Dear Friend,

Emgage Action is proud to have supported Congressman Jamaal Bowman in his primary race to represent NY-16. While we are saddened by Bowman’s loss, we remain committed to putting the full weight of Muslim voters behind candidates across the country who support our pluralistic democracy and fight for human rights at home and abroad.

In 2020, Bowman defeated 16-term incumbent Eliot Engel and was the first Black Congressman to represent NY-16. Throughout his tenure in Congress, Bowman has been a tireless advocate for working-class communities and has advanced policies that put the interests of his constituents first. Bowman has stood against Islamophobia and called for the liberation of the Palestinian people.

In this election, Bowman was up against a candidate backed by deep-pocketed billionaires whose interests do not represent the majority of Americans. AIPAC aligned right-wing lobbying groups spent a record-breaking $14.5M to defeat Bowman, the most any interest group has spent on a single House race. This is a danger to our representative democracy and should sound the alarm for Americans across the country who want to see a more representative government.

Our fight is not over. Emgage Action will continue to organize and partner with values-driven organizations and constituencies in support of our multi-racial democracy. In the past year, and throughout our country’s history, we have seen the harm that irresponsible political scapegoating can have on Muslim communities and communities of color. We will continue to build institutional capacity to change the way Muslim Americans are engaged in politics and ensure that the Muslim American narrative is at the core of the social fabric of this nation.