Photo: KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty; Kevin Mazur/WireImage
One of the lawmakers behind an effort to posthumouslyhonor Prince with a Congressional Gold Medalsays the experience of introducing the required legislation is “surreal.”
“One of the first movies I watched when I came to the United States wasPurple Rain,” MinnesotaRep. Ilhan Omartells PEOPLE. “It was devoid of all context at the time when I watched it. Not only did I not speak a lot of English to fully understand, but obviously didn’t understand the cultural context the movie was taking place in.”
“His legacy and the love that people have for him in Minneapolis and our state is contagious,” says Omar, a Democrat who began her first term in the House of Representatives in 2019. “There isn’t a place that you can go in Minneapolis where you are not experiencing Prince.”
On Tuesday, Omar — along with Minnesota’s entire congressional delegation, including Sen.Amy Klobuchar—announced legislationto recognizePrince, whodied in 2016 at 57, for his “legacy of musical achievement” and for leaving “an indelible mark on Minnesota and American culture.”
“This whole thing feels a bit surreal to me,” says Omar, whose favorite Prince song, “When Doves Cry,” was revealed on social media.
“My family was big music lovers. American music was a big deal when I was younger in our home in Mogadishu. Prince, Jackson 5, Lionel Richie — all of these American iconic singers were very much present,” she says. “I never really imagined that I would live and grow up and be nurtured in the same city and state as one of them. And that I would someday represent that city and state and be able to introduce legislation in honoring this iconic human being that’s been part of my life story in many ways.”
Though she never had a chance to meet Prince, Omar says his presence was — and still is — impossible to avoid in the city she represents.
“There were always sightings of him that were taking place,” says Omar, who once attended a party Prince hosted but on a night when the singer wasn’t greeting fans. “Every single space that you’re in, you’re experiencing him. There are so many landmarks in Minneapolis and throughout our state that are known for Prince, that Prince helped make famous … There’s just a lot of him that’s woven into the fabric of our community.”
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.Chip Somodevilla/Getty
“It is promising that we have the full Minnesota delegation, Democrats and Republicans. That sets us up for success,” says theheadline-makingprogressive who often draws conservative (and some Democratic) ire for her stances on police reform, Israel’s government and other issues. “Everyone has bought into what this means, not only for our state but for the country. I think there’s a lot of excitement around it.”
Whether or not the medal is awarded, Omar and her colleagues have made history, according to one of her staffers, who shared a tidbit about drafting the bill.
“It took a Herculean effort to get the official Prince symbolwritten into official legislationbecause they had to alter the Congressional typeface,” the staffer said.
Omar acknowledges another reason to be proud of the Prince Congressional Gold Medal Act she introduced.
“With everything that is happening,” she says of the political climate in Washington, “this is one really cool thing to work on that brings so many people together who can’t even be in the same room.”
source: people.com
