Senior Spotlight: Amara Omar

Minneapolis-raised graduating political science and pre-law student Amara Omar has been drawn to and involved in social justice work since high school. Living a few blocks away from where George Floyd was murdered, the experience was "not only incredibly traumatic, but also eye-opening" in how the discourse changed and was used to justify his murder. The rage Amara felt caused her to consider how "a lot of institutions are built off anti-Blackness and the subjugation of Black people," leading to her studying political science.

"I knew that at the end of the day, I can't change the way people grew up or how they perceive Black people," said Amara. "However, I could change how Black people are treated in institutions. I thought political science would be my gateway towards that and helping resolve these tensions the way I could."

Getting Politically Engaged

For Amara, the University of Minnesota was an "amazing place to actually get engaged politically," both as a place to understand the overall political structure in Minnesota and with being involved in organizations. Not only were faculty supportive, but Amara also met inspiring students who cared about justice and truth, ready to enact change. She felt in community with a lot of the clubs and organizations she was able to join, such as the Undergraduate Student Government (USG).

Amara joined USG as the Government and Legislative Affairs Intern. Early in her time with USG, she was working with menstrual equity groups to address the lack of menstrual products around campus. By the end of her time in USG, she became the Basic Needs Task Force Chair. Her main focus in that position was to resolve the food insecurity and housing issues students endure. It was eye-opening to Amara to see how many students struggled under these economic barriers for basic needs while trying to get their education.

Being able to address the issues in her community and be involved in activist work is Amara's driving force. "My hear is really in the grassroots activism, the food groups, the equity drives," she reflected. "I feel like that was where I found my true passion."

In the Classroom

There were two particular political science classes that had a resounding impact on Amara. The first, POL 3323: Political Tolerance in the United States with Lecturer Kati Mohammad-Zadeh, explored how democratic institutions deal with conflicting political beliefs, opinions, and moral values. From this course, Amara took away how difficult political tolerance is in our current era, and that tolerance ultimately comes from not only being able to empathize, but also believing that everyone has their own truth.

In Professor Nancy Luxon's POL 4275: Domination, Exclusion, and Justice, Amara learned how revolution and democracy work in the margins, but that change can still be created there, and that change is slow. It impacted Amara to understand that "change is also resilience. The key to an authoritarian regime is taking away hope. It's necessary, being able to politically engage in those margins and still have resilience and hope."

Caring is Valuable

Amara's overall time at the University of Minnesota taught her the value and scarcity of knowledge. In a time when education is financially inaccessible to many and those who are in school are cheating with AI, while still not being far removed from a time when people were gatekept from these institutions, being educated and engaged is something that she does not take for granted. Furthermore, she is grateful for the opportunities to gain this perspective of people with different experiences than hers and for the chance to share her own experiences.

Within political science, her biggest takeaway is the importance of civic duty. "Democracy withers when people stop caring," she said. As a citizen, it is important to vote, to participate in elections, to speak with your representatives, and to take an active stance in the democratic institution.

Continued Community Engagement

Following graduation, Amara plans to continue working at an immigration law firm where she currently works. In her free time, she plans to participate in grassroots activism and efforts, whether it be food banks or public interest.

Amara also plans to apply to law school. She hopes to focus on public interest and find a way to engage with clients and take an active position in her community.