Recent public remarks directed at Somali Americans by the president of the United States were deeply dehumanizing, inaccurate and harmful. They were not just political rhetoric. They had real consequences for real people. As a Somali American, a health care provider, a small-business owner and a longtime public-health advocate in South King County, I cannot allow these statements to go unchallenged.
Somali Americans are not a stereotype. We are parents, professionals, students, business owners, elected officials and community leaders. We contribute to Washington state in ways that are both measurable and meaningful. And when national figures demean us, the impact is felt immediately — not in headlines but in classrooms, workplaces, neighborhoods and homes.
When hateful language is used against any group, it creates fear and uncertainty. Our children hear it in their schools. Our elders feel it in grocery stores and public spaces. Hardworking families — who have built lives and businesses here — suddenly feel unsafe in places they have lived for decades. And it is particularly troubling to see such rhetoric becoming normalized, with too many leaders responding with silence. Silence is not neutrality. Silence is complicity.
For those unfamiliar with our contributions, allow me to offer a clearer picture.
I am Ahmed Abdille Ali, and I hold a doctorate in pharmacy. I founded Othello Station Pharmacy and Tukwila Station Pharmacy, two independent community pharmacies serving thousands of residents in one of the most diverse regions of the state. I am also a co-founder of the Somali Health Board, a grassroots public health organization recognized for improving health outcomes and access to care in underserved communities.
I have served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Washington School of Global Health, helping train the next generation of public health practitioners on culturally responsive care. Over the years, I have been humbled to receive several honors, including the 2022 National Immunization Champion Award and the 2025 Pharmacist Mentor of the Year Award from the Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. My pharmacies have received multiple small-business awards in the past few years, including the 2025 Intentionalist Heart of the Community award.
But these awards are not about me. They represent the work of countless volunteers, interpreters, health workers and Somali American community members who show up every day to support the well-being of others.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our pharmacies and the Somali Health Board launched mobile and pop-up vaccine clinics across South King County. These clinics were featured in The Seattle Times for their impact in reaching linguistically diverse residents who were often overlooked by traditional health care systems. Our efforts helped protect thousands of people in the hardest-hit neighborhoods. This is the reality of Somali American contributions — quiet, consistent and rooted in service.
Somali Americans are small business owners who create jobs, health care professionals who care for the sick, students excelling in universities and parents raising children who aim to improve this country. We pay taxes, strengthen local economies and bring cultural and economic vibrancy to the region. The Somali community of Washington is woven into the fabric of this state — its schools, hospitals, neighborhoods and businesses.
So when public figures demean us, it is not only offensive, it is dangerously misleading. No community should be reduced to racist stereotypes or used as political scapegoats.
Washington state is strongest when we uplift the contributions of all its people. Somali Americans are an integral part of that strength. We are committed to this country and to the well-being of our communities. We are not defined by the words of those who seek to divide us.
We are Somali.
We are American.
And we stand with dignity, resilience and an unwavering commitment to the values that make this country stronger.
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