Somali senior promotes diversity at OHS

Amal Mohamed is an actively involved senior at Owatonna High School, belonging to a variety of academic and social clubs.

She plays tennis, throws for the track and field team, serves as president of OHS DECA and vice president for the state organization.

Her story is like that of any other young adult attending high school in a small, Minnesota community, though–especially now–she deals with many issues her classmates do not face.

Both of Mohamed's parents were born in Somalia.

Her dad moved to Canada when he was around middle school age, escaping the civil war in his home country. He eventually moved to Minnesota to study at Mankato State Mohammed’s mother moved to Minnesota when she was 18.

Mohamed’s siblings were all born in Minnesota. Her parents chose Owatonna to be their home to raise their family in a smaller community.

All of her family members are citizens, Mohamed said. But that doesn’t stop them being fearful now.

During a recent cabinet meeting discussion, President Donald Trump referred to Minnesota Somalis as “garbage” and said the state’s Somalian immigrants should be sent back to their home country. He has also restricted immigration cases from Somalia and 18 other countries and reportedly targeted the Twin Cities–home to most of the state’s Somali immigrants–for

immigration enforcement.

“My family and I are shocked with what is happening, and we are saddened by what is happening under the current administration,” Mohamed said. “We understand that even though my parents are legal citizens and had kids after they became citizens, there is still racial profiling going on, and we have to keep that in mind.”

Over the last couple of years, Mohamed has helped to start Recognizing American Diversity (RAD), an offshoot of a longtime organization at the high school called Mixed Roots.

The goal: help young people learn about and celebrate diversity.

Mixed Roots/ Dig originally started in the 90s. But after students moved during Mohamed’s freshman year into the new high school, there was a lack of participation.

In January of 2025, she and Miles Grimus, an openly gay student, helped to create the new diversity club.

The group kicked off during Black History Month. They created an executive board and helped to solidify it and attract new students.

With new interest, Mohammed said, the plan is to again incorporate the longstanding Mixed Roots.

“We're gonna revive that group and then it's gonna join with Rad,” Mohamed said.

When Mohamed spoke to the Steele County Times earlier this year the organization was planning a major event in November, with the goal of bringing more awareness to the group and to get students interested in joining.

At that time, she said, 20 students were already interested in joining.

Changing approach

When Rad first began to form, Mohamed said, one thing they noticed was the white students, who are in the majority, didn’t think of themselves as “diverse.” So the leaders of the group decided to make its mission more encompassing of all.  

“A lot of OHS is predominantly white and a lot of them think that they aren't diverse…like they don't have diverse backgrounds,” Mohamed said. “So we spread the message that, everybody has unique backgrounds and hence, recognize the American diversity and what makes the United States a great place and like the melting pot.”

Mohamed said Mixed Roots was more focused “on people of color, and we don't want to be exclusionary.” With Mixed Roots, she said, a lot of the white students “did not want to join because they obviously thought… it's just for a club for people of color, so we changed that at OHS so we got a lot of people to join despite them not being stereotypically diverse.”

The results have been positive, Mohamed said, noting they had students join who are Irish, for example, along with some exchange students.

“Like Spain and Italy….they think that is just white,” Mohamed said. “A lot of the students that always just think of themselves as white…when we started our club, we helped them…dive into their background. They are like, ‘Oh, I never knew Irish people did this, like, as a celebration or had this tradition,’ and we taught a lot to our peers that everybody has a tradition in their family.”

Bigotry experience

Mohamed spent her whole life in Owatonna, and while she didn’t see it at first, she now realizes she experienced racism all the way back to her younger elementary school days.

“Now that I look back, I definitely did experience racism, but to me it was just like bullying and being mean,” Mohamed said. “Like, it didn't really click to me until Trump's election.”

Growing up, Mohamed said she didn’t speak Somali well and always acted as a translator for her mom. Her mother now speaks English well, after being taught by her daughter.

“But growing up she….wasn't always the best at it, so there would be incidents where she would get called names in the streets in Owatanna or…. people would just… be racist to her and just argue with her for not speaking (English)… they would be like, this is America, speak English.”

She remembers an incident at the library, where she said a man “just kinda lashed out at her because she was on the phone speaking Somali and he kind of yelled at her.”

Mohamed was in the third grade. The year was 2016, when Trump won his first presidential race.

“I kind of realized (the man in the library) was being racist, so I was like, it was kind of upsetting,” she said. “That moment made me realize people, they were not being mean, they were being racist, and that is a term that I learned during Trump's election, because that is what people were calling him… and I remember seeing that on the news a lot,” Mohamed said.

Education over fighting

In Mohamed’s view, one of the most important ways to combat bigotry is through education. She hopes to educate people at a younger age.

“I think education and educating people is the key instead of just screaming in their face or just showing them pictures,” Mohamed said. “I feel like when you set up an environment for people to speak on issues and why they think the way they do, (it) helps understand where they are coming from and how you can educate them about issues with Black people, Hispanics, politics even.”

Mohamed said she thinks many people her age look at politics as just “boring white senators with … old white hair,” and more of a thing for older people.

But she said many people in her class are turning 18 and will be able to vote soon.

“They should have some sort of media literacy and about issues because…you go to school with Black students, you go to school with people's families who… have family members who are getting detained by ICE…This is something you cannot avoid because you live in the United States…You're gonna have to deal with it whatever administration you're under.”

Looking ahead

Mohamed has big dreams for her life after high school. Her goal is to go into law or international relations.

“My dream job is being a U.S. senator,” Mohamed said. “So, right now, I'm just applying to schools or doing alumni interviews from different schools.”

She also applied for the United States Senate Youth Program, a week-long program that allows two students from each state to spend a week in Washington D.C., shaking hands with law makers and learning.

Mohamed hopes if she is selected, she could bring an awareness of diverse issues with her.

She said, for example, that she did a research project about Native American education and “how funding cuts keeps the cycle of poverty continuing for Native Americans.”

“So, if I do get selected, I would surely bring my voice and my concerns to that administration about what is happening in Owatonna or as a state,” Mohamed said.