Message from Emgage

 

Democracy in Action 250 Years of America, Carving Muslims into the Political Conscience

by Salimah Hagmagid, Emgage Action June 30, 2026 We often treat politics as a spectator sport–a distant drama of talking heads, polling data, and headlines of catastrophe that appear far more often than those of justice. However, this midterm season, my time observing the campaigns for Dr. Adam Hamawy, Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander, and Claire Valdez stripped away the noise, revealing something much more potent: the raw, unshakeable reality that when our community organizes, we are undeniable stakeholders on the contemporary American political scene. I saw neighbors stepping off the sidelines to shape their own future. These aren’t just campaigns; they are a masterclass in why, despite the cynicism of the moment, the effort to engage and organize within our political system, regardless of how many people want to silence us, is the most radical act of hope we have.  As we mark the 250th anniversary of this nation’s independence, we are forced to grapple with a question: what does 'independence' actually mean in 2026? As a community, we are all guilty of forgetting that the American experiment was built on the premise of collective participation. In this milestone year for American democracy, we must reclaim the work of ‘a more perfect union’ as a project that actively involves us, in this very moment, as relevant as it has ever been–this work is not a relic of the past.  We are all exhausted. Exhausted by cheapened professional politics that rely on slander and defamation to beat opponents. Exhausted by politicians who assume incompetence of their constituents. Exhausted by political promises that are made and forgotten after ballots are cast.

But there are moments in life where urgency supersedes exhaustion. Dr. Adam Hamawy’s campaign was one of them. Rarely, a candidate like Dr. Hamawy comes along, and it’s even rarer that a community resolves to organize, raise the money, and pull together the resources to prop him up—and rarer still that he makes it to the primary election. This was a moment of urgent organization, urgent mobilization, and urgent attention as the New Jersey community and allies across the country came together to secure Dr. Hamawy as the New Jersey 12th district Democratic Nominee for Congress. We’ve seen a similar spirit of energy and urgency in New York City with Avila Chevalier’s campaign–a communal push to place an Afro-Latina Muslim woman in Congress who has spoken up against the genocide in Gaza, who is advocating for affordable housing, and who believes that this is a country where people shouldn’t be taken off the streets and held in detention centers. Even a year ago, seeing a candidate like Avila Chevalier, Hamawy, Lander, or Valdez rise to the front of the polls seemed far-fetched and fantastical. Now, we are watching leaders we believe in, and who believe in us, rise to power.  In the past year, we’ve seen that Americans–and Muslim Americans, especially–have been reenergized by the notion of political agency that "unicorn" campaigns like Mamdani’s have brought. They’ve shown us that despite relentless, unchecked fascism at the federal level, we do, in fact, live in a democracy. We have the power to vote, to campaign, to fundraise, to lobby, and to be involved in every step of the political process. We can take someone from our communities, our neighborhoods, even our mosques–someone with values, ethical grounding, faith, and foresight–and send them to the most powerful branch of government in the most powerful country in the world.  I joined the Emgage Action team a couple of days before the 2025 November elections. Since then, I moved from the periphery into the thick of it. Watching, in real time, as candidates that I care so much about rose to the forefront of the public conscience and went from underdogs to primary victors. I saw eyes light up as voters heard about a candidate who cared about lowering prescription drug costs, who wanted to abolish ICE, and who was committed to healthcare and education that everyone could access, regardless of their socioeconomic status. These are campaigns for everyone. People of all backgrounds showed up at the polls for these candidates in New Jersey and New York. Old and young. Muslim and non-Muslim. White, Black, Arab, Desi, all different ethnicities. Rich and poor. Democracy in action.

As we reflect on 250 years of America, as a Black Muslim whose ancestors are buried in the dirt of plantations across the American South, I am filled with reverence for those who have come before me, who have continued to anchor minority communities in the never-ending pursuit of justice, who have believed in the project of Islam in America and the success of a truly diverse union. I’m indebted to those who fought for my right to vote, to go to school, to own property, to become president. To take ownership of my narrative and to influence the trajectory of this nation. Of this place we call home.  This is our country, and we can organize to send leaders we believe in to our congress. We are investing in this political process because this is our home, these are our people. Yes, the woman dropping her kids off at home in Plainfield, New Jersey, with a cross on her door, is our people. The old man smoking a cigarette who says he voted early, is our people. Even the woman who refused to answer the door, is our people. We do this for all of us. For those who agree with us and those who don’t. For today and for tomorrow.  At Emgage Action, I wake up each morning excited about the connections we build along the way, for the work of engagement, for making space for us as a community to exist in political multitudes and still work together, and most of all, so that one day, I can stand in front of God and say I didn’t give up on the people and the land you placed me in. We did the work. We built the bridges. For the people who came before us, the people who will come after us. We carved our community into the American political conscience, and look at us now. They can never, ever, take us out.