I have a special message for you, and while it will probably be one of the longer e-mails you get today, I really hope you will read this:

I am officially running to represent Georgia’s 7th Congressional District.

Our country is at a crossroads. The American Dream is becoming increasingly out of reach for millions of working Americans. Millions of Americans who call this country their home are made to feel as if it isn’t on the basis of their skin color, income level, country of origin, religion, gender, sexuality, and disability status.

We can’t afford to sit on the sidelines -- Not when everything we hold dear is being threatened and the progress we’ve fought so hard to achieve is being unraveled. This campaign is a historic opportunity to reject Donald Trump's hatred and cruelty.

Democrats were just 433 votes shy of flipping this GOP-held seat last year: I’m asking if you will donate to my campaign so we can make sure that in 2020 this district goes blue →

My parents immigrated to Georgia three decades ago from Bangladesh. My mother still remembers her humble home made of tin walls and a mud floor in her village.

They came to America because they believed in the American Dream -- and because they wanted the best for me and my little brother. They wanted us to have the opportunities they never had as children.

My father worked as a file clerk, my mother flipped burgers, and I joined them in the workforce the moment I was old enough in high school: At a supermarket and then at Walmart. I’m not ashamed to say that I’m from a working-class family or that my family struggled to pay the bills at times.

These experiences taught me the value of a hard day’s work and helped us achieve our American Dream, even when there were days we didn’t know how we would pull ahead.

Millions of Americans are struggling to get by -- They’ve worked hard, saved up, played by all the rules, but they can’t get ahead. So many of them are living paycheck-to-paycheck -- One medical emergency or unexpected expense away from bankruptcy.

Their stories aren’t being told in Congress and Republicans aren’t listening. Which is why I’m running: Because the story of the American Dream will not end with this generation. Not as long as we fight to protect it and open the doors of opportunities for others.

That is my mission: If you are with me in this fight I would be incredibly grateful if you could become a Founding Donor to my Congressional campaign →

It’s time to tell our stories, defend our dreams, and protect our progress.

-- Nabilah