When Solidarity Doesn’t Solidify: How ADOS Voices Were Erased at the Minneapolis DFL Convention

At the Minneapolis DFL convention, the political theater unfolded with glaring flaws—and yet, the real story is what remains unspoken. White socialist factions have mastered the art of hijacking ADOS issues—from police brutality to civil unrest—to power their agendas, all while sidelining ADOS voices, particularly when it comes to reparations or economic justice.

At the same time, figures like Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Omar Fateh lean into racial optics, identifying simply as “Black” rather than Somali, implicitly aligning themselves with ADOS grievances—yet they remain silent when ADOS candidates are systematically shut out.

How ADOS Suffered at the Convention

The DFL’s own Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee (CBRC) documented major failures at the convention:

• The first ballot was undercounted by 176 votes, and Rev. Dr. DeWayne Davis—an ADOS candidate—was improperly eliminated after that flawed round.

• The Ward 5 credentials book was lost, forcing people to re-establish delegate status—an error striking at the heart of North Minneapolis participation.

Despite these facts, much of the public response prioritized defending an endorsement over naming the harm that disenfranchised ADOS voices.

This is not just an error. It is part of a broader pattern in Minnesota politics: the appropriation and hijacking of ADOS struggles without a commitment to ADOS advancement.

Hijacking Without Advancing

Many progressive voices routinely draw on ADOS tragedies to condemn systemic racism, yet fail to elevate policies that directly benefit ADOS communities—like reparations, ADOS classification, or targeted economic advancement. That is not solidarity; it’s appropriation.

Ilhan Omar and Fateh’s Identity Politics

Rep. Ilhan Omar’s statement blasted the state party for revoking Fateh’s endorsement and was co-signed by Ward 5’s own officials—Hennepin County Commissioner Irene Fernando, and state Reps. Esther Agbaje and Fue Lee—among others. Yet neither that statement nor subsequent defenses have centered the ADOS-specific harms now documented.

What About Ward 5?

This convention debacle disenfranchised Ward 5 delegates who participated in good faith—then saw their credentials book literally go missing. That’s why it stings to watch Commissioner Irene Fernando, Rep. Esther Agbaje, and Rep. Fue Lee sign onto the defense of an endorsement while not publicly addressing how their own Ward 5 constituents were sidelined by process failures. Their obligation was first and foremost to their constituents, yet that responsibility seems to have taken a back seat to political alliances.

The ADOS Voice Under Attack

Adding to the irony, the only ADOS member present in the CBRC process, DNC member Latonya Reeves, is now being heckled online by white socialist activists, scapegoated for the CBRC’s decision to revoke the endorsement. Instead of focusing their anger on the documented errors, they’ve targeted Reeves—a woman who has openly stated she is weighing the option of running for Congress in CD5.

That fact alone underscores the danger of this moment: an ADOS leader who could step into congressional representation is being attacked for standing up for fairness, while the officials already in power stay silent on the disenfranchisement of their own ward.

The Whole Picture: Exclusion, Not Error

1. White socialist and progressive factions tap ADOS tragedies for moral capital but don’t back ADOS-first remedies.

2. When ADOS delegates and candidates are erased—Ward 5’s credentials lost, Davis wrongly dropped—the framing centers an endorsement fight, not the harmed community.

3. Leaders—including those representing Ward 5—invoke broad “Black” representation while overlooking the ADOS disenfranchisement their own delegates experienced.

4. And now, an ADOS leader like Latonya Reeves, who could become a CD5 candidate, is being smeared instead of respected.

Where Accountability Belongs

Accountability means more than rescinding endorsements. It means:

• Acknowledging that Ward 5 delegates were disenfranchised.

• Naming that Davis, an ADOS candidate, was wrongly eliminated.

• Demanding that Ward 5’s elected representatives—Fernando, Agbaje, and Lee—explain why they signed a statement defending an endorsement but not their own constituents.

• Protecting ADOS leaders like Latonya Reeves from scapegoating, and recognizing the legitimacy of ADOS voices in shaping Minnesota’s future.

Closing Thought

If “Black representation” is invoked only in broad strokes—while the most adversely affected Black Americans, ADOS, are sidelined—we’ve failed both integrity and equity. Justice demands clarity: not hijacking, but precise solidarity. Until ADOS voters are centered, Ward 5 remains the cautionary tale of how Minneapolis politics claims progress while leaving its foundational community behind.