Through his lived experience, community, and nonprofit work, Said Abdikarim has fiercely advocated for affordable housing, our BPS students and teachers, community spaces, small businesses, and social and environmental causes for nearly a decade. 
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Abdikarim is a proud District 7 resident and Bostonian who has called Boston his home for 30 years. He is a proud BPS father, former student, husband, and the oldest of 10 kids. 
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As a child, Said Abdikarim bounced between four Boston Public Housing developments and attended multiple Boston Public Schools. He lost friends to gun violence, substance abuse, and the criminal justice system. Yet, he found refuge in community centers, art classes, parks, and playgrounds—where he could momentarily escape his trauma and imagine a better future.
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At age 13, he started selling newspapers to support his family and make ends meet. Having to support his family financially has drastically affected his education. Growing up poor and the oldest in his family, Abdikarim had no choice but to help his only working parent pay for groceries and other essential needs. 
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Abdikarim always centers his advocacy on the voices of marginalized people. Having seen firsthand the systemic injustices in District 7 through his lived experience and community and nonprofit work, he advocates for policies that affect underserved communities. 
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Recently, Said Abdikarim was awarded the Transformative Leadership award for his nonprofit work advocating for affordable housing, small businesses, and after-school programs. 
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As a nonprofit leader, Abdikarim has a track record of getting things done. He successfully advocated for and helped win $643,000 of federal funding to bolster black and brown-owned small businesses in District 7. 
 
Abdikarim advocated for more housing, which led to the award of 150 parcels of land to create new affordable homes for our community through the Welcome Home, Boston initiative.
 
He advocated for summer programs to ensure education equity and help students improve their skills. Through the city of Boston's $4.2 million for summer youth programs, over 18,000 students can now access summer programs.
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Abdikarim is passionate about community spaces, housing, education, and social, economic, and environmental justice. His community and nonprofit work address issues that affect District 7. 
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Said Abdikarim has a long track record of getting things done and advancing state and city-level policies that serve underserved communities across Boston. Before working in the nonprofit sector, Abdikarim had a successful technology career, holding leadership positions at Harvard University, Fidelity Investments, Apple, and AT&T. He used his technology skills to volunteer and mentor black and brown students interested in working in the technology field. 
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From the war-torn country of Somalia, Catholic Charities resettled Abdikarim and his family in District 7 thirty years ago at the age of 9. He attended BPS from elementary to high school and The Ohio State University and Harvard University for his graduate coursework. He worked at Harvard University as an engineer and instructor. 
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Said Abdikarim is recognized as a community leader and advocate who profoundly cares about fair policies that center underserved communities' independent and collective voices. 
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Abdikarim and his wife of 20 years reside in District 7 with their children.