Rashida Tlaib
Encyclopedia
Rashida Tlaib (born July 24, 1976) is a Democratic
member of the Michigan House of Representatives. She represents the 12th District (map), which is located in Southwest Detroit and stretches from an area just south of Downtown
to the city's southern border, and west to the city of Dearborn
. Upon her swearing in on January 1, 2009, Tlaib became the first Muslim-American woman to serve in the Michigan Legislature, and only the second Muslim
woman in history to be elected to any state legislature in America.
Immigrants from Detroit, Michigan. Her mother was born in Beit Ur El Foka, near the West Bank
city of Ramallah
. Her father was born in Beit Hanina
, a suburb of Jerusalem. He moved first to Nicaragua
, then to Detroit, where he worked on an assembly line
in a Ford Motor Company
plant. As the oldest, Tlaib played a role in raising her siblings while her parents worked but sometimes relied on welfare for support.
Rashida Tlaib attended elementary school at Harms, Bennett Elementary and Phoenix Academy. She graduated from Southwestern High School in Detroit in 1994, and attended Wayne State University
where she received a B.A. in Political Science in 1998. She went on to earn a law degree from Thomas Cooley Law School in 2004.
In 1998, Rashida married Fayez Tlaib. Together they have a two year old son named Adam.
. Both Tobocman and Tlaib were born to immigrant families. Tabocman is the grandson of Jewish immigrants from Poland who fled the Holocaust
, and Tlaib the daughter of Palestinian Muslim immigrants. When Tobocman became Majority Floor Leader in 2007, he recruited Tlaib to be on his staff.
In 2008, Tobocman convinced Tlaib to run for his seat, which he would be vacating due to term limit
s. The urban district is 40% Hispanic
, 25% African-American, 30% white
, and only 2% Arab American
. Tlaib faced a crowded primary that included several Latinos, including former State Representative Belda Garza. Tlaib emerged victorious, carrying 44% of the vote in the eight-way Democratic primary. The 12th District is overwhelmingly Democratic, and Tlaib won the general election with over 90% of the vote.
In 2010, Tlaib faced a Primary election challenge against Jim Czachorowski in his 1st time bid in politics. Tlaib picked up 85% of the vote, to Czachorowski's 15%. Tlaib also won the General Election, picking up 92% of the vote to second time Republican challenger Darrin Daigle. Tlaib will serve an additional 2 years in the Michigan House of Representatives. Sources say Tlaib may be looking to put her hat in the ring for a 2012 run for Wayne County Commission's 5th District seat, which has Tlaib's Southwest Detroit, as well as Detroit Suburb Lincoln Park.If Tlaib wins, she would unseat former State Representative and current Commissioner Ilona Varga.
Tlaib is one of only ten Muslims serving in state legislatures across the United States
. She is the second Muslim to serve in the Michigan State House of Representatives, after James Karoub. Born in Highland Park to an imam and his wife who came from what now is Lebanon, Karoub served three terms in the state House in the 1960s. Tlaib is the second Muslim woman to serve in a state legislature nationwide, after Jamilah Nasheed of Missouri
. She and Justin Amash
, a Republican who was also elected in 2008, were the first two Palestinian-American members of the Michigan legislature.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Michigan House of Representatives. She represents the 12th District (map), which is located in Southwest Detroit and stretches from an area just south of Downtown
Downtown Detroit
Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a residential area of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Downtown is bordered by the Lodge Freeway to the west, the Fisher Freeway to the north, Interstate 375 to the east, and the Detroit River to the south.Downtown contains much historic...
to the city's southern border, and west to the city of Dearborn
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
. Upon her swearing in on January 1, 2009, Tlaib became the first Muslim-American woman to serve in the Michigan Legislature, and only the second Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
woman in history to be elected to any state legislature in America.
Biography
The eldest of 14 children, Rashida Tlaib was born on July 24, 1976 to working class PalestinianPalestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Immigrants from Detroit, Michigan. Her mother was born in Beit Ur El Foka, near the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
city of Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
. Her father was born in Beit Hanina
Beit Hanina
Beit Hanina is a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem on the road to Ramallah. It is bordered by Hizma to the east, Shuafat to the south, Beit Iksa and Nabi Samwil to the west, and Bir Nabala, al-Jib, Kafr Aqab and ar-Ram to the north. The total area of Beit Hanina is 20 sq. kilometers...
, a suburb of Jerusalem. He moved first to Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, then to Detroit, where he worked on an assembly line
Assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned logistics to create a finished product much faster than with handcrafting-type methods...
in a Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
plant. As the oldest, Tlaib played a role in raising her siblings while her parents worked but sometimes relied on welfare for support.
Rashida Tlaib attended elementary school at Harms, Bennett Elementary and Phoenix Academy. She graduated from Southwestern High School in Detroit in 1994, and attended Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
where she received a B.A. in Political Science in 1998. She went on to earn a law degree from Thomas Cooley Law School in 2004.
In 1998, Rashida married Fayez Tlaib. Together they have a two year old son named Adam.
Political career
Tlaib began her political career in 2004, when she started an internship to the State Representative Steve TobocmanSteve Tobocman
Steven Tobocman is a former politician from the state of Michigan. He was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives until term limits forced him to give up his seat at the end of 2008. A Democrat, he represented the 12th district in Southwest Detroit. He was one of the few Jewish members...
. Both Tobocman and Tlaib were born to immigrant families. Tabocman is the grandson of Jewish immigrants from Poland who fled the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, and Tlaib the daughter of Palestinian Muslim immigrants. When Tobocman became Majority Floor Leader in 2007, he recruited Tlaib to be on his staff.
In 2008, Tobocman convinced Tlaib to run for his seat, which he would be vacating due to term limit
Term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to curb the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
s. The urban district is 40% Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
, 25% African-American, 30% white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, and only 2% Arab American
Arab American
An Arab American is a United States citizen or resident of Arab ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage or identity, who identifies themselves as Arab. Arab Americans trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants of the countries comprising the Arab World...
. Tlaib faced a crowded primary that included several Latinos, including former State Representative Belda Garza. Tlaib emerged victorious, carrying 44% of the vote in the eight-way Democratic primary. The 12th District is overwhelmingly Democratic, and Tlaib won the general election with over 90% of the vote.
In 2010, Tlaib faced a Primary election challenge against Jim Czachorowski in his 1st time bid in politics. Tlaib picked up 85% of the vote, to Czachorowski's 15%. Tlaib also won the General Election, picking up 92% of the vote to second time Republican challenger Darrin Daigle. Tlaib will serve an additional 2 years in the Michigan House of Representatives. Sources say Tlaib may be looking to put her hat in the ring for a 2012 run for Wayne County Commission's 5th District seat, which has Tlaib's Southwest Detroit, as well as Detroit Suburb Lincoln Park.If Tlaib wins, she would unseat former State Representative and current Commissioner Ilona Varga.
Tlaib is one of only ten Muslims serving in state legislatures across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She is the second Muslim to serve in the Michigan State House of Representatives, after James Karoub. Born in Highland Park to an imam and his wife who came from what now is Lebanon, Karoub served three terms in the state House in the 1960s. Tlaib is the second Muslim woman to serve in a state legislature nationwide, after Jamilah Nasheed of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. She and Justin Amash
Justin Amash
Justin Amash, , is an American attorney, politician, and member of Congress. He has been the U.S. Representative for which encompasses the Grand Rapids area, since 2011....
, a Republican who was also elected in 2008, were the first two Palestinian-American members of the Michigan legislature.
Electoral history
- 2008 campaign for State House
- Rashida Tlaib (D), 90%
- Darrin Daigle (R), 10%
- 2008 campaign for State House, Democratic Primary
- Rashida Tlaib (D), 44%
- Carl Ramsey (D), 26%
- Belda Garza (D), 9%
- Daniel Solano (D), 7%
- Lisa Randon (D), 7%
- Denise Hearn (D), 5%
- Rochelle Smith (D), 1%
- Nellie Saenz (D), 1%
- 2010 campaign for State House, Democratic Primary
- Rashida Tlaib (D), 85%
- Jim Czachorowski (D), 15%
- 2010 campaign for State House
- Rashida Tlaib (D), 92%
- Darrin Daigle (R), 8%