Happy to be part of this great story on the historical election of Sadaf Jaffar as the first Muslim South Asian woman mayor in the U.S. Here is a selection from the story and you can check out the full piece here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/sadaf-jaffer-new-jersey-montgomery-township-mayor_us_5c472d0fe4b027c3bbc5a213<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Jaffer is part of a <\/em>new wave of politically active South Asian Americans<\/em><\/a> in her state. As New Jersey\u2019s South Asian American population increases, many U.S.-born young professionals from immigrant families have started campaigning \u2015 and winning \u2015 positions as <\/em>mayors<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>state legislators<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>township<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>council members<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jaffer\u2019s appointment as mayor is particularly is significant against the backdrop of South Asian women\u2019s history in the U.S., according to\u00a0<\/em>Amy Bhatt<\/em><\/a>, a University of Maryland, Baltimore County, professor whose research focuses on immigration, gender and South Asian American communities. Bhatt is also a key leader at the <\/em>South Asian American Digital Archive<\/em><\/a>, which strives to document South Asian American history.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Beginning in the 1870s, Congress passed several laws aimed at restricting immigration from Asia. One of the ways politicians tried to block newcomers from staying in the U.S. was to make laws\u00a0<\/em>targeting the migration of women in particular<\/em><\/a>. Simultaneously, anti-miscegenation laws prevented Asian workers from marrying people outside their own communities. Ultimately, these restrictions made it difficult for people of Asian descent to permanently settle in the country.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n These discriminatory laws largely stayed in place until <\/em>1965<\/em><\/a>, when national-origin quotas were abolished and Asian-Americans started immigrating to the U.S. in larger numbers. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite their increasing population,\u00a0South Asian immigrants have historically been reluctant to become politically active in the U.S., Bhatt said, preferring instead to try to \u201cblend in.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Happy to be part of this great story on the historical election of Sadaf Jaffar as the first Muslim South Asian woman mayor in the U.S. Here is a selection from the story and you can check out the full … Continue reading
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