Political Quotes

On the recordJuly 29, 2021
I am a proud child of immigrants. Both of my parents immigrated from Palestine. My dad's journey actually was from Palestine as a young boy, and he grew up, his teenage years, in Nicaragua. From Nicaragua, at 19 years old, he came to the United States. My father, with a fourth grade education, couldn't ever experience human dignity anywhere except until he came here and worked for Ford Motor Company and became part of the United Auto Workers, the UAW. That is when he felt, for the first time, human dignity in the workplace. My father, in the 1970s, used to be in Detroit, on the corners. If you came up to him before he got to Ford, he would pull up his arm and say, ``Which watch you want?'' Because he hustled. That is how he provided for his family. My mother only went up to eighth grade because she was trying to provide for her family, which is a farming family in Palestine. When she came to this country, pregnant with me, never could they have imagined their daughter ever becoming a United States Congress Member and coming here with that lived experience and understanding the importance of bringing truly loving and caring farm immigrant neighbors. The human impact on doing nothing in regard to immigration is real. I grew up in Southwest Detroit--20 different ethnicities. I want you all to know what that feels like, right? I mean, this is a majority Black city with a little bit of beautiful Brown spice here and there.…
Said by
Rashida Tlaib
Democratic · Michigan

Share

More from Rashida Tlaib

Apr 23, 2025

We can’t lose our soul as a country and stand by and let this happen to our neighbors.

truthout.org
Jul 16, 2025

My membership in the Democratic Socialists of America helps me have an organization and people to lean on. It’s important to have that kind of partnership.

thehill.com
May 19, 2025

Israeli forces have begun a full-scale invasion to ethnically cleanse all Palestinians from Gaza.

commondreams.org
Jun 13, 2025

The president cannot circumvent congressional war powers and unilaterally send U.S. troops to war with Iran.

truthout.org

Other voices in this conversation