>> CATHY: 35% OF MUNICIPAL OFFICES IN THE STATE ARE HELD BY WOMEN.

A STUDY BY RUTGERS UNIVERSITY MAKES MINNESOTA 16TH IN THE NATION OVERALL.

ONE CITY LEADING THAT STATISTIC IS ST. PAUL, WHICH JUST ELECTED ITS FIRST ALL-FEMALE CITY COUNCIL.

REPORTER KAOMI LEE MET UP WITH CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT MITRA JALALI TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HER BACKGROUND.

>> SO THIS IS THE PART OF ST. PAUL I'VE REPRESENTED SINCE 2018.

SO I LIKE TO THINK OF IT AS KIND OF THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE CITY.

>> Cathy: 37 YEAR OLD MITRA JALALI IS THE ST. PAUL CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT AND REPRESENTS WARD 4.

SHE SAYS HER WARD IS IVERSE AND A GATEWAY TO THE CITY FROM THE WEST.

>> ALL INCOME LEVELS.

THEY ALL LIVE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND THAT'S PART OF THE STORY I FEEL I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL AS A RESIDENT OF THIS WARD FOR FIVE YEARS S WE REPRESENT THE CHANGE HAPPENING IN ST. PAUL.

>> Cathy: LAST FAULT, JALALI AND HER COUNCIL MEMBERS MADE HISTORY.

>> THE ST. PAUL CITY COUNCIL WILL COME TO ORDER.

ROLL CALL.

>> Cathy: ALL SEVEN MEMBERS ARE WOMEN, A FIRST FOR ST. PAUL AND FOR ANY U.S. CITY OF ITS SIZE.

ALL BUT ONE ARE WOMEN OF COLOR.

AND ALL ARE 40 AND UNDER >> YOU RE NOT EVEN FOUR WEEKS OLD THERE I THINK.

>> Cathy: JALALI'S PARENTS ARE IMMIGRANTS.

HER MOTHER IS AN ADOPTED KOREAN.

HER FATHER AIM FROM IRAN TO STUDY.

THEY MARRIED AND HAD MITRA AND HER TWO BROTHERS.

THEY SPOKE FARSI AT HOME AND ATE IRAN EVERYONE AND KOREAN FOOD.

RATHER THAN FEEL HALF 6 ANYTHING, SHE SAYS SHE FEELS MORE WHOLE OF EVERYTHING.

>> AT PERSIAN NEW YEAR, THEY'RE DEFINITELY LIKE, OH, THOSE ARE THE KOREAN ONES.

BUT WHEN I GO TO LIKE KOREAN METHODIST CHURCH, THEY ARE LIKE, WHO ARE THOSE BROWN KIDS?

PEOPLE ARE SOCIALIZED TO BE LIKE, WELL, YOU MUST BE THIS ONE THING.

BEING FROM A MULTICULTURAL FAMILY, FEEL LIKE I'VE HAD TO SEEK OUT WHAT I HAVE IN COMMON WITH OTHER PEOPLE ALWAYS.

>> Cathy: JALALI SAYS SHE GETS HER PERSEVERANCE FROM MANAGER MOTHER.

SHE SURVIVOR REPRESENTATIVED A ORPHANAGE AND A TRANS NATIONAL ADOPTION.

>> IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT BEING THE ONLY ASIAN PERSON IN SMALL RURAL AND A GOT TEASED A LOT IN SCHOOL BUT MADE ME REALLY TOUGH.

I ALWAYS TAUGHT MY KIDS, YOU HAVE TO BE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR OWN SKIN.

THAT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN OVERSOME ANYTHING HERE IS JUST SEE YOURSELF THE WAY THAT YOU WANT TO BE SEEN.

>> Cathy: WHEN TERRORISTS HIT THE TWIN TOWERS, MITRA LEARNED EARLY ON HOW HER RACE AND ETHNICITY COULD BE POLITICIZED.

>> I HAD JUST STARTED HIGH SCHOOL WHEN 9/11 HAPPENED AND ALL THE SUDDEN, IT WAS LIKE, IRAN, IRAQ, AND NORTH KOREA ARE THE AXIS OF EVIL.

AND GEORGE W. BUSH, THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS, LIKE, ON TELEVISION TALKING ABOUT THIS.

AND EVERYONE IN SCHOOL IS, LIKE, WHISPERING BECAUSE WE'RE CHILDREN SO WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS.

AND HONESTLY A LOT OF MY POLITICAL AWAKENING WITH GOING TO A COMMUNITY MEETING THAT THE IRAN EVERYONE COMMUNITY ORGANIZED.

>> Cathy: IT WAS A BENEFIT FOR THE VICTIMS OF 9/11 ORGANIZED BY FAMILY FRIEND JAY THAT HEEDY.

HE SAW JALALI IN THE AUDIENCE AND ASKED HER TO SPEAK.

>> SHE SAYS, OH, NO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.

I SAID, YES YOU DO.

YOU KNOW MORE THAN MORE OF THESE PEOPLE.

COME AND SAY SOMETHING ON BEHALF OF AMERICA'S YOUTH.

AMERICA'S YOUNG PEOPLE.

AND I INTRODUCED HER.

SHE CAME.

GAVE THE MOST POWERFUL, MOST PASSIONATE IVE-MINUTE SPEECH.

THAT THIS WAS A HORRIBLE EVENT.

THAT IF SHOULD NOT BE DONE IN AMERICA OR ANYWHERE.

SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE OUT OF PROBABLY 15, 16 SPEAKERS WHO GOT A STANDING OVATION.

>> Cathy: JALALI'S FATHER DECLINED AN ON CAMERA INTERVIEW, BUT PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED IN HER OFFICE IS HIS ART WORK.

>> HE TAKES HAD A LOT OF DIFFERENT PIECES AND HE CUTS THEM ONE BY ONE.

>> Cathy: SHE SAYS HER DAD'S SPECIALTY IS MAKING TRADITIONAL PERSIAN ART.

>> WHAT THIS MEANS IS WOMAN, LIFE, FREEDOM.

[ SPEAKING FARSI ] >> Cathy: FOR IRAN EVERYONES, POLITICS AND LIFE ARE INTERTWINED.

JALALI SAYS HER FAMILY AND COMMUNITY HAVE SHAPED WHO SHE IS.

>> I FEEL ULTIMATELY VERY LUCKY THAT I HAVE SUCH A UNIQUE SPECTRUM OF EXPERIENCES TO DRAW FROM.

AND I THINK IT HAS MADE ME A BETTER LEADER BECAUSE I DON'T GET TO