Who gets to be an American? What opinions do you have to have to be counted as an American?

That's what the debate over my removal from the House Foreign Affairs Committee was all about. The idea that you are suspect if you are an immigrant, or from a certain part of the world, of a certain skin tone, or a Muslim.

Well, I am a Muslim. And an immigrant. And a Somali, a woman, a mother, a refugee, a Minnesotan, a progressive, and an American, too.

Is anyone surprised that I am a target? That I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak on American foreign policy? Or that I am seen as a powerful voice that needs to be silenced?

One thing I have learned in my life is that when you push power, power pushes back — and nobody can take on that struggle alone. So please:

Can you make a contribution — of $5 or anything you can — to stand with me? Each and every donation, no matter how big or small, sends a powerful message about the strength of our progressive movement.

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Representation matters.

Continuing to expand our ideas of who is an American and who can partake in the American experiment is a good thing.

No matter how much the right wing in this country may hate it, I am an American. An American who was elected and sent to Congress by the people of Minnesota's 5th district to represent them.

That is what the whole debate was all about.

There's this idea out there that I'm unable to make objective decisions because of who I am or where I come from. I reject that idea, 100%.

Every member of Congress uses our perspective, our points of view, our lived experience, and the voice of our constituents to make decisions. That's what democracy is all about.

That is why, no matter what they throw at me, I will never stop speaking up as a voice for those who have none.

I will continue to speak up for the sake of little kids who wonder who is speaking up for them. For families seeking justice, whether it's here at home or around the world.

I know that I cannot do it alone — the only way that our movement can continue our fight against injustice, wherever it may be, is together. So please:

Can you add a contribution — of $5 or anything you can — to our grassroots campaign today? Each and every donation, no matter how big or small, sends a powerful message about the strength of our progressive movement.

I did not come to Congress to be silent. And I promise you that my leadership and my commitment to a better world will not diminish if I am not on a committee for one term.

Thank you for reading.

In solidarity,

Ilhan Omar

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