16th January 2019 • article
He slaved away to learn English, now he's the first immigrant or Bangladeshi elected in Georgia
Image: Sheikh Rahman website
It was a proud moment not just for immigrants, Bangladeshis and Muslims, but for the southern state of Georgia too.
This week Sheikh Rahman made history after being confirmed in Georgia as its first immigrant state senator.
Like many other South Asians, Rahman won during the mid-term elections in November 2018.
A number of desis were elected to state seats across the country, and Barfi Culture has been keeping track of them.
On his website Mr Rahman says he came to the US after the war of liberation in Bangladesh forced him to flee.
Though he was the son of a high-ranking government official in Bangladesh, Rahman took a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant, making $3.35 per hour to help pay for college and perfect his English.
He say that like today’s immigrants from the Middle and Far East, Rahman was called 'raghead' by racists "who think all people with brown skin and foreign accents are the same".
In a press statement this week, Sheikh Rahman said: "I hope that by sharing my story of coming to America to work my first job as a dishwasher to now being a state senator, I can bring hope to the men and women of district five, the state of Georgia and our nation as a whole, that the American Dream is still alive."
City-councilman Khalid, who served as his campaign manager, said: "This is the perfect immigrant clapback to an election season marred by very disturbing, anti-immigrant imagery."
This week Sheikh Rahman made history after being confirmed in Georgia as its first immigrant state senator.
Like many other South Asians, Rahman won during the mid-term elections in November 2018.
A number of desis were elected to state seats across the country, and Barfi Culture has been keeping track of them.
On his website Mr Rahman says he came to the US after the war of liberation in Bangladesh forced him to flee.
Though he was the son of a high-ranking government official in Bangladesh, Rahman took a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant, making $3.35 per hour to help pay for college and perfect his English.
He say that like today’s immigrants from the Middle and Far East, Rahman was called 'raghead' by racists "who think all people with brown skin and foreign accents are the same".
In a press statement this week, Sheikh Rahman said: "I hope that by sharing my story of coming to America to work my first job as a dishwasher to now being a state senator, I can bring hope to the men and women of district five, the state of Georgia and our nation as a whole, that the American Dream is still alive."
City-councilman Khalid, who served as his campaign manager, said: "This is the perfect immigrant clapback to an election season marred by very disturbing, anti-immigrant imagery."
About us
Barfi Culture is a news-magazine on people of South Asian heritage living in Europe and North America. We don't cover South Asia directly.
Sign up!
We publish Updates and Articles to our website every day. At 5pm every Monday - Friday we also post them to Twitter and WhatsApp. Weekly updates by email.
Email (weekly)
WhatsApp (once a day)
Your number will never be shared.
Your number will never be shared.
Twitter (daily)
Follow @barfi_culture
Follow @barfi_culture
Facebook (daily)
Instagram (daily)