John,

My dad, Shabbir Amiwala, grew up poor in Karachi, Pakistan. His first job as a boy was selling eggs in the market. Each day, he would bring home the cracked ones for him and his sisters to share the following morning. Eggs were a luxury. 

He dreamt of a better life, so he came to America to chase the American Dream. By pure luck, the taxi driver who picked him up from the airport spoke Urdu and connected him to a job at a restaurant called The Burger Lounge. He worked as a busboy, then as a line cook, and later as a taxi driver — passing the taxi exam by answering “C” all the way down, despite not being able to read English.

After years of driving a cab, he saved enough to open a men’s clothing store — a milestone that, to him, was the embodiment of the American Dream. 

When I was born, he took on debt so our family could move just three miles north, so I could attend better schools in Skokie. That’s how much he valued education. Decades later I would be elected to serve on the school board of the very same schools that he sacrificed so much to get me into. 

From him, I learned three important lessons:

• Gratitude — for every meal, every chance.

• Faith — what’s meant for you won’t miss you. (Like the Urdu-speaking taxi driver who helped him land his first job in Chicago.)

• The notion that you can build a foundation as you walk on it.

That last lesson — building a foundation as you walk on it — is exactly what we are doing together on this campaign. It started with a dream and we’ve already built it into a front-running campaign, there’s still much more work to be done but we’ll continue building up everyday.

With the American Dream that my father fought to achieve under attack this campaign is needed now more than ever.

Will you make a contribution of whatever you can spare to help me keep fighting for opportunity, education, and the belief that every family deserves a fair shot?

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Gratefully,

Bushra Amiwala

Mail checks to:

Bushra for Congress

PO Box 911

Skokie, IL 60076