John,

I’m Shahana Hanif, the first Muslim woman elected to the New York City Council. I’m grateful that Nida said I can reach out.

I grew up fighting Lupus – an incurable illness that almost killed me. I knew no stories of young women living with a chronic illness, so from a young age I had to learn to advocate for myself.

With that practice as my starting point, I’ve always fought for change for my entire community. And after my historic victory in 2021 as the first Muslim woman elected to NYC Council, I took those same values with me to City Hall.

I’ve been a champion for affordable housing, education and healthcare equity, a Green New Deal, abortion rights, and budget justice. Since day one, I’ve been combating hate in our community, especially ensuring that our Muslim and Jewish communities alike feel safe and welcomed.

But the truth is, groups are targeting progressive elected officials who dare to call for a ceasefire. In fact, in every single campaign I’ve run, conservative mega donors have spent thousands of dollars to defeat me—with even more likely to come in my next election. I will never back down from fighting for what is right, but that comes with the cost of getting targeted by special interests in my next election, John.

Nida is no stranger to being targeted for her identity and values. But I know that if you have our backs, we can defeat those special interests and continue the progress we’ve made.

So I have to ask, will you split a donation between my campaign and Nida’s to help us continue championing progressive values in our communities? >>

In Solidarity,

Shahana
New York City Council, District 39