Ruwa Romman
Ruwa Romman | |
---|---|
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 97th district | |
Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Beth Moore (redistricting) |
Personal details | |
Born | Jordan | June 14, 1993
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Shahzaib |
Education | Oglethorpe University (BA) Georgetown University (MPP) |
Website | Campaign website |
Ruwa Romman (June 14, 1993) is a Palestinian–American politician serving as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives for the 97th district.[1][2][3] A Democrat, she is the first Muslim woman elected to the body.[4][1][3][5]
Early life and education[edit]
Romman was born in Jordan and moved to the United States when she was 7.[6][7] Romman attended Oglethorpe University and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.[6] She graduated from McCourt with a Master's degree in Public Policy in 2019.[3]
Career[edit]
After graduation, Romman worked for Deloitte as a senior consultant.[6] She has been involved in local politics and civic engagement groups since 2014 and co-founded the Georgia Volunteer Hub in 2020, which trained thousands of volunteers to support the Georgia Senate Runoff election..[2][3]
In January 2022, she announced her candidacy for the Georgia House of Representative in District 97.[3] On May 24, 2022, Romman won the Democratic primary against JT Wu.[7] On November 8, 2022, Romman won the general election, making her the first Muslim woman to be elected into the Georgia State House of Representatives.[4][1]
During her 2022 campaign, Romman was endorsed by NARAL,[8] Fair Fight,[6] the Georgia Working Families Party,[6] and the Asian-American Advocacy Fund.[6][9] Romman campaigned on expanding health care access, protecting voting rights, supporting access to abortion and helping working families.[2]
On November 22, 2022, Romman was interviewed by Journalist Peter Biello for Georgia Public Boadcasting.[10] In December 2022, Romman was interviewed by Geoff Bennett for a PBS NewsHour segment titled "How Muslim American candidates made history in the midterms" [11]
Since November 2022, Romman is part of Georgia's first formal "Legislative Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus."[12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "US midterms: Three Palestinian-Americans win seats". The New Arab. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ a b c Elassar, Alaa (November 13, 2022). "Georgia candidate makes history as first known Muslim and Palestinian woman elected to state House | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Jackson, Mariel (November 28, 2022). "McCourt alumna wins big in Georgia House race". McCourt School of Public Policy. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ a b Salzer, James. "GOP lose a few seats, keeps control of Legislature after redistricting". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Mithani, Jasmine (December 12, 2022). "Why the 2022 election was historic for Muslim women's representation". The 19th. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Helfand-Rogers, Candice (May 23, 2022). "Meet the Muslim Woman Running for Office in Georgia to Inspire, Win or Lose". The Story Exchange. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ a b "Georgia State House – District 97 Democratic Primary Results | Detroit Free Press". www.freep.com. May 25, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia Endorses Charlie Bailey for Lieutenant Governor and Slate of 19 Candidates in Key State Legislative Races". NARAL Pro-Choice America. August 30, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "Ruwa Romman". Asian American Advocacy Fund. September 7, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Biello, Peter (November 22, 2022). "Ruwa Romman feels 'huge responsibility' as first Muslim woman elected to the Georgia House". Georgia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "How Muslim American candidates made history in the midterms". PBS NewsHour. December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ Moore, Rachel (November 28, 2022). "Lawmakers Announce Creation Of The First Formal Legislative Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus In Georgia History – Georgia Senate Press Office". Retrieved December 30, 2022.