Omar Fateh:
Omar Fateh is the son of hard-working immigrant parents from Somalia. His father arrived in America in 1963 to study civil engineering on a full scholarship to Montana State University. His mother immigrated later and received her masters degree. His parents taught him the necessity of hard work. They instilled in him the values of leadership and personal sacrifice and raised him to work first and foremost to increase opportunity, justice, and equity for our community.
While completing his Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Fateh spent his early career working youth deemed at-risk, especially students of color, to find opportunities in education. Next, Fateh worked for the City of Minneapolis as a Community Specialist, where he worked to improve the City’s outreach to East African communities. Next, he worked for the MN Department of Transportation as a project coordinator, functioning as a liaison between the state and outside researchers who studied the impact of MNDOT projects on the environment and communities, as well as for the MN Department of Revenue in the property tax division.
Omar Fateh has recently won his election for the Minnesota Senate, and will represent District 62 - south Minneapolis. His first term will begin January 5th.
Abdullahi Abdulle:
Abdullahi Abdulle is a Councilmember-elect for the City of New Brighton. He will be sworn-in on January 12, 2021 as the first Muslim, black, immigrant councilmember to be elected to the office.
Abdullahi is a Somali American immigrant and veteran of the Minnesota Army National Guard. He holds a B.S. in Construction Management, an M.A. in Urban Planning, and a graduate certificate in Local Government Management.
Abdullahi currently works for the City of Minneapolis as a transportation planner where manages capital projects and programs. He strives to ensure that city policies and plans are aligned with community goals and needs during project selection and implementation.
As a city planner, Abdullahi is dedicated to improving people’s quality of life, especially the most vulnerable members of the community such as young children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, new immigrants, low income individuals, and historically marginalized communities. Abdullahi has a true passion for fostering an inclusive environment and fixing systemic injustices that disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.'