MINNEAPOLIS Shortly after Ilhan Omar , the freshman congresswoman from the 5th District of Minnesota, arrived, she started to talk about Oprah specifically, something the media mogul once said on TV that had stuck with her.

Asked how she remained confident in traditionally unwelcoming spaces for women of color, Oprah answered that she envisioned herself entering alongside the many women who didnt have the same opportunity before her.

And so, people ask me, Ilhan, do you feel afraid? Do you feel marginalized? And I dont, Omar said. Because I know hundreds of my sisters are constantly walking with me in every single space Im in.

So thank you for the hugs, she continued. But know that Im OK I got this.

The newly elected 37-year-old had returned to her home district to speak to and hear from community leaders and constituents. That Wednesday afternoon, Omar was sitting in a circle with Minnesota activists, many of them Muslim and all of them women.

While Omar may be a lightning rod in Washington, shes still beloved by many in her district, where women like Nausheena Hussain remain fiercely protective of the lawmaker.

When Omar first walked through the door, the women had greeted her with a defiant chant When Ilhan is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back! But beforehand, Hussain, one of the events organizers, had seemed nervous. She wondered aloud whether they should move the discussion to a more secluded area of the building and asked those in attendance not to post photos of the event until 2 p.m., for Omars safety.

I dont want her to go anywhere without security, Hussain said.

Her concern was justified. Already this year, two people have been arrested for making threatening calls about Omar Ill put a bullet in her fucking skull, one of them said and a third is being investigated for threatening to bomb a hotel that let Omar inside.

Can you think of another time in the history of our country where a freshman congresswoman has had two people in jail because theyve tried to kill her? asked Simon Trautmann, a Richfield city councilmember who considers Omar a friend. And what leads the news? Not that.