St. Cloud appoints first Somali American to city council

St. Cloud has its first Somali American city council member.

On a unanimous vote Monday night, city councilors appointed Hudda Ibrahim to fill a Ward 3 vacancy on the seven-member panel. She replaces Jake Anderson, who was elected St. Cloud mayor last month.

Ibrahim, 39, was born in Somalia and has lived in St. Cloud for nearly two decades. She is an author, educator, business owner and nonprofit leader.

Ibrahim was chosen to fill the vacant seat from among nine applicants. After taking the oath, she thanked the council for their support.

“I just want to thank you all for believing in me and my leadership,” she said. “I have been here for 19 years. And of those 19 years, every single day when I wake up, I always asked a question which is, ‘What can I do to make St. Cloud a better place for all?’”

Ibrahim ran for one of three open seats on the city council earlier this year, and came in second in the August primary. In the November general election, she took fifth in a field of six candidates, with 13 percent of the vote.

In an interview with MPR News the week before the election, Ibrahim said she hoped to bring diverse representation to the city council that’s reflective of St. Cloud. But she talked mainly about being eager to tackle the city’s biggest challenges, including a need to build more affordable housing and revitalize its downtown.

“It’s not about me. It’s about our community,” she said. “It’s about St. Cloud residents, and it’s about the issues that we need to address, and make sure that everyone’s voice is heard and valued.”

Ibrahim’s family fled to Kenya during the civil war in Somalia. Her mother was an educator and her father was a colonel in the Somali army, before they settled in Minnesota.

Pursuing an education was a goal of Ibrahim’s. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Benedict and a master’s in conflict resolution from the University of Notre Dame. She believes that training will be a valuable skill on the city council.

“I really think it’s a good thing to have disagreements, but we don’t want that disagreement to lead into conflict,” she said. “What I would bring to the table is that consensus builder.”

Ibrahim teaches diversity and social justice at St. Cloud Technical and Community College. She’s also an author. In 2017, she published “From Somali to Snow,” about why Minnesota became home to the largest Somali population in the U.S. She’s also written children’s books featuring Muslim women wearing hijabs and working in careers such as law enforcement and firefighting.

Ibrahim and her husband also started Dine and Dialogue, a series of dinners aimed at bringing together people of different backgrounds and faiths — what she calls “food diplomacy.”

“Bringing food and having conversation really creates an opportunity for people to connect and build trust,” she said.

Ibrahim’s appointment is a sign of the growing political clout of St. Cloud’s Somali American community, which has grown significantly over the past two decades.

It’s also a shift from 2017, when city council members debated adopting a moratorium on refugee resettlement. Ultimately, the council rejected the resolution, and instead declared St. Cloud a welcoming community.

Outgoing Mayor Dave Kleis, who is retiring after two decades in office, administered the oath to Ibrahim and noted the council’s unanimous support.

“To be able to unite this entire council on the first ballot I think is very significant and really shows a lot about this candidacy,” Kleis said.

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