The newly sworn-in mayor of St. Louis Park City in Minnesota, Nadia Mohamed, has made history as the first Somali-American elected mayor in the United States. Mohamed, aged 27, was officially sworn in by the city council, following her groundbreaking victory in November’s mayoral election where she secured 58% of the vote.
Her win not only marks her as the first Somali-American mayor but also establishes her as the youngest, the first Muslim, and the first black elected mayor in St. Louis Park.
Despite these significant milestones, Mohamed is focused on more than just her identity, expressing her desire to be recognized for her broader contributions beyond her background.
Addressing her election, Mohamed stated, “Well, my identity is one part of my story, right? I am proud of everything that I am, but I don’t want that to be the only story. I don’t want that to [be] where people stop their conversation,” Ms Mohamed told Minneapolis-based KARE TV station after her election.
Mohamed’s journey to this historic moment began in 2019 when she was elected to the city council at the age of 23. Her family’s relocation from Somalia’s war-torn regions led them to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya before eventually settling in Minnesota when Mohamed was ten years old.
While Deqa Dhalac was appointed the first Somali-American mayor in South Portland, Maine, in 2021, Mohamed stands out as the first Somali-American mayor to be elected directly by the public in the United States.