When Muslim, Mogadishu-born Representative Ilhan Omar came to the United States at the age of 12—after four years in a Kenyan refugee camp—"hello" and "go away" represented the entirety of her English vocabulary. But she learned quickly. Filmmaker Norah Shapiro, a former public defender, tracks Omar’s rise from being a community organizer in Minnesota’s Cedar-Riverside neighborhood to becoming America’s first Somali-American legislator. When she decides to run for office in 2015, Omar’s husband, Ahmed Hirsi, puts his career on hold to care for their children (the couple met in 1999 at a basketball game). Her father, who lost his wife when Omar was two, proves equally supportive. Shapiro also interviews her rivals: Phyllis Kahn, a progressive candidate who served the state for 43 years, and Mohamud Noor, a Somali-American who lost to Khan in the previous election. In the face of stiff competition, Omar garners the key endorsements and caucus votes that she needs to move forward. Although she wins the Democratic primary, Fox News accuses her of immigration fraud. Even though the charge is false, it still puts a crimp in her campaign (and she asks Shapiro to stop filming until the U.S. district attorney clears her). During his own presidential campaign, Donald Trump travels to Minnesota to speak out against Somali immigrants, a clear attack on Omar, which doesn’t prevent her from winning her race and clearing the way for her congressional win two years later. Shapiro clearly and compassionately presents her subject—an admittedly controversial figure in the news—as a born leader whose grassroots campaign spoke to a state’s under-served communities. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)
Time for Ilhan
(2018) 89 min. DVD: $129: high schools & public libraries; $349: colleges & universities. DRA. Good Docs (avail. from www.gooddocs.net). PPR. Closed captioned. Volume 34, Issue 4
Time for Ilhan
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