MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and her daughter, 17-year-old Isra Hirsi, will be featured on the cover of Teen Vogue this November.
The image, which shows Isra standing taller than her mother, has the corresponding headline: Our Time Is Now.
The cover story, written by Safy-Hallan Farah, explores Omar's thoughts on community, the importance of voting, and being the first Black Muslim woman in Congress.
Teen Vogue calls Omar and her daughter "the voices this moment needs."
Omar spoke with the reporter about why she feels this is not a time for her to get any rest - and the sobriety her position as a lawmaker requires.
"There are people every single day who are showing up to care for the site of George Floyd’s murder," Omar said of the site in Minneapolis at 38th and Chicago. "There are people showing up every single day protesting decades and centuries of brutality. And there are people burying not just one but multiple members in their family that have died because of the complications of COVID, so I don’t have the luxury to think about getting, you know, an extra hour of sleep because people are experiencing severe unrest in their lives.”
Omar's daughter, a social media influencer in her own right with more than 90,000 followers on Instagram, told Teen Vogue that she believes the internet is a fertile ground for change.
"Young people have a very unique ability when it comes to organizing, especially digitally, that a lot of older folks do not understand," she said. "Understand that you are important and your voice is too, and don’t let adults especially tell you otherwise."
Omar, the sitting representative for Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District, survived a heavily funded primary challenge in August from local mediation attorney Antone Melton-Meaux. She said on Saturday that she feels good about her chances in the general election Nov. 3 against Republican challenger Lacy Johnson.
Teen Vogue also released an extended Q&A with Isra Hirsi and with Ilhan Omar.
