Meet AJ
Meet AJ
Abdilahi Jama (AJ) was born in Somalia and raised in Minneapolis by immigrant parents who came to this country in search of stability, opportunity, and a better future for their children. His upbringing was shaped by hard work, sacrifice, and a simple value: when you show up for your neighbors, you build something stronger together.
He attended Spring Lake Park High School, where he began to see both the promise of his community and the gaps that too often hold it back. After graduating, he stayed close to home and began his college journey at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, balancing school, work, and community responsibilities. He is now a rising junior at the University of Minnesota.
AJ is not a career politician. He’s a neighbor who stepped into public life because he saw too many people in his community being left out of decisions that directly affect their daily lives.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he watched essential workers in his community continue showing up while facing barriers to clear, culturally competent public health information and support. Since then, he has seen the same pattern persist: residents organizing, speaking up, and still not always being heard by the systems meant to serve them.
Professionally, AJ works with the Tanzania Life Project, helping build clean water systems in rural communities. That work has shaped his understanding of leadership: that basic needs matter, systems should work for people, and accountability is not optional.
He also serves as a DFL delegate and sits on the State Central Committee, giving him a firsthand view of how decisions are made—and how often everyday voices are left out of those spaces.
AJ is 22 years old, Black, Muslim, and Somali-born. He represents a generation that is not waiting its turn but stepping up because the urgency of now demands it.
He brings lived experience, deep community roots, and a commitment to listening, learning, and showing up consistently—not just during election season, but every day.
Ward 1 is home. And AJ is running to make sure the people who live here feel seen, heard, and represented in every decision that shapes their lives.
