During the current elections in the United States, Huldah Hiltsley Momanyi, who was born in Kenya, became the first female lawmaker of Kenyan descent to represent the state of Minnesota. This achievement has created history.
She is now following in the footsteps of the former President of the United States, Barack Obama.
In the contest for House District 38A, Huldah Hiltsley, a candidate for the Democratic-Farmer-Labour Party (DFLer) from Brooklyn Park, prevailed against Brad Olson, a Republican also from Brooklyn Park.
The politician who was born in Kenya won 64.78 percent of the vote, which equated to a total of 10,000 votes, whereas Olson received 34.95 percent (5,398), respectively.
CCX News reported that she said, “It doesn’t feel real.” “It’s not as though I had high expectations for my performance. Isn’t 65 percent a significant margin? This is another example of my team’s incredible race effort.”
DFLer Mike Nelson of Brooklyn Park, who had previously held the seat, has just departed from political life. Nelson was the former occupant of the seat.
As a result of her election win, Hiltsley will be the first female Kenyan American to occupy a position in the Minnesota House of Representatives. She will be representing Southwestern Brooklyn Park and Osseo. Hiltsley will create history.
CCX News described the situation as a “historic moment.” He was not only the first Kenyan American to serve in the Minnesota Legislature but also the first Kenyan-born female political candidate to win office anywhere in the United States.
Philip and Tabitha Momanyi welcomed their daughter Huldah into the world in 1988 in Nyamira County. 9 years later, they made the transfer to the United States, where they eventually lived in Minesotta.
Between the years 2007 and 2011, she attended Bethel University in Minnesota and earned three Bachelor of Arts degrees: one in International Business, one in Reconciliation Studies, and one in International Relations.
Additionally, Momanyi is a graduate of the same university, where she earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Global Management.
In 2010, Bethel University offered her the position of Executive Director for Intercultural Programs, launching her professional career.
The corporation then worked as the international programming coordinator at Hope for the City, a non-governmental organization (NGO) situated in St. Louis, Minnesota, in 2011. After that, in May of 2013, the corporation returned to Bethel to take on the post of Multicultural Admissions Counsellor and Community Relations Associate.
After that, Huldah joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a division of the United States Department of Homeland Security, as an applicant services program specialist.
Previously, the newly elected representative for Minnesota in the House of Representatives worked in a variety of capacities at Dexcom and Nuvasive.
In 2023, she relocated to Boston Scientific to take up the position of Privacy Operations Manager, a position she had been holding prior to her election.
Her dedication to social justice has earned her a number of awards, including the Morrill Hall and Rachel Tilsen Social Justice Awards; she has previously held the position of president of Mwanyagetinge, an organization that provides assistance to Kenyans living in Minnesota.
In addition to this, Huldah is the founder of SaniNaps, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to address crucial education and health requirements among young women by distributing sanitary napkins and school supplies to girls living in rural Kenya.
One of the motivations behind the political aspirations of the incoming representative to the Minnesota House of Representatives is the desire to represent minority groups and to solve systemic problems that are relevant to them.
During the course of her lobbying work, she became aware of the dearth of elected officials who come from minority backgrounds. As a result, she places a strong emphasis on the significance of diversity and inclusion concerning political representation.
During the campaign, the corporate compliance expert focused on important concerns, such as the accessibility of healthcare for families, equal housing, and safety within the workplace.
In addition, she won a primary election in August of this year, barely beating Wynfred Russell, a former member of the Brooklyn Park City Council, by a margin of fifty votes.
This victory was the impetus for her political ascent to the electoral seat she now holds.
After Huldah stood for the position of representing District 38 (which is equal to a constituency) in the Minnesota State Senate on a Democratic Party ticket in 2022, she was unsuccessful in her attempt to become the first black woman to ever hold the position of senator in the Minnesota legislature.
Jaydah Rae and Jordan Philip are the names of the two children that Huldah and her husband, a citizen of the United States, adopted together.
