In 1991, the Somali Civil War led Hassan to seek refuge in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.

[7] After two of her nieces were badly hurt in an Al-Shabaab terrorist shooting, Hassan became active in fighting extremism in Minnesota and rebuilding trust between Somali Minnesotans and the government.

[13] She served as chairwoman of the Somali-American Task Force, which offered feedback to U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger on how to prevent recruitment from terrorist groups.

Hassan won the crowded DFL primary election, defeating future state senator Omar Fateh.

[23] In 2019, she signed a letter to a judge asking them for leniency when sentencing Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor for the murder of Justine Damond.

[24][25] Hassan advocated for police reform in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, and criticized Republicans for "demonizing" Minneapolis.

[34] She also introduced a bill that would add a personal finance course to Minnesota high school graduation requirements to increase student's financial literacy.

[35][36][37] Hassan worked on legislation that would give women of color grants and assistance in starting businesses, and a bill that would increase advocacy and education on the negative health effects of using products to lighten skin.