Progressive Mauree Turner, running for state House, is hoping to become the first Muslim lawmaker in Oklahoma history.
Growing up, Turner had a harder time “coming out” as Muslim, as she put it, than doing so as queer. One friend she told in college called her a “towelhead,” an Islamophobic slur. Another called her “un-American.”
As the state’s potential first Muslim lawmaker, Turner thinks it would be “formative for young Muslim folks to see” her elected. “We are no longer fighting for a seat at the table,” Turner said of her barrier-breaking candidacy. “We’re creating a whole new table where everybody eats.” We are no longer fighting for a seat at the table. We’re creating a whole new table where everybody eats.Central to Turner’s platform is criminal justice reform, in a state that hasin the nation. On the heels of a summer of racial justice reckoning nationwide around Black people being killed by police, Turner said she “realized this isn’t a system that can be reformed. We have to reimagine and rebuild it with communities in mind.
She notes how criminal justice issues touch every other area of political life, with some of the main factors that contribute to incarceration including homelessness, substance abuse and a lack of access to quality education and job opportunities. That’s why she’s also pushing for improved access to health care, like safe needle exchange programs, as well as raising the minimum wage.Turner has been endorsed by Rep. Ilhan Omar — one of the first Muslim women ever in U.S.
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