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Rashida TlaibAmerican lawyer and politician
Date of Birth: 24.07.1976
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Legal Career and Political Activism
- Election to the U.S. House of Representatives
- Making History in Congress
Early Life and Education
Born into a Palestinian FamilyRashida Tlaib was born on July 24, 1976, in Detroit, Michigan. She is the eldest of fourteen children born to Palestinian immigrants. Her father, Mustafa, came from Jerusalem and worked at the Ford plant after arriving in the United States. Her mother, Fatima, was born near Ramallah.
Tlaib attended high school in Detroit and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wayne State University in 1998. She then obtained a Juris Doctor degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in 2004.
Legal Career and Political Activism
Making History in the Michigan State HouseTlaib served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2007-2008 and 2009-2014. She became the first Muslim woman to be elected to a state legislature. Tlaib is a member of the Democratic Party's progressive wing and the Democratic Socialists of America.
After leaving state politics, she practiced law, focusing on providing legal aid to immigrants and low-income workers. In August 2016, Tlaib gained attention for protesting then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's speech at the Detroit Economic Club, interrupting him and advising him to read the Constitution. She was escorted out of the event along with other protesters.
Election to the U.S. House of Representatives
Victory in a Gerrymandered DistrictIn August 2018, Tlaib won the Democratic primary for Michigan's 13th Congressional District, receiving 31.2% of the vote. She lost the subsequent primary election to Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones, who received 37.75% of the vote.
However, due to gerrymandering by the Republican Party, the district has a large concentration of Democratic voters, making it likely that the winner of the Democratic primary would easily win the general election. The district is the poorest in Michigan and the third poorest in the country.
Making History in Congress
On November 6, 2018, Tlaib won the election to the U.S. House of Representatives with 84.6% of the vote. In the absence of a Republican challenger, her primary competition came from Samuel Johnson of the Working Class Party, who received 11.3% of the vote.
In August 2019, Tlaib and fellow Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar were denied entry into Israel due to their support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. Under a 2017 Israeli law, entry into the country can be denied to individuals who endorse boycotting Israel.
Tlaib was initially granted permission to visit her family in the West Bank on humanitarian grounds if she agreed to refrain from political speech during the visit. After submitting a request, she was granted entry but later withdrew her visit, tweeting, "Visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against the principles of justice I believe in."
According to the organization NGO Monitor, one of the two sponsors of the planned visit was Miftah, an NGO known for its anti-Israel activities and support for BDS.
Along with Ilhan Omar, Tlaib became the first Muslim woman elected to Congress. She is also one of two Democratic Socialists of America members in the House, along with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
