5/20/10 by Gayla Ellis

"Farheen Hakeem" At the May Day Cafe near the corner of 35th and Bloomington, Farheen Hakeem was collecting signatures on petitions for Green Party candidates running for State Representative and statewide offices. According to her, the Green Party needs 1% of the vote to maintain minor party status and 5% of the vote to gain major party status. Farheen is running for Governor of Minnesota as a paper candidate. In the past, she ran for Mayor of Minneapolis, County Commissioner, and State Representative, receiving double-digit percentages. She works for the Taking Root program with the Minnesota Council of Churches, recruiting volunteers in the Muslim community to welcome refugees and newly arrived families. She and a Christian community organizer form groups of Muslims and Christians to do interfaith work in an effort to welcome families as humanitarian work. She lives with her foster child and her cat (Blizzie) in Powderhorn, where she has lived for the last ten years. Farheen says, “It is the best neighborhood in the world.” www.mngreens.org for more information.