Interviewing Congressional Candidate Nida Allam
By Nicole Ahad
Running to represent North Carolina’s fourth district, Nida Allam boasts a campaign that focuses on the common American. I first heard of Nida Allam following her endorsement from Bernie Sanders.
Reading her story, I found a woman who leads with her heart---who informs her perspectives with the experiences of real people. I find it rare to find politicians who make their policy positions based on the needs of real people. Often, it feels that politics exist in a vacuum---void of any semblance of reality outside of the guiding hand of corporate donors.
Nida Allam is a rarity. I was moved by her vulnerability and capacity for action---entering politics following the murder of a friend, sharing how an abortion saved her life, and being candid about the mental effects of running for office.
It is incredibly refreshing to speak with a woman in politics like her, and I feel incredibly grateful to have had this conversation.
1. As a brown woman, we’ve grown up seeing little representation of our background in the
U.S. political atmosphere. How has your background as a Muslim-American influenced
your political views, and by extension, your campaign?
I am the daughter of Indian and Pakistani immigrants and a naturalized citizen myself—my
values, deeply rooted in faith and community, influence every single thing I do. When I was
growing up, my mother was the Chair of the Women’s Committee at our mosque, and I
helped her distribute food at local food banks and find apartments for refugee families. I will
always remember her asking me what snacks I thought other children would like to eat and
working so hard to decorate the new apartments. Her example of civic engagement is
inextricable from political work, though it often goes overlooked and unacknowledged.
They say you can’t be what you don’t see. For a long time, especially growing up in the
post-9/11 days, it was so rare to see a Muslim elected official in the United States that
nobody even thought it was possible. If I can hold a mirror up to my daughter, to her friends,
to other young brown girls, and show her that she is capable of achieving any dream, then
everything I’ve done will be worth it.
2. You’ve noted that your inspiration for entering U.S. politics began when your friend
tragically lost his life in the 2015 Chapel Hill shooting. If you feel comfortable, I’d love
to know more about Abu-Salha, his life and your friendship. The loss of a best friend is
incredibly traumatic, and the cause of death in itself—I imagine took a massive toll on
you and your friends. I’d like to take a moment to share his story, and go into how that
has impacted you as an individual.
My entire career in politics was catalyzed by an act of brazen violence. In 2015, my best
friend Yusor, who was newly married, still in the honeymoon phase, and in the middle of
renovating her apartment, was murdered in her home alongside her husband, Deah, and
her little sister, Razan, by their neighbor who hated them because they were Muslim. The
police chief and the press didn’t even wait for an investigation before they gave the killer
the benefit of doubt and labeled this a “parking dispute,” and refused to consider that this
man who had threatened them with a gun multiple times before had committed a hate
crime.
Deah, Yusor, and Razan were incredible people. They had big dreams for a life of
generosity and success. For Deah and Yusor, that meant going into dentistry, providing
unhoused North Carolinians and Syrian refugees with the care they desperately needed.
For Razan it meant a job in architecture or environmental engineering. She loved using her
art to create pieces to sell as a fundraiser for joint projects with Yusor and Deah.
The idea that their deaths could be dismissed as a “parking dispute” infuriated me. I could
not believe how little respect and reverence local leaders had for their lives. The anger and
pain our community was overwhelmed with drove me to look for change. And seeing the
way our elected officials and police failed to serve our community motivated me to run for
office, because we realized that when we don’t have a seat at the table, we aren’t heard by
those in power. I will honor my friends forever, bringing their light to the world.
3. You have two beautiful kids—Aaliyah and Abdul (my dad’s name as well! LOL). How
does your family influence your political views and platform?
It might sound counter intuitive, but my greatest strength as a leader is being a working
mom. As a mother, my commitment to progress in our state has only grown stronger when
watching through the eyes of my kids. Looking at Aaliyah and Abdul, I see the whole
world—a future where they and their peers can live free of stereotypes, discrimination, and
structural oppression. I feel even more dedicated to preserving the strong, vibrant, diverse
community that makes North Carolina what it is. And when I see them playing with their
friends in daycare, I am reminded of the great debt we owe to the next generation: we are
just stewarding this community, trying to leave it better, more equal, and more connected
than we found it.
4. I feel as daughters of immigrants, our parents' stories play a massive role in how we
approach life and our values. How have your parents influenced you as an individual
today?
My parents are my biggest inspiration and biggest supporters in life. Growing up, I
watched my mom go to work every day as a public school teacher with a focus on
classrooms for students who receive exceptional services. Her dedication to her students
ingrained in me a deep respect for service and education. And her partnership and
support with my dad made me feel like I could accomplish anything in life, no matter the
obstacles. They instilled in me both a sense of sacrifice and a sense of hope, a balance I
try to pass on to my kids every day.
My parents left their home countries and gave up everything, my goal is to make sure
we're building a country worth leaving everything for.
6. Your platform showcases a deep level of empathy for common American people,
advocating for a liveable minimum wage, labor protections through the PRO Act,
Medicare for All, and more. What experiences have illuminated these views? Both
personal and experiences shared with you by your constituents?
I am a proud former member of the CWA and a former employee of a labor
organization. I have joined picket lines, speaking up for workers in UE-150, our
library workers who are organizing for dues deductions. I know what it’s like to get
laid off, to be without healthcare in a precarious economic circumstance, and to
struggle to put food on the table for my young children. Like most of my generation, I
know what it’s like to be in debt, to feel hopeless. These issues are personal to
me—that’s why I’m in this fight.
7. We’re currently facing an administration that has pushed the boundaries of the American
political system, with blatantly unconstitutional acts becoming a normal part of our
political landscape. As a congresswoman, how do you intend to fight against the actions
of this administration?
As Zohran Mamdani once said: “I am Donald Trump’s worst nightmare.” I’m a Brown,
Muslim mother who believes wholeheartedly in the right to choose, the rights of my
LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors, and the inherent equality of every human being. I’m an
immigrant, the mother of young children, and nothing will get in my way of fighting for their
future.
Trump has unilaterally undermined our democracy and placed our cities under attack. He
has escalated global conflict without approval from Congress, in flagrant violation of our
nation’s constitution. His personal gestapo is rounding up and deporting immigrants, a
troubling slide into facism that should concern every single freedom-loving American. And
yet, for too long, Congress has stood idly by, not using all the tools at its disposal to fight
back against this dangerous, tyrannical, and unjust regime.
It’s time for a new strategy. Congress should fight back with everything in its arsenal to
prevent the President’s further encroachment on our democracy. In Washington, I’ll lead the
charge to impeach Kristi Noem, abolish ICE, and vote no on every budget the president
brings before Congress. We need to stall his agenda with every bureaucratic measure
possible, whether that means holding the line on a shutdown or getting out in the streets,
side-by-side with our constituents.
8. You’ve discussed the personal impact of running for office, citing both your pregnancy
and your husband Towqir being a full-time student when you left your job. I’d love to
know—as we often don’t see the human realities of running for public office—what
keeps you motivated to continue fighting when you face these anxieties and struggles?
How do you cope when anxiety comes your way?
My children! When I’m dealing with hate, bigotry, and attacks online, my kids pull me out.
They are the best antidote to doom and gloom ever. The same is true for seeing my
constituents across the district. Whenever I’m just talking to everyday North Carolinians, I
remember why I’m doing this in the first place.
9. You’ve shared your story about needing an abortion—a procedure that saved your life. I
know this is a very personal matter, so please don’t feel obligated to answer, but I’d love
to know how that impacted you as an individual, and how your experience informs your
perspective as a proponent for reproductive rights.
The number one cause of death in the first trimester and the cause of 10-15% of overall
maternal deaths, ectopic pregnancies are life-threatening medical emergencies and cannot
be viably carried to term. The stakes are quite literally life or death. I would know. I had an
abortion due to an ectopic pregnancy in 2021, and it saved my life.
My experience was incredibly scary, but ultimately made me so grateful for the privilege
(which should be a federally protected right) of safe access to abortion and reproductive
care. It also made me more attuned to the struggles of all those who need and deserve
reproductive care in our country, and especially to the racism embedded in the medical
system. The racial disparities in maternal mortality and complications for Black and Brown
mothers in the United States are a global anomaly. As of 2021, the national maternal
mortality rate for Black women was 69.9 deaths for every 100,000 live births—nearly three
times the rate of white moms and nearly six times the overall rate for high-income
countries. This is unconscionable and needs to be changed.
We need to codify Roe at the federal level, and we need institutional reform across our
healthcare system. In addition to a broad Medicare for All bill that will provide universal
access to healthcare for every American, we need a more targeted intervention to close
these racial gaps. This starts with but is not limited to Representative Lauren Underwood’s
“Momnibus” bill, to extend prenatal and postpartum care to marginalized women
everywhere. We also need more Black and Brown women gynecologists, doctors, doulas,
and midwives, and to legislate around fair and equal treatment of patients of color across
the medical system. And finally, we need to build more hospitals, period, so that rural-urban
divides are not exacerbating this already extreme disparity on the basis of race.
We thank Nida Allam for taking the time to speak with us! See Nida’s campaign socials below.
Made by a human—no AI was used in the creation of this piece.
