Who Is Rashida Tlaib?
Rashida Tlaib, a Democratic politician and the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, was elected to the United States Congress in 2018 and became one of the first two Muslim women to do so.
Who is Rashida Tlaib, and what is her background?
Rashida Tlaib is a Democratic congresswoman from Michigan’s 13th congressional district. When she began her first term in the House of Representatives in 2019, she made history by becoming the first Palestinian-American woman and one of only two Muslim women to serve in the chamber.
She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and is a member of “The Squad,” which includes progressive congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley, as well as other members of Congress. Prior to being elected to Congress, she spent three years as a state representative in Michigan from 2009 to 2014, during which time she also worked as a legal advocate.
Early Childhood and Educational Experiences
Rashida Harbi Elabed, better known as Tlaib, was born on July 24, 1976, in Detroit, Michigan. Originally from Palestine, she is the eldest of 14 children born to immigrant Palestinian parents. Her family spoke Arabic at home, and she was tasked with the responsibility of serving as the family interpreter throughout her upbringing. She attended Southwestern High School and Wayne State University, and she was the first member of her family to complete both high school and college.
Soon after graduating from Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School, Tlaib started working as an administrative assistant at ACCESS, the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services.
Beginnings of a Political Career
Tlaib started working as an intern for a Michigan state representative in 2004 and was hired as a member of the legislator’s staff the following year. As the first Muslim woman to be elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, she made history by becoming the first Muslim woman to serve in the chamber. As a state politician, she achieved a number of victories, including the battle against pollution that affected her community. She served three terms, from 2009 to 2014, before being barred from serving another term. Tlaib was a candidate for the Michigan Senate in 2014, but was unsuccessful.
The “Me Too” campaign began after Tlaib came out about being sexually harassed by the head of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Michigan, a position she held for a decade. The director resigned from his position in 2013.
Following her tenure in the state legislature, Tlaib went on to work with the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice, which she founded. There, she dealt with a wide range of issues, from anti-bigotry programs to opposing tax incentives for rich individuals and corporations to name a few.
The following year, when Donald Trump was running as the Republican presidential contender, Tlaib was escorted out of a Michigan rally after she yelled at him and inquired if he had ever read the Constitution.
Career in the House of Representatives
Tlaib was elected as the Democratic candidate for Michigan’s 13th congressional district in 2018 after winning a primary election by 900 votes. The district, which includes sections of the city of Detroit and adjacent areas, is one of the nation’s poorest and most predominantly Democratic. John Conyers Jr. has been the party’s representative for more than five decades. After running uncontested in the 2018 general election, Tlaib was elected with 88.7 percent of the vote. Her victory made her the first Palestinian-American woman to be elected to the United States Congress.
Tlaib received national notoriety in January 2019, shortly after arriving in Washington, D.C., when she said of then-President Trump, “We’re going to walk in there and we’re going to impeach the m*****f****r!” In her thobe, a traditional Palestinian robe with intricate embroidery, she showed her roots as she was sworn in as a member of Congress.
Ms. Tlaib represents the Democratic Socialists of America and supports progressive policies such as a $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All, immigration reform, and debt-free higher education. She has advocated for the expansion of federal civil rights laws, marched against police brutality, and spoken out against the influence of corporate money on politics, among other things. Tlaib looks forward to California congressman Barbara Lee, who is also a leftist, as a mentor.
Who Is Rashida Tlaib?
Tlaib and the other members of “The Squad,” including congresswomen Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley, were singled out by President Donald Trump in a tweet in 2019, demanding them to “go back and help repair the terribly broken and crime infested countries from which they came.” Tlaib reacted through Twitter, saying, “Good morning, President Trump. I am battling corruption in our nation. As a member of the United States Congress, I do that on a daily basis when I hold your administration responsible.”
Despite the fact that Tlaib’s district has a mainly Black population, she won her 2020 primary against a fellow Black candidate. In the main election for President of the United States in 2020, she easily beat the Republican candidate.
Who Is Rashida Tlaib?
Relationship with the State of Israel
In response to a May 2019 interview in which Tlaib discussed the founding of Israel, some Republicans took her comments out of context and accused her of antisemitism. She defended herself in part by tweeting, “Policing my words, twisting & turning them to incite horrible assaults on me will not succeed,” in response to a question about whether she was being politically correct.
Tlaib is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to pressure Israel to change its treatment of the Palestinian people. This movement is opposed by Israel, which in August 2019 cited Tlaib’s support for BDS as a justification to prevent her and Representative Omar from traveling to the country for a scheduled visit.
While in Israel, Tlaib had planned to see her 90-year-old grandmother, who lives in a tiny West Bank hamlet with her family. The cancellation of her travel resulted in her requesting permission to see her family on humanitarian grounds, which was granted. Although Israel asked her not to “encourage boycotts of Israel,” Tlaib finally opted not to go due of the restrictions imposed on her by the country. “Visiting my grandma under these horrible circumstances goes against everything I believe in–fighting against racism, discrimination, and injustice,” she wrote in a tweet.
Personal Life In 1998, Tlaib tied the knot with Fayez Tlaib. Before divorcing in 2015, they were the parents of two kids, Adam and Yousif.
Who Is Rashida Tlaib?
