Hi John – it’s Ruwa Romman, Georgia State Representative for House District 97 and Arab American. As National Arab American Heritage Month comes to a close, I want to personally share my story as the first Muslim woman to serve in the Georgia State House and first Palestinian elected to any public office in the state.

When I ran for office, many people thought there’s no way that a Muslim woman – let alone an Arab woman who wears a hijab – could ever win in a state like Georgia.

I faced my share of bullying and discrimination – from peers calling me “terrorist” to teachers pulling me out of class to ask if my family had ties to terrorism.

But I was determined to prove them wrong.

In 2022, I ran a people-powered campaign, fueled by and for my constituents instead of special interests, and I won my race in Georgia and made history. Since then, I’ve been tackling the issues that I know matter most to Georgians: education, health care, economic opportunity and protecting our democracy.

Now, I’m proud to be the first Muslim woman in Georgia's State House and first Palestinian elected to any public office in the state. But our nation needs to see more “firsts” in public office to create a brighter future for marginalized communities across the country.

Everyone – regardless of how they look, who they worship, or where they come from – deserves equality, kindness and fair representation.

This is why it’s so important to elect more young progressive candidates from diverse backgrounds to public office: so that our government works for everyone. Run for Something is working hard to do just that, but they’re relying on support from people like you to fuel their efforts forward. That’s why I’m asking you to help them meet their $10,000 end-of-month goal by midnight tomorrow.

Will you chip in $5 right now to help Run for Something recruit and train more young progressives like me across the country?

Thank you so much for all you do.

In solidarity,

Ruwa Romman

Run for Something is a grassroots-powered organization that recruits and empowers young progressives running for local office, with the goal of winning permanent power for decades to come. We've won over 1,000 elections by relying on support from grassroots donors pitching in a little to create big change. Please chip in now to help our candidates continue running and winning.

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