Ayada Leads
Moving beyond the firsts
“You hear a lot about the firsts. The Somali women that are elected are the first African woman to do something. And that’s huge. It's historic – I love that,” says Sagal Ali, Ayada Leads’ Community Outreach Coordinator, “But I would love to get to a place as an organization and as a world where these things aren't historic anymore. Where the voices of communities are represented and where African diaspora women’s leadership is not just included, it is celebrated. We want to make sure that in the next 10 or 20 years we're not talking about firsts anymore.”
Ayada Leads was founded by Dr. Habon Abdulle to support new Americans, particularly African diaspora women, to overcome obstacles preventing them from thriving and achieving their leadership ambitions. Since 2015, Ayada Leads has encouraged and equipped African diaspora women, their families, and their communities to participate in the civic life of their cities and states. Ayada, the Somali word for “she”, reflects the organization’s commitment to inspire African diaspora women, particularly Somali women, to lead and create change in their communities.
Through leadership development and demystification of the process of running for office, Ayada Leads is making active political participation more accessible and achievable. As a 2023 Bush Prize: Minnesota winner, Ayada Leads’ innovative approach is building a truly inclusive community where African diaspora women feel a deep sense of belonging and can fully engage in the civic process.
A place for women like me
For many of the women who make up the Ayada Leads team, the work is deeply personal. Members of their team share how working at Ayada Leads, and with Abdulle in particular, has grown their capacity as leaders and set them on a path to do the work they love in community: “Habon has been instrumental in my leadership journey,” says Ali, “Growing up I didn't see these kinds of spaces. I didn't see programs for African diaspora women or young girls. Women like Habon make it possible for women like me to find our place in this world.”
Abdulle takes cultivating the leadership of her team seriously. All staff must take part in ongoing leadership training so they can practice their own skills as leaders while they work with aspiring community leaders. The culture of Ayada Leads also promotes the leadership of each of its employees, meaning that each staff member has an important and valued role to play in the organization and its work.
“We want every single one of our staff members to be trained as leaders,” explains Ali, “That alone is very different than any other organization I've been a part of. At Ayada Leads, Habon is investing in the training of each of us. So regardless what programming we're in charge of, that training is reflected in us.”
Antonette Kamara, Ayada Leads’ Communications Manager, says that this focus on developing leaders internally is not only rare for the African diaspora women that make up Ayada leads – it is also deeply innovative: “A lot of organizations don't prioritize promoting Black women. So that in and of itself is innovative. It shouldn't be, but it is. Ayada Leads changes people's lives. It’s changed my life and has changed everybody’s life that works here.”
Through leadership development and demystification of the process of running for office, Ayada Leads is making active political participation more accessible and achievable. As a 2023 Bush Prize: Minnesota winner, Ayada Leads’ innovative approach is building a truly inclusive community where African diaspora women feel a deep sense of belonging and can fully engage in the civic process.
A place for women like me
For many of the women who make up the Ayada Leads team, the work is deeply personal. Members of their team share how working at Ayada Leads, and with Abdulle in particular, has grown their capacity as leaders and set them on a path to do the work they love in community: “Habon has been instrumental in my leadership journey,” says Ali, “Growing up I didn't see these kinds of spaces. I didn't see programs for African diaspora women or young girls. Women like Habon make it possible for women like me to find our place in this world.”
Abdulle takes cultivating the leadership of her team seriously. All staff must take part in ongoing leadership training so they can practice their own skills as leaders while they work with aspiring community leaders. The culture of Ayada Leads also promotes the leadership of each of its employees, meaning that each staff member has an important and valued role to play in the organization and its work.
“We want every single one of our staff members to be trained as leaders,” explains Ali, “That alone is very different than any other organization I've been a part of. At Ayada Leads, Habon is investing in the training of each of us. So regardless what programming we're in charge of, that training is reflected in us.”
Antonette Kamara, Ayada Leads’ Communications Manager, says that this focus on developing leaders internally is not only rare for the African diaspora women that make up Ayada leads – it is also deeply innovative: “A lot of organizations don't prioritize promoting Black women. So that in and of itself is innovative. It shouldn't be, but it is. Ayada Leads changes people's lives. It’s changed my life and has changed everybody’s life that works here.”
For many of the women who make up the Ayada Leads team, the work is deeply personal. Members of their team share how working at Ayada Leads, and with Abdulle in particular, has grown their capacity as leaders and set them on a path to do the work they love in community: “Habon has been instrumental in my leadership journey,” says Ali, “Growing up I didn't see these kinds of spaces. I didn't see programs for African diaspora women or young girls. Women like Habon make it possible for women like me to find our place in this world.”
Abdulle takes cultivating the leadership of her team seriously. All staff must take part in ongoing leadership training so they can practice their own skills as leaders while they work with aspiring community leaders. The culture of Ayada Leads also promotes the leadership of each of its employees, meaning that each staff member has an important and valued role to play in the organization and its work.
Dr. Habon Abdulle, Executive Director of Ayada Leads
Photo by Ryan Stopera
“We want every single one of our staff members to be trained as leaders,” explains Ali, “That alone is very different than any other organization I've been a part of. At Ayada Leads, Habon is investing in the training of each of us. So regardless what programming we're in charge of, that training is reflected in us.”
Antonette Kamara, Ayada Leads’ Communications Manager, says that this focus on developing leaders internally is not only rare for the African diaspora women that make up Ayada leads – it is also deeply innovative: “A lot of organizations don't prioritize promoting Black women. So that in and of itself is innovative. It shouldn't be, but it is. Ayada Leads changes people's lives. It’s changed my life and has changed everybody’s life that works here.”
This deep investment in the experiences of the African diaspora women and their leadership journeys inside of Ayada Leads makes their work with the women in their communities stronger, explains Ali: "This has been healing work for me. I get to put these skills into practice in community and then when I come back to Ayada Leads, it feels like home. It feels like a safe space. It feels like a place of retreat where I can share my learning and experiences of being a professional. And then that informs the work.”
Kamara agrees, sharing, “The fact that we are completely Black women run means we all can speak to our experiences and speak to our community’s experiences because we are our community.”
Leadership development for and by Black, immigrant women
In much of their work, Ayada Leads fills a gap in existing political and civic engagement programs where resources simply don’t exist for their community. When creating trainings and materials for participants in their programs, Ayada Leads organizers often find that existing materials fail to capture the nuance and complexities of the experience of Black, immigrant women participating in civic life
“We ask ourselves, ‘how can we make provide an honest training and not just another training without our community in mind?’” says Ali, “Because, as a Black immigrant woman, you can be a great leader, but at the end of the day, there are things in place that make it harder for you to advance. We have to talk about that.”
Not relying on common practice or mainstream “best practices” means that in every realm of their work, the team at Ayada Leads must be creative, innovative, and rooted in their community. Most aspects of civic life, say Ali and Kamara, are inaccessible to new Americans. Language barriers, mistrust or lack of familiarity with officials, and a desire to protect and maintain a stable immigration status can lead many African diaspora communities to not engage with civic life.
Kamara shares an example from a recent meeting between Somali women and elected officials: “We know there's need for that communication between elected officials - people in power - and people that normally don't get to talk to them,” says Kamara, “We went to a library in North Minneapolis where we had connections with a lot of Somali women and we brought elected officials to come talk to them. Normally these women wouldn't get to do that because of the language barrier, but we translated for them and presented the information that the elected officials shared in a digestible manner.”
Not doing it alone is the first step
Sagal Ali and Antonette Kamara
Photo by Ryan Stopera
Providing warm, accessible, and culturally relevant connections to public life and office is at the core of Ayada Leads
“Young women all the way to older women in the diaspora do not see their power. They do not understand the agency that they have; the voice that they have; the power that they have,” says Ali, “So when I say collective power building, it's not us empowering them. No, in fact, it's us helping them realize they already have a voice, they just don't know how to navigate the system. That's all it is!”
Oftentimes, Ali shares, building a sense of community and belonging for the women they work with is key to helping them take their first steps into public life: “It's often just a matter of us helping them see that they're not alone. They have a community behind them and we will support them. Whatever concern they have, we will navigate that with them.”
In this way, she says, representation of African diaspora women in civic life creates a cycle that increases representation in public life and elected office: “Representation isn't the end all, but it makes possibilities visible. The more that women - especially African diaspora women - see themselves represented in these types of leadership roles, then there will be no doubt in their mind that they can do it themselves. We want them to not question whether they're qualified because of who they are. That should never be part of the equation.”
Providing warm, accessible, and culturally relevant connections to public life and office is at the core of Ayada Leads
“Young women all the way to older women in the diaspora do not see their power. They do not understand the agency that they have; the voice that they have; the power that they have,” says Ali, “So when I say collective power building, it's not us empowering them. No, in fact, it's us helping them realize they already have a voice, they just don't know how to navigate the system. That's all it is!”
Oftentimes, Ali shares, building a sense of community and belonging for the women they work with is key to helping them take their first steps into public life: “It's often just a matter of us helping them see that they're not alone. They have a community behind them and we will support them. Whatever concern they have, we will navigate that with them.”
Providing warm, accessible, and culturally relevant connections to public life and office is at the core of Ayada Leads
“Young women all the way to older women in the diaspora do not see their power. They do not understand the agency that they have; the voice that they have; the power that they have,” says Ali, “So when I say collective power building, it's not us empowering them. No, in fact, it's us helping them realize they already have a voice, they just don't know how to navigate the system. That's all it is!”
Oftentimes, Ali shares, building a sense of community and belonging for the women they work with is key to helping them take their first steps into public life.
“It's often just a matter of us helping them see that they're not alone. They have a community behind them and we will support them. Whatever concern they have, we will navigate that with them.”
In this way, she says, representation of African diaspora women in civic life creates a cycle that increases representation in public life and elected office: “Representation isn't the end all, but it makes possibilities visible. The more that women - especially African diaspora women - see themselves represented in these types of leadership roles, then there will be no doubt in their mind that they can do it themselves. We want them to not question whether they're qualified because of who they are. That should never be part of the equation.”
In this way, she says, representation of African diaspora women in civic life creates a cycle that increases representation in public life and elected office: “Representation isn't the end all, but it makes possibilities visible. The more that women - especially African diaspora women - see themselves represented in these types of leadership roles, then there will be no doubt in their mind that they can do it themselves. We want them to not question whether they're qualified because of who they are. That should never be part of the equation.”
Providing warm, accessible, and culturally relevant connections to public life and office is at the core of Ayada Leads
“Young women all the way to older women in the diaspora do not see their power. They do not understand the agency that they have; the voice that they have; the power that they have,” says Ali, “So when I say collective power building, it's not us empowering them. No, in fact, it's us helping them realize they already have a voice, they just don't know how to navigate the system. That's all it is!”
Oftentimes, Ali shares, building a sense of community and belonging for the women they work with is key to helping them take their first steps into public life: “It's often just a matter of us helping them see that they're not alone. They have a community behind them and we will support them. Whatever concern they have, we will navigate that with them.”
In this way, she says, representation of African diaspora women in civic life creates a cycle that increases representation in public life and elected office: “Representation isn't the end all, but it makes possibilities visible. The more that women - especially African diaspora women - see themselves represented in these types of leadership roles, then there will be no doubt in their mind that they can do it themselves. We want them to not question whether they're qualified because of who they are. That should never be part of the equation.”
Dreaming of an Ayada Leads in every community
Because of Ayada Leads, more African diaspora women are leading in political office at every level – state, county, and city. Alumni of their programs include MN District 63 State Senator Zaynab Mohamed, MN District 62B Representative Hodan Hossan, St. Louis Park Mayor Nadia Mohamed, and U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district, Ilhan Omar. Each of these women were the first African diaspora women to hold their respective seats and Minnesota remains the only state in the nation to elect a Black Muslim refugee woman to Congress. Additionally, Amane Badhasso, who ran a campaign to become U.S. representative for Minnesota's 4th congressional district, is also an Ayada Leads’ alumna.
As Ayada Leads continues to celebrate the success of its alumni in elections across the Twin Cities metro area, they are setting their sights on victories beyond Minnesota.
“One of our biggest dreams is to continue to grow and inspire more young Black woman and one day hopefully do that nationally,” Kamara says. Ali echoes her vision, asking, “What would it be like if we - this small organization in Minneapolis - became a national hub that had grassroots chapters in every state?”
This vision inspires the team at Ayada Leads to continue their work to build a multiracial democracy where nobody is left out of the civic process.
“Wouldn't it be nice if more women had an Ayada Leads in their community?” says Ali, “More women would have a place where they can get trained to run for office, a place where they have access to leadership curriculum, a place where they have community. That's the dream and I'm holding on to it.”
The staff of Ayada Leads
Photo by Ryan Stopera
Get connected to Ayada Leads:
Website: www.ayadaleads.org/
Instagram: @ayadaleads
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AyadaLeadsMN
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/women-organizing-women-network/
Twitter/X: @AyadaLeads