Rep. Rashid Makes History as the First Palestinian-American Member of the General Assembly

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Taking office as the first Palestinian-American to join the Illinois General Assembly, state Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, will fight for economic, housing and racial justice while bringing more visibility to the issues affecting the Arab and Muslim communities across the state.

“I stand here today as the proud son of a Palestinian mother and father who left behind everything familiar to give me access to opportunities and a life far beyond their wildest dreams,” said Rashid. “My parents taught me what it means to work hard, give back, and to always stand up for what is right.”

Rashid took the oath of office for the 103^rd General Assembly, joining Rep. Nabeela Syed as the first Muslims to be elected to the General Assembly. Rashid’s priorities include reining in rising property taxes, expanding access to affordable housing, and helping families deal with rising inflation. Additionally, Rashid will work to energize the economy by supporting small businesses and laborers, and improve education and healthcare access.

Rashid will speak up for a woman’s right to choose, fight corruption, and continue efforts to get illegal guns off the streets.

“I will fight every day to improve the quality of life for our families,” Rashid said. “It is not too much to ask that working families be able to live a life of dignity, that people have access to quality healthcare, and that we get weapons of war off our streets.”

Rashid represents the 21^st House District, which includes parts of Chicago’s southwest side, and the suburban communities in Bedford Park, Berwyn, Bridgeview, Brookfield, Cicero, Countryside, Hodgkins, Justice, La Grange, La Grange Park, North Riverside, Riverside and Summit.