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This November, we face a big decision: Will we move forward with a presidential administration that respects our democracy? Or will we return to a former president who endangers not only our right to vote, but also our way of life as Americans, our ability to speak freely, organize, and belong in this country? My perspective on these questions is unique. I was born in a country destroyed by authoritarianism, and for the past few years, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration, I have been 100% focused on defending our democracy. Maybe my story can help you make the choice you want to make.
I was born in Somalia under a dictatorship that tolerated no dissent and resorted to physical violence when people spoke out. My parents were business owners, but their success could not protect my family from the violence and oppression the dictator preferred. When Somalia was torn apart by civil war, the United States accepted my family as refugees. I learned English, American history, and the traditions of democracy and civil rights through my neighbors, refugee advocacy groups, and teachers.
I became a U.S. citizen. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I faced more discrimination because of my Muslim faith, but at the same time, I felt more accepted in the U.S. I found my voice as a peacebuilder by sharing my family's war experiences and speaking out against the invasion of Iraq. I organized my neighbors to vote. By participating in our democracy, I experienced the power and influence that comes from people coming together.
Like my parents, I had a successful business career as a technology and social entrepreneur. In 2017, while in Nairobi, Kenya with a technology startup I co-founded, I witnessed President Donald Trump’s attempt at dictatorship. He issued an illegal executive order banning visitors, immigrants, and refugees from Somalia and six other Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. At the airport, I saw the looks of anguish on the faces of people who had earned the right to travel legally but were denied entry. I reached out to friends, politicians, and lawyers in the United States for help. Trump continued to act like the failed authoritarian leader of my childhood Somalia, where good people came together time and time again to unite.
We needed something better! As a father of four, I wanted my country to treat my children with the same empathy and respect as any other child. Trump continues to call families like mine – refugees, Muslims and so many other American citizens – the enemy of America. He has separated immigrant children from their families and put them in cages. In 2020, I joined the Biden-Harris campaign with the determination to use democracy to defeat President Trump. And we did it!
After the election, President Joe Biden appointed me as the highest ranking Somali-American official in his administration. I served as a senior advisor at the U.S. State Department. I helped advance the President’s agenda of equality and democratic renewal at home and abroad. I listened to Americans across the country to hear their vision for a more inclusive and prosperous America. I am proud to have been part of an administration that brought together over 74 countries to craft the Declaration of Democracy, which declares its support for “the effective participation and will of the peoples as humanity’s most enduring means of advancing peace, prosperity, equality, sustainable development, and security.” Biden’s leadership has made a profound difference in promoting and protecting our freedoms.
There are many reasons to support and oppose both candidates in the November presidential election. For me, it is too dangerous to allow another four years of a dictator like President Trump. President Trump promises to work for the American people, but his record shows that he puts himself above us, the American people. Like other tyrants, he only cares about himself and his own self-interest. President Biden is consulting with his family and advisors amid growing pressure to resign after the presidential debate, but regardless of who the Democratic nominee is, it is important that we unite in November to vote, preserve our democracy, and build on the success of the Biden-Harris administration's first term.
Hamseh Warfa was appointed by Biden to the U.S. Department of State and currently works for the Biden/Harris 2024 campaign. He is a former Deputy Director of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
