um, mm-hmm, <affirmative> that really told you that you are making headways way ahead, um, that expected, uh, in this campaign and that you also turn out more near you. Um, mm-hmm <affirmative>, um, voters into the DFL party and your organizing is felt across the state. I mean, we start to have articles. That's how I find about you in the beginning. Um, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, uh, it's very interesting. And, uh, I think the DFL should, um, take a note of that because we need inclusion and we need to really welcome all those folks who want to be part of it and to be included in, into the, um, uh, into the party. Speaker 6 00:29:02 Mm-hmm, <affirmative> absolutely, that's how we get, get to have a strong were democracy. Speaker 3 00:29:06 Yes, mm-hmm <affirmative> and that's how we're gonna get, you know, nationwide and also across the state. That's how we're gonna have more votes in the DFL, you know, by including all the people they said they represent and include. And that is really good point. Um, Amani butas. So I'm, I'm speaking with a man Aman butso for who's running who's, who's a candidate for us Congress seat, uh, in district fourth, um, running against, um, uh, Congresswoman Betty McCollum. Benal has been there over two decades and, um, uh, in this year of, uh, this election of 20, 22, um, Amani, tell me, um, tell me about your agenda and what you want to accomplish in us Congress. Speaker 6 00:29:59 Yeah, so I see, uh, several, I, I see several agendas in as my top agenda. Um, our response to the climate crisis is to transform our economy and our way of life with the green new deal, uh, which is, uh, this bold, ambitious goal of, um, uh, of really fighting for us to be able to, to clean, um, and renewable energy. That means we, uh, can't just continue to, to hope that the fossil fuel industries and big oil, et cetera, will, will bear the responsibility of, of, of ensuring that we have that politicians, the people we send to Washington to legislate on our behalf must be able to create the incentive, um, and to push them right to, to, to make sure that we are, um, meeting a hundred percent of our power demand through clean, renewable, and zero emission energy sources. Uh, my response to the, um, economic crisis as for us to be able to have access to a living wage across the United States. Speaker 6 00:31:06 Mm-hmm <affirmative>, I believe there are two ways to do that one. We have to make sure that that living wage is inject to inflation. Uh, we have to look at our economy the way our economy is currently. I believe it's rigged against workers. I believe that we have a system in place that solely benefits fits, uh, the 1%. And I believe that the middle class is disappearing before our very eyes. So we have to bring back to middle class the best way we do that is to have a living wage. Um, what are living wages? Many economics will tell you, especially given the current inflation, uh, um, given how expensive things are. Um, we have to look at more than $15 an hour. Um, I can tell you that as somebody who makes, uh, about 25 an hour, it's still hard, uh, to be able to pay for the necessary bills. Speaker 6 00:31:55 And so we have to make sure that a living wage reflects, uh, the true status of our economy on education, right? I am a believer as an immigrant, and I know a lot of immigrants agree with me. Education is, um, is, uh, the lifeline, right? We have not invested in our education system as much as we should be, which is why I believe that we should cancel student loan debt. Mm-hmm, <affirmative> give the millennial and the, and the gen Z population a chance, uh, to have access to home ownership, to have access to, uh, to, to a dignified way of life so that they can innovate start small businesses and transform our economy. Um, in my response to racial justice, that's two ways. One, I believe that the prison industrial complex, um, is a system that serves structural racism in our country, uh, when you are, um, detaining and imprisoning a certain segment of our population, um, and a really enormous rates, um, that is a system in place to continue to, to, to, to dehumanize members of our African American community, our black brown and indigenous communities are the ones that are impacted by that system. Speaker 6 00:33:13 So I believe that we have to take on the private presence. We have to make sure that we are, are investing in public public safety systems that will protect us. That will ensure that we have a healthy society. We have to look at pay equity that will address the racial wealth gap. That's one of the ways that we can, um, eventually achieve racial justice. Uh, you know, I really believe that we should push our administration and both the house and the Senate to cancel student loans debt, because I will tell you those who are disproportionately impacted by student loan debt are black, brown and indigenous communities who don't come from wealth or who have been robbed of wealth. Um, so those are critical for me. In addition to that, I am a believer and get money out of Bob policy six, which is something that everybody hates by the way. Speaker 6 00:34:03 Um, when I talk about being the only grassroots funded candidate, it's not just because it's the most, uh, uh, popular thing amongst, uh, progressives. I believe that money, uh, and our inability to overturn citizens United and getting dark money in corporate money. Grapher politics is it's the reason why we have failed policies. It's the reason why we have politicians, uh, in Washington, who are on the payroll of these really powerful and well funded interest. As long as we don't address that issue, our democracy's going to be continuously undermined. We're not gonna be able to pass the green new deal or Medicare for all, which is so critical in ensuring that in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, we shouldn't be talking about healthcare as a, as a privilege. It should be a human right. And I think, uh, for me, and for many other folks who are progressive, uh, for many other folks who are a new generation of leadership that are fed with how things are being done in Washington, we have to make sure that we are prioritizing these agendas, because this is the working class agenda. This is the agenda of majority of America. Um, there's enough folks that serve the, the big interests. We need more of us there so that we can take care of our working class families. Speaker 3 00:35:21 Thank you very much. Um, mm-hmm, <affirmative> I got a couple more questions and I, again, I wanna say, I really do appreciate you taking your taking time out of your extremely busy schedule to really, of course, give us the opportunity to talk to you or to interview you over K F a K F a I radio. Um, I have a couple of, Speaker 6 00:35:45 I should be saying thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss my vision and, and my story really, because I think this is, this is what politics should be. Uh, it should be about dialogue and it should be about Congress, about things that are important to us. Speaker 3 00:35:58 Thank you. Um, you've talked about in the beginning about the resilience of being refugee Chi flee or in Ethiopia country, um, from your country, Ethiopia, um, on the shoulders of your grandparents, uh, while you are baby, and even in refugee camps, um, in fear and not knowing where the next food is coming from, um, you had that resilience that you just got to work when you came here, uh, go to school, you know, build yourself, contribute, organize people of the community and decided to change the, your communities in for district's lives, by impacting their lives and addressing the real issues. You have seen so many challenges in the past, and, but here also, there are challenges that come with who you are, how you look like, what you believe in, what's your faith in. So my question is, what challenge do you face as a young black woman who is also a Muslim and a former refugee in, in, in your running against an E company that was there for over two decades? Speaker 6 00:37:16 Yeah, that's a, that's a excellent question. So we're not a perfect union. We're not a perfect public. Uh, the country has, um, you know, has survived and overcome slavery, um, oppression, uh, genocide, uh, particularly, uh, the, the, you know, a against our indigenous communities in the past, we've, um, survived a mass, uh, inequality or continue, uh, uh, to survive mass inequality and Islamophobia is real. Um, it is, um, it's gotten worse over time, uh, not better, um, you know, the undermining and the, and the ING and, and the isolation of black women from positions of power, um, is, is getting worse. Um, and, uh, you know, there are those challenges that I, I was always aware of, right. I was always aware that I was a black woman. I was always aware that I was a Muslim woman, even though I don't wear the hijab. Speaker 6 00:38:22 You know, I feel for my hijabi cousins or, or siblings, because, you know, their, their dis the discrimination is so blatant, it's in their face. Right. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, but that doesn't mean that when somebody hears, um, that I'm a Muslim black woman running for Congress, you know, they're like, oh goodness, here we go again. Right. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And one of the, the main, main reasons why I continue to, to, to persist is because I've seen, uh, a lot of, uh, incredible leaders right. Of my time. Uh, you know, I, I really look to, um, the representative on the other side of the river, right? Congresswoman Elano, Mar mm-hmm <affirmative> who every single day is in defense, uh, right. Is in defense mode because she's being attacked despite bringing in a record number of millions of dollars into her district, despite introducing critical and really important legislation to our working class families and being so successful, she's still constantly undermined belittled, isolated, anything, and everything she says, um, as seen as this controversial thing, much of it has to do with her identity. Speaker 6 00:39:33 And so for me, right, it was, would've been so much harder. Um, if she didn't continue to persist and overcome all of those challenges. And so in a way, um, in a way I feel as though let what's said, um, let whatever is said about me against me be said, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, I still believe there's ways for us to continue to persist. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, despite all of these challenges, despite all of these struggles. And I, and I think this is why voices, like ours are critical and important, right. To the conversation it's because they don't exist. Right. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, um, and until we break through those barriers, until we believe that we can still persist, it's gonna a, a challenge. Right. Mm-hmm <affirmative> um, and so for me, it's holding onto those who are still persisting, despite all of the challenges they face, it's being patient, um, it's holding onto my faith. Speaker 6 00:40:31 Mm-hmm <affirmative> um, because, you know, in Islam, right, there's this <affirmative>, there's, there's there's this need to persist, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> yes. Uh, that people can judge you ultimately it's God that, that has these full authority to judge you no one else. And so that strength and faith that strength and, and every, every pain and struggle that I've overcome, I I'm always, like, I can, I can tell a little insult, right? Like, yeah, it's not welcome, but I'm not gonna allow it to, to make me feel small, to, to, to make me feel as though I am not just as American. I, I am not, I don't have the same rights as, as a white male person, that's running for office, uh, because that's how they went. That's how, that's how the big against, and those who discriminate when is when we hide and, and, and, and shut ourselves down and, and hide who we are right in the country full of immigrants. We shouldn't have to hide our identity. We shouldn't have to hide our religion. Um, you know, all of us there's enough space and, and, and, and energy and, and hope for all of us. Uh, not just a few of us. And so I always say that you must persist. Uh, what else can you do? You have to be able to overcome those challenges. Speaker 3 00:41:48 Thank you. And, um, when, uh, we go hear this small time message, but important after we came back, I would love to ask you about the challenge I had for the Democrats this year. So let's hear this message. Speaker 2 00:42:23 Yeah. Speaker 1 00:42:28 Welcome Speaker 3 00:42:29 Back. This is be here. Welcome back. This is, Abak be here from Somali link radio at K F a I, I am so glad that we here, my producer, Annie, and many other producers, everyone is a volunteer. We've done this for the past five years, almost every Tuesday. And that is the support from the community to support K F I radio. So we can have all these interesting programs that we usually do. Um, if you are just joining us, my guest today, amazing guest is, um, a man Zo, who is a candidate. It for us Congress in district four or Minnesota for, I believe it's in St. Paul. Um, she's um, um, Amani is running against a long term term incumbent, uh, Congresswoman Betty McCollum. And we've covered a lot, but I still have temptations for more questions we got about almost nine minutes. Um, um, so Amani, um, mm-hmm, <affirmative> my, uh, one of my last one of two questions. Uh, last question is mm-hmm <affirmative> what challenge do Democrats face this year? What do you think your role will be as a young generation of li Speaker 6 00:43:58 Yeah, so two challenges. I wanna start off with the, with the challenge, uh, that I see across the country, uh, for, for our, uh, Republic as a, as a whole, uh, America, I hate using this term, but is divided mm-hmm, <affirmative> divided along the lines of those who want progress. Those who want to build a more inclusive just of their America and those who, um, you know, there, there are three forces of play, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> you have the politicians that, that feed off the fear, uh, that people have mm-hmm <affirmative>, or may have, and exploit it for fundraising reasons to build power, uh, to advance their bigotry and racism. And then you have the population and most segments, um, right. That, that don't want change. That don't want progress, but also those who feel let down by the government. And so they believe in this anti-government, um, blame everything on the Democrats kind of ideology, but I do believe that overall, the biggest challenge for us as Democrats is how do we govern and legislate when we know that the other side has zero interest in doing so, how do we bridge, uh, the divide amongst working class, uh, people around America and give them hope and optimism in our politics. Speaker 6 00:45:21 Again, despite knowing that there are forces within the G O P and, and the far right, and the, and the side of the conservatives that want to do everything they can to, to continue to divide the country. I think we have to have a solution as the governing party to those challenges, because if one side can do it, the other side has to carry the burden on governing. The second challenge is, as Democrats is the challenge of having a backbone. Um, we currently have the, of the Senate, we have the control of the house. Um, we have the control of the presidency. And so since we are in a position of leadership, we bear a responsibility to answer on the legitimate grievances, um, and struggles of working class families, of members of the black, brown, and indigenous and indigenous can. Now, when you look at, uh, the recent, um, um, you know, failure, I call it failure, um, on the part of, uh, certain, uh, folks and within the leadership and within our party to pass, build back better agendas, which was once in a lifetime historical opportunity for us to take care of working class families, to take care of the climate crisis, to some extent, to make sure that we're giving millennials and young folks an opportunity to thrive in our country. Speaker 6 00:46:49 Um, there were two senators who were, uh, uh, for part of the effort to kill that really important agenda. And I think that's devastating because I think if we have members within our party who are not gonna deliver on important legislation on the voting rights, right on, on, um, getting rid of the filibuster, which is, uh, super racist in a way to make sure that you're, you're able to, to take down progressive agenda. Those things should not have happened on our watch. And I think we need a backbone. We need to be courageous. Uh, we need to make sure that we respect our base right now. We are, um, uh, you know, potentially going to face a really challenging time and, and winning back the house. Uh, that's not a coincidence that's as a result of failure to be courageous, there are ways for us to unite our country. Speaker 6 00:47:44 There are ways for us to fight for working class families wet. Don't always have to do it by throwing, uh, black people under the bus, by throwing members of our, uh, black, brown and indigenous communities under the bus, by throwing working class members, uh, under the bus. That's why the other side win, because we don't have the courage. I mean, we, we certainly lack the courage to a fight as hard as possible. This is an opportunity. This is a moment in history where we get to control, uh, almost, uh, many aspects of our government. And if we can deliver now, when are we gonna deliver? And so I think those are persisting challenges. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, and I think it has a lot to do with corporate backed, um, elected officials who quite frankly, just don't care. And I use this term often because if they cared this, would've been a moment in history where we get to have those important wins. Speaker 6 00:48:43 And despite the fact that our working class families have said, okay, we'll take the crus, we'll take the crumps, because we know that we have to compromise. We know that we have to give and take. We know that, okay, well, hold off on five years. Okay. But five years goes by 10 years, goes by two decades, go by. And our working class families did not get the necessary wins. And I think it has a lot to do with, and we're gonna call ourselves the party, uh, that fights for working class families. We have to show it in action. And I think those challenges that we face right now, mm-hmm <affirmative> are not gonna go away, which is why I think we have an opportunity. We have an opportunity to be able to deliver for families. I don't wanna give up hope. I don't wanna be, uh, I think there's still hope for us to deliver, but we must do it while we hope the majority. Speaker 6 00:49:36 And I think the clock is ticking mm-hmm <affirmative> and we have to be able to answer the call. And if we don't, I think we're gonna see some terrible results come November. Um, and I know that most of most, most folks will blame it on progressives or on our radical agenda of, of saving America. Yes. Um, but I think at, at some point, uh, the excuses are gonna get old and we're gonna have to be able to deliver. And I hope it's it's this moment, this moment is history that we can wake up and actually deliver for working class families. Speaker 3 00:50:08 Thank you. We've got one more minute. My last is, it has nothing to do with the campaign, but it does. How is fasting do during Ramadan and running for office at the same time? <laugh> Speaker 6 00:50:23 Yeah, it's tough, right? Yeah. It's tough. I think I, I, I look forward to, to us building, uh, uh, uh, you know, a caucus process, um, just overall, you know, Minnesota's welcoming to Muslims. I really appreciate it despite, you know, some, some minor attempts to, to, to, to show us that Islamphobia is still very real here in our state. Um, you know, for me, as, um, as a Muslim candidate, right, there, there are challenges that I am facing as a result of, you know, getting folks there. Right. When I know they're fasting, when I know, you know, some days get really tiring, I'm telling them to show up and, and, and, and caucus for me for eight hours. And wait till the last agenda from the personal side, though, I think, uh, not having coffee mm-hmm <affirmative> throughout the day is, is a huge challenge. <laugh> Speaker 3 00:51:14 It like a very small challenge. Yes. Speaker 6 00:51:17 But when you're used to drinking coffee, since you're a child, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, I always think of Ramadan, um, month, even though a lot more people have other struggles, but I guess this is a pro of struggle. Um, I think the coffee part has been, has been very tough. And, and of course, you know, there are just things, um, that we have to do, uh, as Muslims and giving back to the community and et cetera. And, you know, I always think it's better to do it outside of politics. And so I haven't been able, um, to, to be with the community just for, you know, outside of politics, just to be there. And, you know, when you have <inaudible> and, and you have to get up in the morning and work and then campaign mm-hmm, <affirmative>, those things that I think are very unique to, to Muslim candidates that, that other people don't don't have to deal with, but, you know, it's, it's not that bad. Yeah. Speaker 3 00:52:09 Thank you very much. We come to the end of our one hour, uh, about Aman BSO for us Congress in Minnesota, fourth district, please go to Aman for congress.com a am. As in Mary, a N as in Nancy E for Congress do come one word, Speaker 1 00:52:56 Oh, Speaker 3 00:52:56 Welcome back. This is.