This is The Daily Stack, a relatively satirical take on newsletters covering the day’s headlines.
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Originally on Instagram
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Throughout the majority of my life, politics consumed me. I ate, slept, and breathed politics. From watching the news daily to always researching and understanding the historical context of issues, from engaging in countless political discussions and debates to sometimes just listening to the discourse of international politics at the uncles' table at community gatherings. Although I think part of the blame is on Jon Stewart and The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert.
I remember in high school, Facebook and Twitter sort of became my best friends in this, wherein I recognized the value of social media as a platform in exchanging ideas and using the advantage of its infancy to promote political thought and discussion, long before it became commonplace to do so. Granted, much of it went unheard.
It was a different time then, where many took for granted a relatively civil political landscape and the importance of civic engagement as well as proper representation.
At that time (pre-2016), representation was not necessarily tied to identity but to ideals. However, every so often those are inextricably linked.
Before my senior year of high school, I wondered why it was that the direction of education was determined by a board comprised of individuals who had long been out of the school systems they were governing? In my mind, it also begged the question whether *that* was the reason for such a high level of administrative turnover throughout my time in the district. But the root of my inquiry remained, why didn't we have young(er) representation on the board of education?
So I set about changing that. And it ended up being in more ways than one. Before senior year started, I won the confidence of my peers and was made student council president. I put together a plan to completely restructure the student council to give it operative efficiency, but mostly to involve more students in the process and create a strong relationship between the administration and the student council. It worked pretty well.
Quite literally, my first day as student council president, the administration took unilateral action suspending outdoor lunch privileges and all the students were in uproar—to the point that they were ready to stage a walk out and just not show up to classes. I remember thinking that this will probably not be an effective way to change the administration's mind.
That's not to knock on protests, because they certainly have their place in raising awareness as well as displaying a strong show of force, when done right and effectively. But if a protest is not supplemented or driven by concrete, actionable policy or even individuals in a position to advocate for and enforce that policy, then it's rendered ineffective.
So I bought myself some time and got a hold of all the popular kids and let them know to tell everyone they knew to just hold off on that idea.
In the meantime, I was working on possible solutions that would be a reasonable compromise while also circulating a petition on what was then change.org
The next morning, the school administration along with the board administration sat down with me to discuss my proposals. By the start of the school day, students had their lunch privileges reinstated, and the administration also agreed to shop around for a new cafeteria vendor. This really set the stage for a whole host of changes with the school and continued cooperation between administration and students over the school year.
It also set the stage for the direction my life would take. Because along the way, someone jokingly suggested that I run for the board of ed some day. And by June of my senior year, I just decided to.
I still remember the excitement of my friends seeing someone amongst them who had just turned 18, going around collecting signatures to petition for his candidacy. And the excitement of my teachers who saw this as moment that really got younger people involved in the political process. With all the signatures collected, the oath of allegiance notarized, I submitted my documents to the county and became the youngest candidate to run for my town’s board of ed and perhaps the youngest candidate for public office in the State of NJ.
While preparing to campaign for election season, I was also preparing to start a BS/DO program full time. I recall some of the conversations had with parents and voters in the district as well as conversations with some teachers who relayed concerns of some parents. Primarily with regard to age and experience. After all, I was 18 years old running for public office fresh out of high school. So I understood the hesitation. Where I did not understand hesitation was a particular comment made by one of my friend’s parents who was concerned that my Muslim background was indicative of some radical philosophy that would influence my governance.
Now, being Muslim was not the center of my candidacy. Was it the center of my identity? Sure. But my candidacy was rooted in providing a recent graduate’s perspective when it came to how the board reached certain decisions and started new initiatives. Funny enough, it was a teacher who disarmed the parent’s concerns by vouching for me.
Needless to say, the 2014 election rolled around, and I did become the youngest Muslim elected to public office in the United States (MPAC - archived) (NYTimes). Now, this was not as big a deal during the pre-Trump era. I’d really just become known as the youngest BOE electee sworn in just a couple months later as a member.
In fact since then, we’ve had other great young Muslims elected to similar positions like
of Jersey City (who went on to serve as president of his BOE) and Bushra Amiwala of Skokie, IL. They were inspired by the macro-political environment and driven by a similar desire to serve their community by getting students a voice at the table.And I expect they will probably agree that at the time of the election in which you are running, it feels like the most important election in your lifetime, but that, after having experienced one, you recognize how every passing election is the most important election in your lifetime.
The opportunity to contribute to the direction of public policy is a privilege we should not take for granted. And equally important, if not more important, is the civic duty to ensure the continuation and expansion of such an opportunity. That said, go out and vote. Lmao.
I’ll probably have more words on this and tangential topics, but if anyone wants to talk feel free to message me.