Aminata Touré became the first black member of a federal government when she took office last month as Minister for Social Affairs, Youth, Family, Senior Citizens, Integration and Equality in Germany's northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein in June.

Being an environmentalist and the daughter of refugees from Mali, Touré told the German media that she sees her role as "special," given the numerous messages she has received from people saying that her nomination meant "a lot to them."

The 29-year-old said she will also take the opportunity to fight for equality and against right-wing extremism.

These issues have been its trademark since it was first voted on in the state parliament of Schleswig-Holstein in 2017.

This is not the first time Touré has achieved a political debut. In 2019, she was elected as a member of the federal parliament, becoming the first black person and the youngest politician to hold such a position in any of Germany's 16 states.

Toure was born in 1992 in Neumünster, a medium-sized industrial town in the far north of Germany, where his parents had settled after fleeing Mali.

He spent the first five years of his life in a refugee shelter, eventually obtaining German citizenship when he was 12.