Omar Fateh is the son of hard-working immigrant parents from Somalia. His father arrived in America in 1963 to study civil engineering on a full scholarship to Montana State University. His mother immigrated later and received her masters degree. His parents taught him the necessity of hard work. They instilled in him the values of leadership and personal sacrifice and raised him to work first and foremost to increase opportunity, justice, and equity for our community.
While completing his Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Fateh spent his early career working youth deemed at-risk, especially students of color, to find opportunities in education. Next, Fateh worked for the City of Minneapolis as a Community Specialist, where he worked to improve the City’s outreach to East African communities. Next, he worked for the MN Department of Transportation as a project coordinator, functioning as a liaison between the state and outside researchers who studied the impact of MNDOT projects on the environment, communities, etc. Before running for office in 2018, Fateh worked for the MN Department of Revenue in the property tax division.
In 2018 Fateh’s next work was to run for MN House of Representatives. He worked not only to promote his candidacy but also to engage the issues facing the residents of South Minneapolis. The 2018 campaign is where Fateh developed his platform and built his coalition of working class Minneapolitans, largely renters and young people across racial lines.
Outside of work, Fateh is an Ambassador with Change the Narrative and a mentor with Tusaalo Mentoring. He served as the vice-chair of the Hennepin County 2040 Comprehensive Plan Policy Advisory Committee, which supervised the development of the Hennepin County 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Fateh has been active with local organizations and initiatives such as Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, VoteYes4Kids, 15Now, Minnesota Association of Public Employees, and the DFL Somali Caucus.
Omar Fateh and his wife Kaltum Mohamed currently rent an apartment in the Phillips neighborhood.