Rep. Rashida H. Tlaib's Bio

Rashida Tlaib was first elected to the Michigan House of Representative for the 12th House District (Detroit) in 2008. She was raised in Southwest Detroit, the eldest of 14 children. A daughter of Palestinian immigrants, Representative Tlaib made history by becoming the first Muslim woman elected to the Michigan Legislature.

Prior to being elected, Representative Tlaib worked at a number of nonprofit organizations, including the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) and the International Institute of Metro Detroit, where she advocated for better access to human services, education and civil rights. In 2009, she received the Role Model award from Alternatives for Girls. She was also awarded the Emerging Leader award by the National Network for Arab American Communities, the Women of Wayne Headliners award, the CAIR Michigan’s Empowering Muslims award and was recognized as one of Crain’s Detroit Business “Women to Watch.”

Representative Tlaib received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Wayne State University in 1998 and her law degree from Thomas Cooley Law School in 2004.