Oballa Oballa, a former refugee from Ethiopia who became a naturalized citizen less than one year ago, made history this election by winning a city council seat in the southeast Minnesota city of Austin. Oballa, who had been campaigning for the seat since the beginning of the year, said he is the first person of color to win elected office in Austin. Oballa is just one example of how immigrant communities are shaping Minnesota politics well beyond the Twin Cities, and are now starting to win seats for public office. This would lead to his appointment on the city’s Human Rights Commission; there, he formed relationships with the city’s elected officials. Still, Oballa says, in the city’s more than 150 years, no person of color had been elected to local office.

Source: Ethiopian News November 04, 2020 20:03 UTC