Ilhan identifies as a democratic socialist who supports broader access to student loan forgiveness programs, medicare for all and is opposed to the efforts to seal the U.S. -Mexico border. As a member of Congress, she has found herself in a group of like-minded people who work collectively to pass laws to better the racialized divide in the United States. In 2017, Time Magazine named Ilhan part of FIRSTS: Women Who Are Changing the World, an award given to women who break barriers in their respective disciplines.

Midwife, Women's Rights Activist, and Founder Of The First Women's Hospital In Somalia. Edna believed opening a hospital would allow her to tackle cases of interest, with the first maternity hospital completed in 2002 under the vow of improving local women's health and reducing the infant mortality rate in the area.