Environmentalist, Urbanist & Co-Founder of New Coffee Shop, Ahlam Osman Talks about Life, Coffee and More….

We sat down with Ahlam Osman and had an in-depth conversation about her story, passions and plans for the future. A Portland native and daughter of Somali refugees, Ahlam grew up in Southeast Portland with her big family and extended community. Book enthusiast, essay writer, and researcher (even outside of school), Ahlam enjoys spending quality time with her family when she isn’t busy running her newly co-founded coffee shop in Downtown Portland. Along with this busy schedule, she tries to find time to enjoy the outdoors, thanks to Portland’s gorgeous nature and scenery scattered throughout the city.

Though it wouldn’t resonate with her until years later, it was in 6th grade when she was first introduced to the term environmental racism and its impacts. While doing some research for an assignment, and in an effort to prove her teacher wrong that climate change is indeed a real thing; Ahlam came across a Ted Talk and was inspired by author, real estate developer and community revitalization strategist, Majora Carter. Now a student at Portland State University, Ahlam has combined her academic expertise, skills gained from her tenure as a member of the Multnomah Youth Commission, lived experiences in Portland, and passions for urban development and environmental activism to not only create space but also put an emphasis on healing. Constantly present and speaking in various social justice circles, Ahlam has highlighted how gentrification has affected Portland’s growing and yet still underrepresented communities of color; further intensifying air and noise pollution, health risks including cancer and respiratory issues, construction of hazardous facilities, chemically toxic factories and warehouses within the community, and most importantly, destruction of community spaces that once thrived and brought people together. She noted that these issues are a result of environmental racism—a phrase famously coined by civil rights activist Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who defined it as “the intentional sitting of polluting and waste facilities in communities primarily populated by African Americans, Latinos, Indigenous People, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, migrant farmworkers, and low-income workers.” Driven by these factors, Ahlam not only continued her advocacy for more representation in policymaking that both directly and indirectly affect the communities she’s part of but also decided to take direct action as well. 

Through the combined efforts of her relatives, she co-founded and opened Above GRND Coffee—an urban, modern coffee shop and lounge space nestled in the heart of Downtown, Portland with a focus on creating a space for Portland’s communities of color who are seeking a place that feels like home-away-from-home. Having lived in Portland her whole life, Ahlam has first-hand experience of the micro-aggressions and gnawing feeling of being “out of place” in a city that publicly celebrates its “diversity,” and is known for its liberal views. She has mentioned that some of her close friends and fellow community members also share the same sentiment. With this in mind, she stressed how it was a “no brainer” to have Above GRND Coffee not only be a place that would bring the collective community together, but also be grounded in healing and transformative justice that combats both environmental racism as well as historical and present trauma. 

That fateful day in 6th grade serves as a constant reminder for Ahlam to return to her calling and always keep community, healing, and environmental protection at the center of her work and heart. While her resume is already impressive enough, Ahlam has aspirations to add onto to it and has plans to run for the Portland City Council and represent District 3 (inner Southeast) in the near future. Both her and her team at Above GRND Coffee are a testament to what is possible when dreams, passion, and collective work ethic are combined and put to the test. The intersectionality of environmental justice, urban development, community advocacy and policies has led Ahlam to where she is today and where she is headed tomorrow. Throughout our conversation, she has referred to “Placemaking,” both creatively and tactically, as one of her key motives for wanting to make Portland a “quality place that people who live here want to invest in, live in, work in, and of course, play in.”  

Here at DMCM, we believe that the sky is not the limit, because stars born every day to light up the night sky. While we’re in awe of the stars above, we have others here at home who pave their own path and continue to inspire us. Our enriching conversation with Ahlam is only the first of many to come, and we have every bit of confidence in her future endeavors. We look forward to what she has in store for Above GRND Coffee, her community and Portland as a whole…

You can follow Ahlam on Instagram @ ahlam.jpeg and Above GRND Coffee @ abovegrndpdx. If you live in Portland or happen to be passing through, be sure to stop by for a cup. 

Here’s to the future and to more Voices of Impact. 

— DMCM.