Local Somali Business Owner Attends SOTU Address With Sen. Al Franken

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- When President Barack Obama issued his final State Of The Union address Tuesday evening, Sen. Al Franken was there -- along with a successful local Somali business owner as a guest.

Franken's guest was Abdirahman Kahin, who owns Afro Deli restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul. He's also a prominent member of the Twin Cities Muslim community, Franken says.

"This year, I was proud to bring Abdirahman Kahin as my guest," Franken said. "Abdi truly represents Minnesota's values: an immigrant who made his home in America, opened a successful small business, and became a prominent community leader."

Kahin also contributes a percentage of his profits to community development efforts, is a member of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, and is a board member of the Minnesota Somali Chamber of Commerce, the Somali Confederation of Minnesota, and the People's Center Health Services.

"He's made great contributions to our state, to the Somali-American community, and to the Twin Cities economy, and I'm glad he was able to attend President Obama's speech," Franken said.

Franken also responded to Obama's speech, which, among many other things, called on Americans to "fix our politics."

"The President's speech was one of unity and progress," said Sen. Franken. "I was pleased to see him focus on things that are important to Minnesotans—like economic prosperity and keeping our country safe—and I'm hopeful that going forward we can take his message to heart and continue working towards a stronger nation. And I was especially pleased to hear the President put such an emphasis on climate change, which I believe is one of the gravest threats that we face as a people."