First Bangladeshi Rahman elected as Georgia senator

In a stunning upset, Bangladeshi-American Sheikh Rahman unseated a 14-year incumbent to become the first immigrant ever elected to the Georgia Senate of United States. 

State Senate District 5 sits in the rapidly diversifying suburbs of Gwinnett County, just north of Atlanta. 

“This is the perfect immigrant clapback to an election season marred by very disturbing, anti-immigrant imagery.” says #BlackLivesMatter organizer-turned City Councilman khalid, who served as Rahman’s Campaign Manager. 

A family photo of Sheikh Rahman

This Primary for State Senate became a counterpoint to the Statewide Primary for Governor, in which several Republican candidates - including Georgia's current Secretary of State, Brian Kemp - ran racially-polarizing, anti-immigrant ads.

From the beginning, Rahman fearlessly highlighted his immigrant background and his agenda to encourage more diverse representation in area politics, crystallized by his campaign slogan: It's Our Turn Now. 

An Immigrant Story
In 1972, the America opened its first embassy in Bangladesh, and Rahman’s American dream began.

After finishing high school, Sheikh arrived in America January 7, 1981 to attend Central Piedmont Community College. Though he was the son of high-ranking government officials in Bangladesh, Rahman took a job as a dishwasher in a North Carolina restaurant making $3.35 per hour to help pay for college and perfect his English.

Young Sheikh Rahman

In 1995, after a 14-year process, Sheikh Rahman became a U.S. citizen and finally finished his undergraduate degree in Economics & Global Studies at the University of Georgia, where he was elected as Student Senator and President of the Global Studies Association.   

From the moment he stepped foot on American soil, Rahman was involved in local politics. A college friend invited him to work on a political campaign for Charlotte’s Mayor, Eddie Knox, who was running for Governor.

He continued to work on political campaigns but never thought of running for office himself, until he saw man, educated in Indonesia, become President of the United States - Barack Obama.

Source: mailchi.mp, rahmanforga.com