Ubah Ali has joined Minneapolis CBS owned station WCCO.
Ali is the first Somali-American to become an on-air reporter in the Minneapolis TV market.
“It’s a pinch-me moment,” she told the Star Tribune. “I didn’t know how long it would take for me to get here. I’m incredibly grateful.”
Ali comes from WTMJ in Milwaukee. She said she was “pleasantly surprised” how accepting Wisconsin viewers were of her and the fact that she wears a hijab on the air.
“If I got any nasty hate mail, it was about the stories I was doing, not about how I looked,” she said.
“Her passion for telling important stories that matter to our neighbors will help WCCO nurture and grow that commitment to our community,” said WCCO news director Kari Patey. “We’re thrilled to have her back to cover our community even more thoughtfully and thoroughly.”
She said she hopes she can inspire young Somali-American viewers to follow in her footsteps.
“I don’t want to be the first and only,” she said. “I want to be the first of many.”