Fighting to Legalize Cannabis| Weekly Update Feb 15–19, 2021
Dear friend,
Our state hit a milestone of getting 1 million Minnesotans vaccinated. As hard as this time has been for all of us, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I’m so grateful for our essential workers who have gone above and beyond to serve our community. We will get through this crisis together.
I’ve been fighting to ensure the next COVID-19 package prioritizes the needs of our community. As we get closer to a final package, I encourage you to reach out to my office to share your concerns with me. You can call my District Office at (612) 333–1272.
MN05 Announcements
Join My Virtual Town Hall
Join me on February 25th at 5:30pm CT for a virtual town hall on Facebook.com/RepIlhan. I look forward to catching you up on my work in Congress and answering your questions! You can see the event details here.
Vaccine Connector
The Minnesota Department of Health just launched the “Vaccine Connector” portal where you will be alerted when vaccines become eligible to you. Minnesotans age 65+ who sign up will also be automatically included in the selection process for appointments at state-run community vaccination sites. You can get more information here.
Fighting to Legalize Cannabis
I hosted my first “Coffee and Kulan” community conversation on cannabis legalization with Rep. Barbara Lee and State Rep. Ryan Winkler. We discussed our plans on both the state and federal level to implement restorative justice practices and end the war on drugs. If you missed it, you can watch the full conversation here.
Fighting the Multibillion-Dollar Skin Whitening Industry
Skin-whitening products remain a pervasive problem not only in the United States, but around the world. Many women use creams and soaps to fit into societal expectations of what they should look like — of what beauty standards they should meet. It’s important for us to not only condemn this messaging, but also understand that using skin-whitening products have lasting and damaging health effects. You can read my op-ed here.
Vice Chair on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa
Last week, I was named Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Global Human rights. When we prioritize endless war and conflict over protecting and investing in our communities here at home, we all suffer. As someone who represents a large African diaspora community in Congress, I am particularly excited to play a leadership role in overseeing our international aid and foreign policy on the continent. You can read my statement here.
District 5 Female Leaders Luncheon
Last week, I hosted a virtual lunch with our female elected leaders in our district. All of these women are transforming their communities. I look forward to seeing all the incredible things they accomplish for our district. You can read more here.
In service,
Ilhan Omar
Member of Congress
