Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruwa Romman, Democratic Nominee for Georgia State House District 97
Hi Ruwa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Jordan and am the granddaughter of Palestinian refugees. My family moved to Georgia when I was seven years old. We moved around a lot eventually settling in Forsyth County. At the time, the county was overwhelmingly not diverse. The first black student I met was sophomore year of high school. Myself and two other students were the only non-white people in our entire 8th-grade class. In spite of that, Georgia public schools quickly became a constant in my life as my family worked to establish the family business which has operated for almost 25 years in Gwinnett County.
Through a mix of scholarships like HOPE, I attended Oglethorpe University. It was there that the Michelle Nunn/Jason Carter campaign recruited me and my peers to support their campaign. Since then, I’ve been involved in the political world in some form. I went on to earn my Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown. Last year I leveraged my platform to inform thousands of Georgians how to get involved in the 2020 elections, and worked as a field organizer for Asian American Advocacy Fund. I also co-founded the Georgia Volunteer Hub to train the influx of Georgia and national volunteers while connecting them to local Georgia organizations.
I have volunteered in every election cycle since 2014 to help flip Georgia blue. In the past, I also worked as a Field Organizer for the Georgia Muslim Voter Project, as well as served as Communications Director for CAIR Georgia.
I currently work as a senior consultant for a professional services management company assisting government agencies and other stakeholders by advising, implementing, and developing improved strategies to deal with major public policy issues at the local, state, and federal levels.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Doing political work as a Democrat in Georgia is never a smooth ride. It can be incredibly dejecting when you’re the minority party in all three branches of government because sometimes your only option is to reduce, not stop, harm. But, I remind myself that we made history knocking one door at a time over the past decade. Things can and will change. We just have to show up.
On a personal level, as a Muslim and a woman, it constantly feels like I have to work twice as hard for half the credit. We’re running an incredible campaign out-raising and out-organizing others in similar races. And yet, female candidates are told they are “just as good” even when they are doing twice as much. Additionally, many look at me and wonder if a visibly Muslim woman can ever win anything in Georgia in spite of the standards we are not only meeting but exceeding.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My friend’s joke that I’m the kind of person who would give a stranger a ride home but would make sure they are registered to vote before I dropped them off. But my political work is not one dimensional. I’ve worked in the non-profit and partisan space. From civil rights to advocacy work to GOTV efforts, I’ve dedicated my career and life to empowering as many people as possible.
I’m most proud of the fact that in spite of everything happening in our world, I’ve remained stubbornly optimistic. Even at our bleakest moments, I refuse to believe that we cannot change things. There are millions of us who believe that our world could be better and more fair. We can protect our planet from impending crises brought about by global warming, bridge the economic opportunity gap, protect our rights and so much more. We just have to consistently show up and use every tool at our disposal, from voting to advocacy to local organizing, to change our world for the better.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I love my passion planner. Things have been too hectic for me to be as consistent as I used to be using it, but ironically that’s when I know I need to slow down the most. I’ll open it, put all my to-do’s and focus areas in one place then go.
Contact Info:
- Website: ruwa4georgia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruwa4georgia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ruwa4Georgia/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ruwa4georgia
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA8nsdkOA_PIU1SV_U9o6HQ
Image Credits
MARK HILL PHOTOGRAPHY
