“It’s important for me — growing up in this community and knowing what it feels like to not belong — to make sure everyone feels like they do belong,” Nabeela Syed said. “I hope it feels to other young people and to women of color that we can do this.”
Nabeela Syed, 23, came of age during the Trump administration. An Indian Muslim American who wears a hijab, she remembers the former president’s 2016 Election Day with perfect clarity. She was a a senior at her high school in Palatine, Illinois, and the racist, Islamophobic rhetoric being parroted around her sealed her first political memory.
This year, her name was on the ballot to represent the Illinois General Assembly, and she won. In doing so, Syed flipped the Republican-held 51st District, in which she was born and raised. In January, she will become the youngest member of the assembly. “I’m very grateful for all the sacrifices they made so that I could live here,” she said. “Never in their wildest dreams did they think that I would run for political office. And here I am running for office and winning, and it’s because of them…My mother said if I didn’t do it, who would?”
“My grandma was straight up sobbing,” Syed said. “She grew up in a completely different era, a completely different environment and culture. To see so many people support someone that looks like me was very very exciting and emotional for her.” Like many Generation Zers, Syed grew up watching “Wizards of Waverly Place” and the Cartoon Network and fangirling over One Direction with her friends. She remembers when Twitter and Facebook became popular in middle school, and then when Instagram blew up in high school, but she never expected that within a decade, she’d be using those outlets to connect with her constituents.
She campaigned on a platform of reproductive justice, gun reform and affordable health care, making prescriptions more affordable for those that need them. Social media helped her broadcast her messages louder than she could have hoped, she said. She’s now speaking to an audience of thousands, many of whom are other young South Asians who are looking to her as a leader of their generation.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
23-Year-Old Nabeela Syed Becomes Youngest General Assembly MemberFor Nabeela Syed, the first order of business is thanking everyone who helped her get to become one of the first Gen X members in state government. On Election Day, voters in the 51st district elected the 23-year-old to the Illinois House of Representatives
Read more »
Illinois Democrats set to reach a record number of seats in the Illinois HouseDemocrats hold supermajorities in Senate and House. Numbers in the House are likely to exceed what Democrats had under Speaker Michael Madigan.
Read more »
Democrats extend control on Illinois Supreme Court after fearing loss of seatsDemocrats went into Tuesday’s election fearing they might lose their slim majority on the Illinois Supreme Court, but they ended up extending their control after a hard fought — and expensive — campaign.
Read more »
3 Downstate Counties Vote to Explore Seceding From Illinois, Forming New StateIllinois residents wanting to separate their communities from Chicago and Cook County is nothing new in the political world, but three counties took things one step further during the midterm elections, passing non-binding resolutions indicating that they want their elected officials to potentially explore seceding from the state.
Read more »
Democrat Eric Sorensen Wins Open Seat For Illinois' 17th Congressional DistrictDemocrat Eric Sorenson has defeated Republican Esther Joy King to win an open seat in Illinois’ 17th congressional district, according to a projection from NBC News.
Read more »
Are Schools Closed for Veterans Day in Illinois?Is Veterans Day considered a “legal school holiday” in Illinois? Here’s what the State Board of Education says.
Read more »