CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript Interview with Ilhan Omar

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

With us now is Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Thank you, Congresswoman for being here. You served alongside the Congressman for two years. What was that like?

REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): Ah, it was one of the most amazing experiences. You know, none of us really felt like that we should be getting the opportunity to serve with such a giant like him. I mean, I would get nervous every single time I saw him in the Halls of Congress.

And, you know, he was someone who was always excited to see young leaders and welcomed them and made them feel be seen and heard. He never really left the House floor without saying hi to me. He would find me in whatever corner I was in almost every single time we were here voting.

And you know, I also got the opportunity to go to Ghana with him for the return. And just, you know, he was just a generous soul. Someone who really loved our country and his youthful spirit and his faith was very contagious and filled everyone up that was around him.

CABRERA: Do you have a favorite memory with him? You mentioned traveling to Africa with him.

OMAR: Yes. When we were in Ghana, you know, he called me daughter, which always made me feel really special. And I remember when we were in Ghana, we went to go see one of the dungeons, and he was overcome by so many emotions. So was I.

And I remember trying to ask him if I could help him adjust himself. And he said, daughter, I don't think you understand how incredible it feels to see someone like you serve in Congress with me, and how exciting it is to be here, home with you.

And for me, you know, getting to serve with someone who has fought for the right for someone like me that you can participate and made that easily accessible for so many of us was such an honor. But to have him still there to acknowledge what my path meant for what he worked for, was really special.

[20:10:14]

CABRERA: One thing you've noted and that I certainly noticed as well was his optimistic spirit and how John Lewis, you know, he fought hard in his battles, the battle for equality and racial justice, but sort of did with a joyful countenance. What do you say is the impact of that?

OMAR: Yes, I mean, I think that was the thing that was really special, and you know, the one thing that I shared with everyone who would ask me about him, and many of the young people who came to shadow me, who I would always take to go introduce them to him was that as organizers, as activists, there's always a conversation about burnout, getting exhausted and getting tired in this struggle for equality.

And he really was never tired, never burned out. He was always excited about the fight. And I remember my colleagues and I, when we went to visit the Senate end the shutdown, you know, we were there. And there were people who had an energy about them that wanted to disturb.

And he said, no, we're here to make our presence seen and felt, and that's how you make change.

And, you know, he would always say, you know, make good trouble, necessary trouble. And I think for him, it meant that, you know, you always created an opportunity for voices to be uplifted and for change to take place, and you saw yourself as a change agent no matter how exhausting and tiring it got.

CABRERA: I want to play a part of my conversation with Congressman Lewis just this past March. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Finally, what is your message to any young potential John Lewis out there today trying to make whatever it is they do count and make a better, more equal more just life for those that are in the future generations.

REP. JOHN LEWIS (D-GA): I would say to young people to be bold. Be brave. Be courageous. Never become bitter or hostile. Never hate. Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said on so many occasions, hate is too heavy a burden to bear. The weight of love is a much better weight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, what does that message mean to you?

OMAR: I mean that was the message he shared with us as freshmen when he came to talk to us, being bold and brave in times of challenge is really what you know, we will strive to do.

And for me, I know that the movement for Black Lives Matter has made him recognize, right, that full circle of life. He paved the way and there is just so many young people today who are being bold and brave and demanding change like he did.

The kind of sacrifices he has made, not just in the streets, but in the halls of power has allowed so many of us to see ourselves as part of a process that pushes our country to be its best self and to seek progress.

And I just know that I will forever cherish the moments I got to spend with him and the privilege and the honor I had in serving with him as my colleague and it is really a loss, not just for our nation, but for everyone who has ever met him, loved him and worked with him.

CABRERA: How will you carry forward his legacy?

OMAR: By being bold and brave and creating good trouble, a necessary trouble. For us, we know that he fought for voting rights that is being attacked every single day, and so we must keep up that fight and make sure not only is his legislation signed into law, but that we never really allow for it to be dismantled again.

And, you know, I think the spirit of remembering that hate is too big of a burden to carry. We must be loving in our fight for a just society, in our fight for a more tolerant society, and in our fight for an America that celebrates its diversity not just spaces, but in voices and in votes.

[18:15:14]

CABRERA: Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, thank you for being here and offering your thoughts.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source