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Portrait of Rashida Harbi Tlaib

Photo: United States Congress · Public domain

Rashida Harbi Tlaib

Palestinian American lawyer and United States representative

Born
24 July 1976
Born in
Detroit, Michigan, United States
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Why Rashida is here

Tlaib became one of the first two Muslim women elected to the United States Congress and the first Palestinian American woman to serve there.

Their story

Rashida Tlaib was born in Detroit in 1976, the eldest of fourteen children of Palestinian immigrants; her mother's family is from Beit Ur al-Fauqa in the West Bank. A lawyer, she served in the Michigan House before being elected to the US Congress in 2018 and taking office in January 2019.

She is the first Palestinian American woman in Congress and one of its first two Muslim women. She supports the right to boycott, was barred by Israel from visiting her grandmother in 2019, and has advocated a ceasefire in Gaza. The House censured her in November 2023 over her statements following the 7 October attacks.

Milestones

The moments that shaped Rashida’s path.

  1. 2004

    Earned a Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University.

  2. 2009-2014

    Served in the Michigan House of Representatives.

  3. 2018

    Was elected to represent Michigan in the United States House of Representatives.

  4. 2019

    Began congressional service as the first Palestinian American woman in Congress.

Legacy

What they built, changed and left behind.

  1. Expanded Palestinian American representation in national elected office.

  2. Advocated on civil rights, environmental justice, housing, and economic inequality.

  3. Brought Palestinian family history and perspectives into U.S. public debate.

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Watch

Rashida in interviews, talks and coverage.

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