RASHIDA TLAIB
THE POWERHOUSE POLITICIAN
BACKGROUND
Rashida was born in southwest Detroit, to Palestinian parents. As the oldest of 14 children, she learned responsibility at a young age. Growing up in a large family that experienced poverty during her youth fostered her compassionate and driven spirit, and would go on to shape her politics.
She was the first person in her family to graduate from high school. She went on to purse a BA at Wayne State University in 1998, and then earned her JD from Western Michigan University in 2004.
THE WORK
Upon completing law school, she worked for the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS). This work was important to her as a practicing Muslim who understands the discrimination faced by those in her community.
In 2008, she ran for a seat in the Michigan State Legislature and won her primary with 44% of the vote, making her the first Muslim woman in Michigan to serve in this position.
She served three terms in the Michigan State Legislature before going on to work as an attorney for a liberal nonprofit organisation, the Sugar Law Centre for Economic and Social Justice.
When a seat opened up to represent Michigan’s 13th District in the U.S. Congress in 2018, she found herself once again running for a position in government. Despite not being the front runner in the Democratic primary for the seat, and despite having been projected to lose, she secured the seat by less than 1000 votes.
She was re-elected in 2020, and still serves as the Democratic Representative for Michigan’s 13th District.
WHY SHE’S A GODMOTHER
She is one of the first Muslim-American, and Palestinian-American women to ever be elected to the U.S. Congress.
She is driven and determined, fighting tirelessly for the working-class within her district, where nearly 30% of residents live below the poverty line.
She knows how to stand her ground and get things done. During her time serving in the Michigan State Legislature, she took matters into her own hands when constituents complained about a black dust that was coating the Detroit riverbank and local parks, calling for inspections. When those inspections determined there was no cause for alarm, she collected samples herself and had the appropriate testing done, proving the dust was cancerous and thus forcing the state to resolve the issue.
She is an advocate for raising minimum wage, immigration reform, environmental and civil rights, and Medicare for All.
In July of 2026, she introduced the No AI Data Centers on Federal Lands Act, permanently banning massive AI data centres from building on any land owned or managed by the United States.
She is fierce and tireless in her endeavour to create a society that is both compassionate and fair for the members of her district, and the citizens of her country.